When I visited Q in Dover New Hampshire, over a year ago, I walked out of there with one quote in my mind that I can still remember. "Nobody really minds what you're up to, as long as you're enjoying yourself," explained Nick Schaefer, an engineer who has played a key role in developing many of Q's products. This mindset affects every aspect of the team's work, ranging from brainstorming designs to assembling custom orders. Q even let me put together a Honey Badger; read that story here.I have put a year of hard use on a Q Honey Badger 5.56 and still come away with the same feeling and that is that it is as much fun to shoot as any gun I have in my safe and there’s a reason for that. Q has put their “Live Q or Die” philosophy into this rifle, and you can see it in the way they’ve combined top-shelf build quality with some clever engineering to make a sub-5-pounder that is, in many ways, the next step for the PDW. Be it for some serious range work or a bit of plinking, the Honey Badger has a way of putting a smile on your face. I’ve put hundreds of rounds through it now, so here is where I stand after living with it for 12 months. More Q @TFB Q Let Me Build A Honey Badger in 5.56 Q Fix Rifle 16" - First 100 Rounds Building a Fix with the Men who Designed it TFB Preview: Q Honey Badger 5.56 - First 200 RoundsSpecs - Q Honey Badger 5.56 Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATOBarrel Length: 9.69 inchesBarrel Twist Rate: 1:5Overall Length: Approximately 23 inchesWeight: ~4 lbs 9 oz (4.56 lbs) unloadedAction: Semi-automatic, direct impingementGas System: Adjustable gas blockMagazine Compatibility: Standard AR-15 magazinesBolt Carrier Group (BCG): Proprietary two-piece designHandguard: Proprietary IMLock rail system with turnbuckle mechanismMuzzle Device: Q flash hider (optimized for short 5.56 barrels)Stock: Proprietary compact stockSuppressor: Optimized for Q Southpaw 5.56 suppressorConstruction: Machined aluminum upper and lowerMSRP typically starts in the $3,000+ rangeReview - Q Honey Badger 5.56 Right off the bat, the 5.56 Honey Badger has a no-nonsense look. With its 9.69-inch 1:5 twist barrel, it puts out good velocity in a very small footprint. It’s only about 4.5 pounds in the hand, but the milled aluminum gives it a certain heft where you want it, without being cumbersome. The parts are all first-rate. Radian’s ambidextrous selector has a nice, firm 70-degree throw to it. The magwell is flared and the bolt catch is made big enough to be easy to find, even if you’re wearing gloves or in a hurry. Then there’s the MLOK rail with the neat turnbuckle system. The gas block is set up from the factory to be happy with or without a can on the end. But the real story is the two-piece BCG. By building the buffer right into the carrier, they’ve kept the upper short and sweet while not sacrificing an ounce of function. They machine it to close tolerances and put some tungsten in the back to put a stop to any bolt bounce. It’s a well-thought-out fix for the quirks of a short 5.56, one they’ve honed over time with the .300 Blackout model and a lot of testing. The fit and finish is what you’d expect from a high-end piece of kit. I’ll also give them credit for how it looks. The lines are clean, the branding is there, and it has a kind of understated cool to it. You can’t help but notice it at the range.Handling and Shooting - Q Honey Badger 5.56 When you pick it up, the first thing you notice is the balance. At 4.5-plus pounds, it’s a joy to handle, and you don’t get tired of it, and the short barrel makes for some quick, natural movements and a lot of fun at the range. Out on the range, the rifle is as responsive as you’d want. The trigger is crisp at about 2.5 pounds with a short reset and is a blast to rip through magazines with. Shooting the Honey Badger is where you really find out what it can do. Go in unsuppressed and you’re met with a smooth cycle but also some of that short-barrel snap and a lot of blast, so as you can imagine, ear protection is a must. You won’t get any gas in your face, though, and it has no trouble feeding from any of my magazines. The reset on the trigger is short, so you can put rounds downrange in a hurry if you want to. Put a Q Southpaw on it and it becomes an altogether different kind of fun. The Southpaw does a number on the concussion, which is welcome when you’re in a tight space. Overall, I would highly recommend shooting this rifle only suppressed, and it is designed for that from the guys at Q. Much to my surprise, the rifle is still reliable with a suppressor attached and the gas setting unchanged with a variety of ammunition. This tells me that from the factory, the gas setting is pretty much perfect, and that's a good thing. I say this because while the system is adjustable, it's just an Allen key adjustment with no clicks or preset adjustments, so once you change it, it will be really tough to get it back to the same setting without any trial and error.As for reliability, I haven’t had a hiccup in over 800-odd rounds and then some over the course of the year, with or without the can on. It chews up all kinds of 5.56 without complaint, which is what you’d expect from Q. When it’s time to break it down, there is a method to it. You have to pull both receiver pins at once to keep the recoil spring from getting in the way. Other than that, it’s simple to work on, like any other AR. A suppressed session will unsurprisingly leave it caked in grime, but it’s not a chore to clean and I haven’t seen any wear. You’ll find the accuracy is what you would expect for a PDW at close to mid-range. The 9.69-inch barrel and the parts in it put out good groups for fast, compact work. While this is by no means definitive, I did squeeze out a 1.04 MOA group at 75 yards one day with non-match ammo, but this was my best group by far. The stock, I will say, is not very conducive for precision work, but again, this is a PDW.Wrap Up - Q Honey Badger 5.56 I like the Honey badger in 5.56 even more now than when I first got it. It’s the one I reach for on range days because it’s just a good time. The fit and finish are top-notch, and it looks the part. Sure, it’s $3,000 and up, and with some of the proprietary bits you might have to think twice about certain mods. But for the innovation and the “Q factor” this is, in my opinion, a luxury firearm in the same way a Lexus is the more expensive version of a Toyota. Sure, the Toyota will probably do everything the same as the Lexus to some extent, but some people want the GLX over the Land Cruiser. Suppressed fire is the best part of running the Honey Badger, and while you should wear gloves to handle the heat after a string of rapid shots, I can live with that. The stock and the long-range limitations are there, but they don’t take away from the experience in my opinion. It’s a well-designed carbine for the PDW role it was envisaged for. The Q Honey Badger 5.56 is what you’d expect from a top-shelf suppressed shorty. It’s as much of a blast to use as it is to look at, with a design that feels like it’s from tomorrow. Sure, there are a few quibbles with the stock and you won’t be winning any long-distance contests, and you will pay for the kind of attention to detail you get with a boutique brand. But in the end, it’s all part of the deal if you’re after what the Honey Badger offers.If you’re in the market for a 5.56 PDW that’s light, dependable, and a blast to shoot, this is it. It may not be your go-to for everything, but for a day at the range - it’s hard to beat.