Last year at SHOT Show 2025, I was stoked to run into the guys from Ally & Kaufman who were offering a cool lower receiver kit that pairs with a Brownells BRN-180 18.5" upper receiver to create the ‘SA80 at home’. This set up, the AKB-23 got a lot of attention and had developed further with an SA80-style pistol grip, a ‘Carbine’ handguard, L85 flash hiders and a range of SA80-style carry handles with sight mounts for ACROs and Micros.
On display at the MK Machining booth, A&K’s latest project is the AKB-23 LSW, a love–letter to the British Army’s L86 Light Support Weapon, characterised by its long barrel and barrel-supporting sponson.
The LSW lower is identical to their standard AKB-23 lower but it has a few easily installed additional parts. It also has a custom rebarreled 24” BRN-180 upper with bipod rib to create the iconic look. The buttpad is designed by Sandbox Prototypes and even has the ‘shoulder thing that goes up’. The bipod displayed on the gun at SHOT 2026 was a random one grabbed for display and A&K are considering manufacturing their own.
The bipod-rib also has MLOK interfaces on its underside and at the show had a vertical front grip mounted - clever!
Here’s a run down on the AKB-LSW’s features:
- Custom 24" Barrel with L85 style muzzle brake
- Accepts STANAG standard magazines.
- Swappable triggerguards
- Crossbolt safety
- Milspec single stage trigger
- Nylon polymer magwell
- Sandbox Prototypes L86 style buttpad with shoulder rest
- Ambi front and rear QD sockets
- A2 pistol grip
- OD Green
Here’s what A&K say is included in the LSW built:
- Complete fully assembled AKB-23 L86 LSW style rifle
- L86 style handguards, triggerguard, and charging handle.
- x1 STANAG magazine
They say that if there’s enough interest they hope to offer them as complete rifles, but standalone upper kits and possibly as a customisation to uppers customers send in.
They don’t yet have a timeline on when production will begin and the AKB-LSW will be on offer but they are asking people to head to their site and register their interest. Find out more here.
