The NRA Visits the Promised Land
In the factory and on the range in Israel
As many of you probably already know, we are a subsidiary of Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Ltd.based out of Ramat HaSharon, Israel. IWI Ltd. started in 2005 after the Israeli government decided to spin off and privatize the small arms division of Israel Military Industries (IMI) Ltd. It is here that the joint R&D team of IWI and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to develop small arms to fight global terrorism and protect life and liberty. The civilian commercial versions that we at IWI US provide to the American public all began as an idea back in Israel.
Occasionally we are able to bring our partners from America to Israel to see where it all began. Earlier this month, we were given this opportunity yet again. This time, it was our friends from the NRA that got the golden ticket. It is always a pleasure for us to show off what we’re up to over in Israel, but this time was even more special; this was our opportunity to show the NRA that we at IWI US are a leading firearms company that they should pay attention to.
We brought our guests of honor to the IWI factory for a tour and a range day. We think their following remarks speak for themselves:
Shooting Illustrated Editor-in-Chief Ed Friedman said that “visiting the IWI factory in Ramat HaSharon was truly eye-opening. The plant is as modern as any in the US, and the company’s quality control is second to none. I don’t think most Americans have a concept of just how important IWI is on the global market and how important it is certain to be in the US, too.”
American Rifleman Magazine Senior Executive Editor Brian Sheetz elaborated, “After my recent visit to the IWI facility in Israel, I can say without equivocation that it is a world-class manufacturer taking great pains to ensure the quality and reliability of every component that goes into its broad line of firearms—a crucial point considering that IWI’s clientele ranges from frontline soldiers in the IDF to enthusiastic American consumers seeking genuine military-grade firearms.”
The NRA team was given the opportunity to test drive the new Galil ACE®, UZI® Pro, Jericho 941® and the Negev® LMG in 5.56 NATO and 7.62 NATO at our test range.
“Having the opportunity to shoot pretty much every gun IWI make, as well as some it used to make, was the chance of a lifetime, and our Israeli instructors were top-notch. Seeing how guns like the X95 perform was one of the many highlights of this amazing and important trip,” remarked Ed.
Brian echoed Ed’s comments, “On the range, every firearm in the IWI line performed exactly as expected of a true military-grade gun. Every time I pulled the trigger the guns functioned as designed and scored hits on the target as long as I did my part. In firing thousands of rounds of ammunition through platforms as diverse as the UZI® Pro 9mm Luger pistol, the Tavor® bullpup rifle in 5.56x45mm (5.56 NATO) and 9mm Luger Parabellum and the Negev® LMG in 5.56 NATO, 7.62x51mm (7.62 NATO) belt-fed machine gun, I experienced zero malfunctions.”
A trip to the Promised Land isn’t complete without visits to Masada and Jerusalem. We visited both of these incredible and emotional destinations that allowed us to get a full picture of Israel today.