Facts About Patriot Ordnance Factory (POF): Owner, History, Review and Lawsuit

Facts About Patriot Ordnance Factory (POF): Owner, History, Review, Lawsuit

Patriot Ordnance Factory (POF-USA) manufactures and distributes law enforcement, military and civilian rifles in Phoenix, Arizona, and was the first manufacturer and seller of gas-piston-operated weapon systems on AR-style rifles in the United States. POF-USA was founded in 2002 by aerospace engineer Frank DeSomma with the intent of solving two common problems with gas impingement systems in dusty conditions found with the traditional AR-15 which are carbon fouling and a short-barreled timing issue. Take a look at these interesting facts about POF, history, owner, review, lawsuit.

Who was the owner of Patriot Ordnance Factory?

Photo: Guns and Ammo

Frank DeSomma is the owner of Patriot Ordnance Factory – POF-USA was the first company to take the gas piston AR to market and has been leading the way with their revolutionary platform innovations ever since.

POF-USA is an Arizona-based small arms manufacturer known for its revolutionary concepts and radical approaches to engineering used to develop the finest piston driven AR-type rifles used by civilians and professionals worldwide. A market leader delivering a portfolio of regulated short-stroke gas piston operating rifles, POF accepts no compromise in the building of their product, known as “Patriot” designs. Their company-wide commitment is to only produce that which is tough, accurate, modular, durable and true. This patriotic mission is brought from passion, authenticity, trustworthiness, rebellion, independence and objectivity.

Frank Lynn DeSomma Jr, age 57, left this world on the evening of June 18, 2020. He was involved in a car accident and did not survive.

Frank was born December 10, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Mary Epperson recalls how much Frank enjoyed school and learned how to play chess, when he was in the second grade.

Frank is survived by his wife Tracey, mother Mary Epperson and step-father Lee Epperson, his son Cody and wife Emily, daughter Katelyn and her husband Shaun, and daughter Marley and her husband Jackson, three brothers; Patrick, John and Christopher and six grandchildren, Raelynn, Lacy, Hunter, Avery, Connor and Trevor.

History of Patriot Ordnance Factory

While working as an aerospace engineer, Frank DeSomma, a sport shooter, wanted to do something different and apply his creativity to the mechanical design of a firearm without limitations imposed by the rules in a large company he was working for. Patriot Ordnance Factory, POF-USA, was founded in 2002 in Mr. DeSomma’s home garage when he designed a concept for a gun that worked well and looked appealing. His friends started asking him to design more concepts, and a few months later his son and, still later, his nephew started helping, all working in the garage in the evenings and on weekends.

Photo: POF - USA

In 2007, Mr. DeSomma moved the operation into a small shop in Glendale, Arizona, then to a bigger facility near the Deer Valley Airport in 2011. POF-USA specializes in the designing, manufacturing, and marketing of AR-style rifles, upper receivers, lower receivers, and miscellaneous gun accessories. By 2013, POF-USA had 38 employees and moved to a bigger 11,000-square-foot factory in Northern Phoenix. It became the first manufacturer and seller of gas-piston-operated weapon systems on AR-style rifles in the United States for law enforcement, military, and civilians.

On average, POF-USA produces 600 to 800 firearms per month; however, after President Obama’s gun-control proposal in 2013, the factory produced 4,200 guns in one month. POF-USA’s sales rose from $1 to $2 million per year to $140 million. In 2017, Mr. DeSomma built a brand new 27,000-square-foot factory from the ground up that can accommodate up to 50 employees. Originally, Mr. DeSomma wasn’t planning to have a mechanical shop but found it beneficial to have all the necessary equipment and personnel under one roof. The new building includes a 75-yard rifle hallway with bullet traps to test firearms and has enough room to grow as new ideas are emerging constantly. All employees at POF-USA have federal background checks, and, since skilled mechanists are hard to find, Mr. DeSomma makes sure to take good care of his employees’ needs with adequate medical insurance, 401K plans, all paid holidays, and two-week vacations.

