If you were looking forward to the latest Israeli Kalashnikov rifle, I’m sorry to inform you that it won’t be released until later in 2015 or possibly early 2016.

According to an IWI US Facebook post:

As all of you know, we have been seriously delayed in bringing the Galil ACE to market. Suffice to say that we believe it is better to delay deliveries if a problem is discovered, rather than bring the product to market prematurely. (Most of the issues encountered were in converting full auto to semi-auto configuration.) In any case, here is our revised delivery schedule (which could still be modified if necessary):
Galil ACE pistol in 7.62x39mm – September, 2015
Galil ACE pistol w/Stabilizing Brace, 7.62x39mm – October, 2015
Galil ACE rifle, 7.62x39mm – late October/early November, 2015
Galil ACE pistol in 7.62 NATO – January, 2016
Galil ACE pistol w/Stabilizing Brace, 7.62 NATO – February, 2016
Galil ACE rifle, 7.62 NATO – March, 2016
Galil ACE 5.56 NATO – 2nd Quarter 2016
We apologize for these delays, but again, we want to make sure that what we bring to market meets our standards and your expectations.

Nathan at The Fire Arms Blog wrote, “Oddly, IWI-USA appears to be saying that they are having trouble creating a semi-automatic trigger group for the ACE, and uses language that suggests the receivers are being converted from full auto examples to semi-auto, something that under US law results in a firearm that is still legally a machine gun. Whether IWI is referring to a change in the design, or perhaps difficulties satisfying the ATF’s requirements for a sem-auto receiver that cannot be converted to full auto is unknown.”

One commenter stated, “If I am understanding this correctly, IWI in Israel is not making a semi auto Ace and is leaving IWI USA to it’s own devices to figure out how to convert the rifles to semi auto? If that’s the case IWI USA is going to have to modify trigger groups, BCG, and receivers in Pennsylvania? Moreover, I can only assume sourcing 922 parts needed for a SBR for the ACE pistols will be the responsibility of IWI USA also? Sort of not cool in my book.”

The company replied, “It’s somewhat complicated. Israel makes the Galil ACE in a sporting configuration (semi-auto) that can be imported into the US. We do not have to do anything to the pistols as they are imported as “sporting” pistols. When it comes to building the rifles, then we have to add 922(r) parts that are made in the US… 922(r) parts cannot be imported parts, regardless of where they are made. Our problems stemmed from modifications that were made in Israel to the full auto Galil ACE’s. We will not go into much further detail on exactly what those problems were, just that they were problems that had to be resolved before we could bring them to the US.”

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