Rock River Arms PDS Piston Driven Carbine
This guest review of the Rock River Arms PDS Piston Driven Carbine was written by Michael Z. Williamson.
The PDS is Rock River Arms’ entry into the piston AR market. I’ve never been enthusiastic about this concept, but Rock River put some serious design thought into this weapon, and the results are impressive.
Starting at the rear, it has a side-folding stock, because the recoil system isn’t in a receiver extension inside it. This is a significant advantage for transport and carry. The folder mechanism does take a bit of getting used to. It requires lifting the stock out of a deep detent. It locks solidly in place open or closed, and has a 6 position stock. As the stock tube is not needed for a recoil mechanism, it contains a storage section with a threaded cap, bit enough to take a rod, cleaning tools, and small maintenance tools and spare parts. This is a big plus for a gun that sees real use.