Photo: On Target Magazine

POF-USA encounters many regulatory barriers that impact the company. The main issue is the difficulty gun-makers and sellers have in obtaining commercial loans. Another concern is that Mr. DeSomma spends over $20,000 per month on employees’ medical insurance, but, with the rates climbing higher under the Affordable Care Act, he is unsure how long he can continue contributing.

He also emphasized that when the government buys guns from foreign countries due to lower prices, the excise tax is not being paid, which includes 10 to 11 percent of the sale price going directly towards Wildlife Conservation. With the decline of hunters in the last 10 years, money for the conservation collected from hunting licenses, fishing equipment, and archery will be gone if firearm manufacturers are reduced.

Patriot Ordnance Factory is a small company, but Mr. DeSomma always knew that his entire focus was on quality product and the pride of engraving “God Bless America” next to the United States flag on POF-USA’s firearms.

The Innovations, Products

Photo: American Rifleman

Frank started off as a kid with his friends building trucks and Jeeps fabricating custom vehicles. After that Frank spent 28 years in the Aerospace industry as a manufacturing process engineer. He had friends who were involved in hunting – mostly dove and deer – and Frank got introduced to standard hunting firearms. Franks best friend introduced him to the AR-15. Frank was enamored by the rifle and the design genius of Gene Stoner. He decided he wanted to get into the AR business. He knew he could not compete with companies like Colt, DPMS, Bushmaster and so on. He knew if he was to succeed he had to offer the customers something different. He began his company selling parts and accessories and then went on to develop his own rifle. Frank stated that the freedom of this country offered him the opportunity to go into the gun business.

Frank recognized the excellent attributes of the AR-15 but decided to change the operating system to eliminate heat and fouling in the action. He also decided to increase reliability in the system by using an external piston operating system. According to Frank, his design approach was to start backwards from the gas block on the barrel and ending at the chamber. First he moved the gas cylinder to the gas block instead of inside the bolt carrier; then a valve to select suppressed and un-suppressed positions. This valve is critical in extending the service life of the firearm when using a sound suppressor. Without the valve, the sound suppressor increases internal pressures driving the cyclic rate up, which opens the bolt sooner and causes more wear on the internal components. Failures to extract are one of the first casualties of suppressed weapons. He designed this system to work with both semi as well as fully automatic firearms. The 5.56mm rifles maintain a cycle rate of 750 to 850 rounds per minute and the 7.62x51mm rifles maintain a cyclic rate of 650 to 750 rounds per minute. Then he designed the operating rod and bolt carrier for his system.

In 2004, the first rifles left the Patriot Ordnance Factory; this was the Flagship Model P416. This is the early rifle with the high rails not to be confused with the later generations with plastic handguards or added rail. The first generation utilized a standard mil-spec lower from a forging. The 2-piece rail was designed and manufactured by POF. The barrel is free-floated.

The Gen 2 rifle had one major change. POF made lowers from a billet and the trigger guard is integral with the receiver. The heat sink barrel nut was introduced on this model, which helped radiate heat away with 53 inches of surface area made of aircraft grade aluminum. This long barrel nut also helped a support 4 inches of the op rod.

The Gen 3 was introduced with the new upper and lower receivers manufactured from billet 7075 T6 aluminum. Also the ambidextrous bolt release was added. This was one of the first integral ambidextrous bolt releases in the industry. Also introduced in this generation is the enhanced roller cam pin. The cam pin has a roller on the top of it that reduces friction and drag of the action while cycling. The head of the cam pin rolls when it engages the receiver wall and eliminates the worn groove and wear on the receiver. The roller cam pin is available for both 5.56mm and 7.62mm rifles. It may be purchased as an accessory as well. The 7.62mm bolt carriers require no modifications. However the standard 5.56mm direct gas impingement carriers require a special carrier key with a cut out to allow for the clearance of the roller cam pin.

