Faxon ION Ultralight
- Category
- Carbine
- Barrel
- 406 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.25 kg
- Introduced
- 2018
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Faxon ION Ultralight is a weight-obsessed AR-15 carbine and the entry point of Faxon's Summit Line, built for hunters, hikers, and lightweight enthusiasts. The 16-inch rifle tips the scales at roughly 4.95 pounds by combining a Faxon pencil-profile barrel, a 13-inch carbon-fiber M-LOK handguard, a lightweight superfinished M16 bolt carrier group, and Faxon's Slim 3-Port muzzle brake on a 1/2x28 thread. Forged 7075-T6 aluminum receivers keep cost in check while exotic carbon-fiber and slimmed components cut grams everywhere else. The line includes a 16-inch rifle, a 10.5-inch pistol, and an integral-muzzle 16-inch variant.
The ION name became Faxon's banner for the lightweight-rifle arms race, where every fraction of an ounce shaved from barrel, handguard, and bolt carrier was a selling point for backcountry and competition shooters.
MSRP roughly $1,550-$1,645. The 16" ION Ultralight weighs about 4.95 lbs. Sits below the carbon-heavy ION-X Hyperlite in Faxon's Summit ultralight hierarchy.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Faxon Firearms
- Category
- Carbine
- Country
- United States
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 2018
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 406 mm
- Overall length
- 914 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.25 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated direct impingement
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Trigger pull
- 27.0 N
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Aluminum alloy
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Hard anodized
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Free floating handguard
M lok rail
Rotating bolt
Flat top receiver
Picatinny rail
Forward assist
Dust cover
Threaded muzzle
Mid length gas system
Superfinished bcg
Pencil profile barrel- Lightweight design
Carbon fiber handguard
Slim muzzle brake
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 141 5.56x45mm NATO carbines | 2.25 kg | 2.95 kg | Lighter than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 144 5.56x45mm NATO carbines | 914 mm | 838 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 150 5.56x45mm NATO carbines | 406 mm | 406 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 150 5.56x45mm NATO carbines | 30 | 30 | Near the median |
Its place in the rankings
Answers
Questions about the Faxon ION Ultralight
How much does the Faxon ION Ultralight weigh?
The Faxon ION Ultralight weighs 2.25 kg (4.95 lb) empty. It is the 5th lightest of 141 5.56x45mm NATO carbines in the catalogue.
What caliber is the Faxon ION Ultralight?
The Faxon ION Ultralight is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO.
How many rounds does the Faxon ION Ultralight hold?
The Faxon ION Ultralight holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Faxon ION Ultralight?
The Faxon ION Ultralight is 914 mm (36.0 in) long overall, with a 406 mm (16.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Faxon ION Ultralight?
The Faxon ION Ultralight is made by Faxon Firearms (United States).
When was the Faxon ION Ultralight introduced?
The Faxon ION Ultralight was introduced in 2018.
How does the Faxon ION Ultralight operate?
The Faxon ION Ultralight uses a gas operated direct impingement action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
74%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/faxon-ion-ultralight' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "faxon-ion-ultralight", "name": "Faxon ION Ultralight", "manufacturer": { "id": "faxon-firearms", "name": "Faxon Firearms", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 2010, "website": "https://faxonfirearms.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-05-26 23:17:02", "updatedAt": "2026-05-26 23:17:02", "version": "d8d87003d1656ba37045f0618b96762c150bb1e2337c1cbfae5a424229504615" }, "category": { "id": "carbine", "name": "Carbine", "description": "Shortened rifles for close-quarters use" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 2018, "barrel_length_mm": 406, "weight_empty_g": 2245, "action_type": "gas_operated_direct_impingement"}