T65K2 Example | Taiwan Factory Visit 2024

Here is a T65K2 that we examined during our 2024 visit to some of our vendors in Taiwan. This factory manufactures the T91 and T65K2 furniture that both the Taiwanese military uses and which we sell. The T65K2 replaced the T65 as the primary service rifle for the Taiwanese military during the 1980s. It has many of the upgrades that the M16A2 has over the original M16A1. Note the unusual carry handle design that appears to simplify the installation of optics.

Note also some of the unique Taiwanese military firearm parts that are behind the T65K2. This factory keeps these parts on hand to check the fit and finish of the stocks and handguards they produce. The gun laws in Taiwan are much tighter (it’s almost impossible to own a gun if you’re a regular citizen) and also completely different. They had full-auto lowers just laying around the boardrooms. You can see an unfinished fully-automatic T91 lower in the top middle of the picture, which is identical to an AR15 lower. This was a bit of a shock as someone accustomed to US gun laws just to see it laying next to the bottled water on the conference table. Other parts, however, are more tightly regulated.

Based on my conversations with our vendors, it’s also illegal for even firearm factories to fully assemble a firearm in Taiwan. From what I was told, even when they export to an authorized buyer overseas, they have to ship the firearms disassembled.