Tactical Life

The current model is the Gen 4. Many changes have been added to the ergonomics of the receivers that included an ambidextrous magazine release. Also, a bolt hold open lever was added in front of the trigger inside the trigger guard that by pushing upward on the lever and pulling the bolt to the rear would lock the bolt open. The trigger guard is elongated to allow the use of heavy gloves and there is a trigger finger rest divot machined into both sides of the receiver. Also introduced in this generation is a tension screw to adjust the tension between the upper and lower receiver.

Photo: Central Florida Gun and Tactical

POF serializes all barrels to gas blocks when they machine the gas block to the barrel. They separate the barrel from the gas block and have the barrel and gas block heat treated. The barrel and gas block will not rust or corrode because POF processes them separately. All barrels, gas blocks, upper, lowers, regulated gas plugs, drop in triggers, bolt carriers, receiver extensions, free float rail and .308 extractors are date coded.

Perhaps one of the greatest design enhancements of the Patriot Ordinance Factory is the Push/Pull E Squared Extraction Technology. With shorter barrels (less than 20 inches), the cartridge case is still slightly obturated at the moment of extraction. This causes the extractor spring as well as the actual extractor be a little more overworked than in the standard full size rifle. With the direct gas impingement rifles, as the rifle wears, the gas port inside the barrel will erode allowing more gas to enter the system making the cyclic rate increase even more from when the rifle was new. This causes even more strain on the extractor and extractor spring. This technology features a four channel cut in the neck to help break the seal of the neck from the chamber walls during the delay from when the cartridge is fired to the gasses pushing the bullet down the barrel. The hardest the extractor works now is to exercise over the rim of the case every time the cartridge is chambered.

The Puritan is one of the finest built piston rifles on the market today. The fit and finish is second to none. Although designed as an entry level rifle, it has all the mechanical features of its counterpart the P415. Though primarily chambered in 5.56x45mm, the rifle can also be chambered in 6.8mm SPC.

The second rifle tested by SADJ was the P-308 Gen 4 rifle. These models are chambered primarily in 7.62x51mm but can also be purchased in 6.5 Creedmoor and .243 Winchester. Like the Puritan, the fit and finish is immaculate with attention to every detail. This rifle is a Gen 4, which has all the latest and best of all features offered by POF.

Additional innovations developed by POF-USA include the integral bolt-carrier key with the interface behind the cam pin, oversized heat-sink barrel nut, roller cam pin, and regulating gas plug.

Patriot Ordnance Factory (POF) Lawsuit

This case is an in rem civil forfeiture action. The Government filed the action against four firearms seized during an ATF inspection of the Darkside Tactical (“Darkside”) facility on April 18, 2017. The firearms were found and subsequently seized as they were not registered in the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record (“NFRTR”) when originally transferred to the facility.

In its civil forfeiture action, the Government contends that the firearms are subject to forfeiture under 26 U.S.C. § 5872 and 26 U.S.C. § 5861(b). Under § 5872(a), “any firearm involved in any violation of the provisions of [the National Firearms Act] shall be subject to seizure and forfeiture.”2 Additionally, § 5861(b) makes it unlawful for any person “to receive or possess a firearm transferred to him in violation of the provisions of [the National Firearms Act].”3 Because Darkside allegedly accepted Claimant’s unregistered firearms, the Government posits Darkside was in violation of § 5861(b). Consequently, the Government argues that the firearms are subject to civil forfeiture under § 5872(a). Claimant’s Answer contests the forfeiture action, claiming as his First Affirmative Defense (“Defense”) that the ATF illegally searched Darkside and seized the firearms subject in this action. 4 On March 12, 2019, the Government filed its Motion to Strike Claimant’s Defense from Claimant’s Answer under Federal Rules Civil Procedure 12(f), asserting that Claimant’s Defense is insufficient. Claimant has not filed a response and the time for doing so has expired.

2 26 U.S.C. § 5872(a). 3 Id. § 5861(b).

