Scott Smith, one of POLICE Magazine weapons reviewers, got his hands on the DPMS/Panther Arms LRT-SASS gas-powered, rotating-bolt rifle. He was impressed.
Here's an excerpt of his review:
With the military demand for a rifle to meet its needs several manufacturers redesigned the AR-15 to serve as the basis for a tactical rifle. DPMS/Panther Arms' offering for this market is the LRT-SASS.
Simply put, the LRT-SASS is an AR-15 on steroids. It is larger in size, larger in caliber, and heavier in weight. The LRT-SASS I used for this review arrived in a padded "gun case" with the owner's manuals, two 19-round magazines, one LRT with four position handguards with covers, Mangonel front/rear flip-up sights, a sling, and a Harris bipod—all in all, a ready-to-use package. The one thing I noticed with the LRT was the heft of the package. The LRT-SASS tips the scales at 11.45 pounds, nearly double the weight of an M-16/AR-15 series rifle. This extra weight helps take the recoil and increases the life of the rifle.
Read Smith's full Arsenal review of the tactical rifle.