What is an ARFAK? ARFAK is a play on the military’s acronym for first aid kit, or “IFAK” (individual first aid kit). ARFAK stands for “AR First Aid Kit.” In essence, it is a field repair kit for AR pattern rifles that secures all of the most commonly broken and lost parts. Sheered lugs, broken bolts, chipped extractors, firing pin retaining pins dropped in the weeds while cleaning in the field…the ARFAK has you covered!
Why do I need a field repair kit for my AR pattern rifle? The AR suffers from a feature-driven design flaw. Its superior reliability is due in part to the small rotation angle necessary for the bolt to unlock; however, this feature necessitates small lugs. This wasn’t a problem with the original 20″ versions, but modern variants, being shorter, unlock at higher pressures (roughly double) than originally intended. This can lead to unexpected bolt failures, as well as extractor issues, which can rear their heads without warning, at low round counts, in the field.
My rifle is rock solid and I maintain it meticulously; why would I need a field repair kit? While it’s less likely that a milspec rifle that is well-maintained would have an unexpected parts failure in the field, it’s certainly far from unheard of, which is why many SOF units carry spare BCGs in the field with them.
It’s also important to realize that the ARFAK, like an IFAK, isn’t just for the user who carries it, but for the less well-equipped person next to you. The vast majority of AR pattern rifles out in the wild are of varying degrees of quality control, and scant few are milspec. This lack of quality control in commercial rifles is a recipe for disaster with ARs getting progressively shorter, and the average barrel length now about 11″.
Why not just carry a spare BCG? Carriers rarely experience unexpected problems, with carrier-related breakages and malfunctions being nearly unheard of. About the only carrier related malfunction likely to befall someone is a poorly installed gas key on a commercial rifle, but that tends to rear its head early, and seems to be a rarity with the market being laser focused now on “properly staked gas keys.” Being the largest, heaviest component of the BCG, our philosophy is that the juice isn’t worth the squeeze to carry a spare. Thus the impetus behind the ARFAK, which is to store and organize the remaining parts sans carrier, cutting the size in half and the weight by three quarters.
What kind of bolts are supplied with the complete ARFAKs? We use Microbest parts, which are the same OEM for some of your favorite ARs, including SOLGW and BCM. Microbest is among the most well-respected manufacturers of American-made milspec BCGs. They are phosphate coated carpenter 158 and magnetic particle inspected. While this is arguably a little overkill for a spare, we never know where our products are going to end up, and failure isn’t an option. We ship every kit with the assumption it’s going to a tier 1 operator on deployment.
Is the ARFAK compatible with other variants? Yes! As of now, we are aware that the ARFAK is fully compatible with both the BRN-180 and PWS systems.
Is it a problem leaving the bolt lugs exposed? Most definitely not! I’ve had an ARFAK in a GP pouch in my range bag for years now, running around loose with suppressor wrenches and other tools, and the bolt looks as pristine today as the day I put it in there. Despite their delicate appearance, don’t forget that those lugs withstand 60k plus psi (not to mention grinding open at 20-40k psi) for thousands, or tens of thousands, of rounds.
Will you ever make a waterproof version? While the ARFAK hypothetically requires some level of preventative maintenance, a waterproof container would dramatically increase the footprint, as well as the cost, and my experience is that the tradeoff isn’t worth it. The ARFAK in my GP pouch in my range bag has never been maintained in the approximately five years it’s been in there (as of 2025), and it’s doing fine. Some basic preventative maintenance isn’t especially onerous either, considering you already have to go through your loadout periodically anyways to replace expired items. Just give it a dab of CLP while you’re in there. The phosphate finish on milspec bolts is extremely durable, and it soaks up and holds CLP for a long time.