4 Docket No. 18, at 7.

5 FED. R. CIV. P. 12(f).

6 Jorgenson v. Wright Medical Group, Inc., No. 2:18-CV-366 TS, 2018 WL 5792325, at

*2 (D. Utah Nov. 5, 2018) (citing 5C CHARLES ALAN WRIGHT & ARTHUR R. MILLER, FEDERAL

PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE § 1380 (3d ed. 2018)).

Click here for more information on POF lawsuit!

Best Patriot Ordnance Rifles Ready for Any Mission or Need

While the Revolution is the most current offering from Patriot Ordnance Factory (POF-USA), the company has an extensive line of rifles built for specific tasks at hand. Of course, while they’re all individual models, a familiar theme runs through the product line, with features like NP3 finishes, POF-USA’s E2 dual extraction technology and oversized triple-port muzzle brakes.

Photo: On Target Magazine

P300

The new configuration boasts an extended handguard, completely ambidextrous lower receiver and is chambered in the flexible big game 300 Win. Mag. cartridge.

Patriot Ordnance condensed this .300 Win Mag package to a size of an AR style .308. The addition of the adjustable gas piston system lets users tune the rifle to optimum performance based on the load and rifle configuration.

The P300 features a 14.5-inch M-LOK compatible rail handguard, which provides the necessary real estate for modern shooting positions. The M rail is unique in that additional rail sections are able to be mounted based on the shooters needs, or stripped off to reduce weight/size. If the top rails are removed from the M rail, the shooter has the ability to utilize optics with larger objectives and lower mounting options. This feature ensures solid cheek weld and increases point of aim consistency.

Keeping with the desire for consistency, the P300 features an adjustable Magpul CTR stock on the 18-inch variant and a Magpul MOE rifle length installed on the 24-inch variant (Furniture is subject to change). The P300 comes with an EFP drop in trigger (4-pound trigger pull).

The P300 is a product of the Generation 4 series of rifles, which feature completely ambidextrous controls including the safety selector, bolt catch, bolt release and magazine release. This new rifle also features our E² extraction technology. E² extraction is a patented feature consisting of four channels along the neck of the chamber.

The channels allow gas pressure to flow backwards and push on the shoulders of the spent casing resulting in extractor life of 5X that of a standard extractor due to the push/pull action. This feature will not damage the brass and will not affect the re-loading capability that most competition shooters require.

P308 Edge SPR

POF P308 SPR is the next evolution of the POF-USA P308 AR 10 (7.62×51) Rifle. P308 SPR includes a match grade 18.5 inch Nitride heat-treated barrel, giving you almost double barrel life of a chrome lined barrel while adding the best accuracy.

POF P308 SPR has there new and improved E2-chamber that is designed to eliminate chance of extraction failure, They have machined four grooves into the chamber which uses barrel back pressure to release the spent casing with assistance of the extractor.

P308 SPR is short-stroke gas piston AR10 Rifle, Which makes its internals stay cool no mater how many rounds you run through it. Eliminating the chance of failure to the weapon and cook off of ammunition under extreme rapid fire scenarios.

P308 SPR can shoot MOA and Sub-moa with the correct ammunition and depending on shooters ability. The P308 SPR is very light weight only weighing in at 8.4 lbs, Combined with the Gas Piston system and the triple port break. It make the P308 SPR a top choice between hunters and Long Range shooters alike.

P415 Edge

POF’s AR-type carbine is unlike any other. Externally, the most obvious difference between the P415 and others is the patented P-4SX upper receiver that not only features an uninterrupted full length MIL-STD-1913 top rail and rails at the handguard sides and bottom, but also free floats the barrel, enabling mounting accessories without affecting the carbine’s zero.

The latest POF carbines have a “spine” atop the upper receiver rather than a MIL-STD-1913 rail that allows the one piece P-4SX receiver/handguard to be slid into place and retained with bolts, essentially making for a rigid two-piece upper receiver. The P415 barrel is fluted along its entire length for rigidity and heat dissipation. The flutes offer a greater surface area, so heat is more rapidly dispersed than with standard heavy barrels. Flutes also stiffen the barrel and improve accuracy by reducing barrel vibration as the rifle is fired.

