Per A.S. Designs, the V2 is a ground-up redesign rather than an iterative update; V2 internals are not backward compatible with V1. The concept is the same: a drop-in replacement for your safety selector with an Active Reset Clutch (ARC) mechanism that resets the trigger after each shot. The changes A.S. Designs called out at the V2 launch were reduced system drag, redesigned internal geometry for a smoother reset, three selector throw options (0-45-90, 0-45-180, 0-90-180), and expanded platform support to HK MR556/MR762, MP5, and B&T housings on top of AR. See our Arc V2 SHOT Show 2026 launch coverage for the full spec breakdown.

The headline change is the lever. The V1 lever was long but skinny, a low-profile bar that hugged the receiver. On paper that sounds like a feature, and for chest-rig or plate-carrier wear it was: nothing stuck out. In practice it was harder to use. The bar had no real thumb pad and gave you very little to push against, so under stress you found yourself fishing for it. The V2 fin is taller and gives up a little of that low-profile real estate in exchange for a contact surface that actually drives the selector. The thumb lands on it the first time, every time, and the textured surface keeps it there.

Internally, the V2 reworks the ARC cam, ARC lever, and detent bar in M2 tool steel with DLC coating. On the bench, cycling the selector through Safe-Semi-ARC is noticeably crisper. Each position has a positive click; the V1 had a slight mushiness in the mid-throw that is gone here. We have not put rounds through it yet, but the geometry change is consistent with what A.S. Designs claims: less drag on the cam surfaces and cleaner reset cycling.

Mechanism is unchanged. This is still a selector, not a trigger. Your existing mil-spec FCG or Geissele super-safety-cut trigger does the firing; the Arc-Fire just resets it. If you do not understand the distinction, read our Super Safety Guide before buying.

A.S. Designs offers the V2 in three throw configurations: 0-45-90, 0-45-180, and 0-90-180. The number is the angular position of Safe, Semi, and ARC. Pick the wrong one and you are stuck with a selector that does not match how you run the gun.

The 0-45-180 is the competition pick. The 45-degree throw from Safe to Semi is the same short sweep used on competition selectors from Radian, Battle Arms, and others. The 180-degree throw to ARC stays long on purpose: forced reset should require an unambiguous, committed motion so you do not accidentally rotate past Semi into ARC while flicking the safety under stress.

The 0-90-180 throw is the right pick for shooters who run real M4A1s or full-auto clones. On a true select-fire M4A1 the selector is Safe at 0, Semi at 90, FA at 180, so the 0-90-180 Arc-Fire maps directly to that muscle memory: the same thumb sweep that goes to FA on an M4 goes to ARC here. For anyone with select-fire training, this is the throw that requires zero relearning. The 0-45-90 throw is the fastest of the three to ARC and the choice for shooters who want the shortest possible sweep into forced reset. Pick the throw that matches how you actually shoot, not the one that sounds coolest in a review.

The Spear LT uses Sig's MCX fire control architecture, not AR-15 dimensions, so the Arc-Fire on its own does not drop into an MCX lower. The MCX install requires A.S. Designs' MCX Slip Trip Kit, the platform-specific adapter that lets the V2 mechanism work in the MCX. A.S. Designs ships Slip Trip Kits for MCX, MPX, MP5, SCAR, BRN-180, JAKL, Stribog, Dissent, G3, AP53, and UMP. Make sure you order the right kit for your host before you start.

With the MCX Slip Trip Kit installed, the V1-style procedure applies: pull the factory selector, seat the Arc-Fire primary selector and ARC components, install the off-side ambi lever, torque with blue Loctite. No fitting or filing was required on our kit. The install was uneventful.

Our host is a Sig MCX Spear LT with a Radian Weapons MCX-pattern lower. The Arc-Fire V2 plus MCX Slip Trip Kit seated cleanly with no fitting. Detents are positive at all three positions.

One install note worth calling out: the off-side ambi lever is supposed to be keyed so it only seats in one orientation. On our kit it fits both ways. The correct orientation is obvious against the primary selector, so this is obviously a non-issue once installed.

The Spear LT uses its own short-stroke piston system, not an AR-15 buffer tube, so the usual H2/H3 buffer conversation for AR-pattern FRS installs does not apply here. We will update with live-fire impressions in a follow-up once we put a few hundred rounds through it.

The closest competition for the Arc-Fire V2 is the Atrius FRS, also $249 for the ambi kit. Both are selector-only forced reset devices that work with an existing trigger. The practical differences are trigger compatibility, platform support, and lever shape.

We strongly recommend the Arc-Fire V2 over the Atrius FRS. The Atrius is less durable in sustained use and more finicky to get running reliably (fitment is hit or miss between rifles, and you fight it more than you should have to for a $249 part). The Arc-Fire V2 is the more polished mechanism, the M2 tool steel DLC-coated ARC components hold up better than the Atrius internals, it works with Geissele super-safety-cut triggers in addition to mil-spec, and it fits MCX, MPX, MP5, SCAR, and HK MR556/416 platforms that the AR-only Atrius simply does not.

Short answer: it depends on what the rifle does.

Competition or duty rifle: yes, 100%. If the V1 is on a gun that has a job (a USPSA, 2-Gun, or 3-Gun competition rifle, a patrol or duty carbine, a home defense setup you actually plan to run hard), upgrade. The taller fin is easier to find under stress, the detents are more positive, the redesigned ARC internals cycle smoother in sustained use, and the 0-45-180 throw shaves time off your transitions. None of these are huge changes individually; together they add up to a part that does its job better than the V1 did. On a rifle you depend on, the $249 is worth it.

Range toy: don't bother. If the V1 is on a fun gun that gets dragged out a few times a year for a mag dump and a smile, save the $249. The V1 still works. The V2 is a better version of the same idea, but you will not notice the difference on a casual range trip and you will not get the money back. Spend it on ammo.

New build or first FRS purchase: just buy the V2. The V1 is not cheaper enough to justify picking it over the V2, and the V2 platform support (MCX, MPX, MP5, SCAR, HK MR556/416) is a real difference if you have anything other than an AR-15.

If the Slip Trip Kit + Geissele super-safety-cut trigger math on the Arc-Fire V2 sounds like more than you want to deal with, the Partisan Disruptor FRT at $299 is the easy button. It is a forced reset trigger (FRT), not a forced reset selector, so it replaces the entire trigger group as one drop-in cassette. Installation is much easier and much less finicky than the Arc-Fire, just push out the pins, drop in the unit, push the pins back in, done.

The tradeoff is the semi-auto trigger pull. With the Arc-Fire V2 you keep whatever trigger you already have, so if you run a Geissele SSA-E or SD3G (with the super-safety cut), your semi-auto pull stays as crisp as a $240 two- stage Geissele. The Partisan Disruptor's built-in semi-auto pull is decent (3.75 to 4.1 lb, CMP Service Rifle Match compliant) but it is not as clean as a Geissele. The break is noticeably grittier.

Where the Disruptor wins is the total bill. Arc-Fire V2 ($250) plus a Geissele super-safety-cut trigger (~$240) runs about $490, and that is before the Slip Trip Kit if you are on a non-AR platform. The Disruptor at $299 is one part, one install, and you keep your factory selector. For a shooter who wants forced reset without the parts chase, this is the right answer.

High-shelf lower owners: buy the Disruptor, not the Arc-Fire.If your lower is a high-shelf (unmilled auto-sear shelf) receiver, the Arc-Fire's ARC components do not have the clearance they need and you will fight the install or end up modifying the receiver. The Disruptor is a self-contained drop-in cassette and does not care about the shelf at all. Buy the trigger, save yourself the headache.