Today is the last business day of the week before SHOT Show kicks off in Las Vegas next week, and we’re being deluged by various manufacturers who are marketing their wares as “the next big thing.”

Of course, someone claiming that they have the next big thing and them actually having it are two different things, and it seems that kismet sometimes has as much influence as slick marketing or good engineering. It’s all about having the right product, at the right place, at the right time, in the right context.

That allowed, Desert Tech is grabbing a lot of pre-SHOT Show buzz, first by turning down a $15 million deal with Pakistan on moral grounds and concerns over U.S. soldier safety. This earned the company tons of good will and adoring press, and destroyed an anti-gun left’s narrative that gun companies only care about profit at the expense of lives.

As if that wasn’t enough to earn the company some headlines, they’re just announced the Desert Tech Micro Dynamic Rifle (MDR), which some are already enthusiastically dubbing the “Tavor killer” which may render Kel-Tec’s new bullpups old news before anyone even sees one.

I wouldn’t go so far as to call it an anything killer, especially since no one has a range report on it yet, the pricing hasn’t been released, and did I mention that this version it appears to be selective-fire, making at least this flavor of the firearm unattainable for those of us without special licensing or nice uniforms?

On the upside, it could very well mean that the “C” in MDR-C stands for civilian, and they’ll co-release both a military and civilian version at the same time.

No matter how they slice it, it sure sounds interesting based upon the tidbits they’ve drop in their press release:

The MDR is a perfectly balanced compact auto loading bullpup rifle that gives LE, Military and Government agencies an unrivaled ability to adapt and maneuver. The MDR converts without tools between 5 calibers.   Using innovative technology such as the patent pending forward ejection mechanism and 100% ambidextrous controls the MDR can be used by any operator in any position;

*    Portability – The MDR has unrivaled portability because it is lightweight, compact, ergonomic, and balanced with an overall length of 26″ (or 20″ with 10.5″ barrel) and a weight of 7.12 – 7.5 lbs

*     Adaptable – The MDR is adaptable in both size and caliber. It can quickly convert between five calibers, and its patent pending sighting system retains barrel zeros without the need to compensate for any impact shift.

*     Ambidextrous – The MDR is fully ambidextrous with no modifications necessary. Our patent pending forward ejection mechanism and intuitive controls set a new bullpup standard for speed and precision.