The barrel bore is nitrided, which makes for a surface that approaches diamond hardness and prevents fouling because nothing can adhere to it. Fit and finish of the P415 are excellent. We were particularly impressed with the mating of upper and lower receivers with absolutely no “play” whatsoever. POF’s P415 is one of the best-assembled AR-type rifles we have ever seen.

Renegade

POF RENEGADE is Patriot Ordnance Factories entry level DI “Direct Impingement” AR 15 Rifle. Weighing in at only 6.3 lbs it makes it one of the lightest full dressed out AR 15 Rifles on the market today. POF’s RENEGADE is Equipped with there 9 Position Adjustable midlength Dictator Gas Block, This gives the shooter full control of back pressure for different types of shooting aplications like different bullet weights, Silencers/suppressors and sub-sonic ammo.

POF RENEGADE is sporting a nitride heat treated bolt carrier and includes a roller cam pin to boot. The barrel is a mid-length 16.5 inch Puritan barrel with 1:8 twist 1/2×28 barrel threads with A2 Flash hider, milspec Upper Receiver, puritan milspec lower receiver, milspec trigger and Renegade rail “M-LOK compatible” with five integrated QD Sling Mounts. Four on the rail and one on the bottom of the stock.

The POF RENEGADE is equipped with MFT (Mission First Tactical) Furniture including the stock, grip and magazine.

Renegade+

If the Renegade is so great, what do you get in the Renegade Plus?

First, the similarities. You get the same M-LOK compatible Renegade rail, heat sink barrel nut, Dictator 9-position adjustable gas block with straight gas tube, and 16.5” nitride heat treated barrel.

What really sets the Renegade + apart is the Gen 4 POF-USA billet lower receiver and POF-USA Ultimate Bolt Carrier Group. This receiver is completely ambidextrous and includes our flat 3.5lb match grade trigger with KNS Precision anti-walk pins – match ready right out of the box. The magic in the upper receiver is held within our Ultimate Bolt Carrier Group. NP3 coated for maximum protection & reliability, integrated gas key (no screws required) and the POF-USA Roller Cam Pin upgrade installed from the factory. If there ever was a direct impingement rifle that exceeds all expectations, the Renegade + is it.

Specifications:

• CALIBER-5.56 NATO
• BARREL-16.5″ (1:8)
• RAIL LENGTH-14.5″ M-Rail
• WEIGHT-6.4lbs
• LENGTH-33.5” (collapsed)
• TRIGGER-3.5lb drop-in FLAT trigger

Renegade+ SPR

POF RENEGADE PLUS SPR is Patriot Ordnance Factories Upgarded level DI “Direct Impingement” Long Range AR 15 Rifle weighing in at 7.7 lbs. POF’s RENEGADE PLUS is Equipped with there 9 Position Adjustable Rifle length Dictator Gas Block system, This gives the shooter full control of back pressure for different types of shooting aplications like different bullet weights, Silencers/suppressors and sub-sonic ammo.

POF RENEGADE PLUS SPR is sporting the POF-USA Ultimate Bolt Carrier Group which includes a roller cam pin to boot. The barrel is a 18.5 inch Stainless Steel barrel with rifle-length, 1:8 twist and 1/2×28 barrel threads and sporting a POF triple port muzzle break at the end. The POF RENEGADE PLUS has milspec Upper Receiver, Renegade rail “M-LOK compatible” with five integrated QD Sling Mounts and a POF USA Ambidextrous QD Endplate.The lower receiver is a Gen 4 billet lower with Ambidextrous Bolt Release, Ambidextrous Safety Selector, Ambidextrous Bolt Catch. Trigger has been upgraded to a POF-USA 3.5lb drop-in FLAT trigger

The POF RENEGADE PLUS SPR is equipped with MFT (Mission First Tactical) Furniture including the stock, grip and magazine.

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