A Full-Size Rifle That Fits Behind the Seat
Fierce Firearms has never been shy about building precision rifles that punch above their category, and the new Wingman SBR is the clearest example yet of where that philosophy is headed. At 5.4 pounds bare, with a titanium action and a 12.5-inch carbon-fiber barrel, the Wingman is built on the company's CT Mini Rogue platform, shortened into a package that rides under a truck seat, behind a UTV bench, or in a daypack, and comes out shooting.
I've spent enough time around varmint and predator rigs to know around varmint and predator rigs to know the tradeoff this segment usually forces on a shooter: carry a full-size precision rifle and accept the bulk, or carry something light and give up accuracy at distance. The Wingman is Fierce's answer to that tradeoff, and on paper it's a serious one — a titanium action with a 70-degree bolt throw, a TriggerTech Primary Pro trigger, and three purpose-built Creedmoor chamberings that cover everything from ground squirrels to deer.
Three Chamberings, Three Jobs
What stands out about the Wingman isn't just the weight — it's how deliberately Fierce spread the chambering options across use cases instead of offering one caliber and calling it done:
- 22 Creedmoor: a dedicated small-game and varmint round, running 2,810 fps at the muzzle with a 62-grain Hornady ELD-VT out of the 12.5-inch barrel.
- 25 Creedmoor: the crossover option, retaining enough velocity and energy on a 110-grain Nosler AccuBond load (2,725 fps) for effective terminal performance on deer-sized game out to 400 yards.
- 6.5 Creedmoor: the do-everything chambering, running a 120-grain Hornady ELD-M at 2,500 fps on the most widely available factory ammunition in the segment.
All three numbers come from Fierce's own testing using DirtNap Ammunition, the company's in-house load line developed specifically for this rifle. That detail matters more than it might seem — a 12.5-inch barrel gives up velocity compared to a full-length rifle, and Fierce clearly built the load data around the shorter tube rather than borrowing off-the-shelf ballistics and hoping they'd hold up.
The Timing Is the Real Story
None of this launches in a vacuum. As of January 1, 2026, the federal transfer tax on short-barreled rifles dropped from $200 to $0, and electronic Form 4 transfers are now clearing in days rather than the months-long waits that used to define the category. The background check and registration requirement under the National Firearms Act hasn't gone anywhere — it's still a controlled transfer through an SOT/FFL dealer — but the $200 tax stamp that made an SBR a deliberate, expensive commitment for decades is simply gone.
Fierce CEO John Mogle put the pitch simply, calling the Wingman "always with you" without giving up performance to get there. It's a good line, and it's backed up by a $2,995 MSRP that undercuts a lot of the competition in a lighter, shorter package.
Where This Fits
The Wingman isn't trying to be a tactical carbine or a do-it-all truck gun in the AR sense — it's a bolt-action precision rifle that happens to be short enough to qualify as an SBR. That's a narrower lane than most of the SBR launches on the market this year, and it's the smarter one for Fierce's customer base. Hunters and long-range shooters who already own a Fierce rifle aren't looking for a second AR pistol; they're looking for a compact version of the precision they already trust, and that's exactly what this is.
DownRange Bottom Line: The Wingman SBR is a legitimate precision rifle that happens to weigh 5.4 pounds and fit in a 12.5-inch barrel, launching at the exact moment the paperwork and tax burden on owning one have both collapsed. Anyone holding off on an SBR because of cost or wait times just lost that excuse. At $2,995, this is worth a serious look for anyone who wants one rifle that covers varmints, predators, and deer without a full-size footprint.