The Masada was developed over the course of five months. It was supposed to replace the M16 rifle completely. It was supposed to do this without any fundings from the government. Prototypes were shown at the 2007 SHOT Show in Orlando, Florida. It was supposed to be released some time in 2008. However, Bushmaster said on May 16, 2008 took over production and said that the ACR would not be released to the public until 2009. This was due to Bushmaster being focused more towards military projects. On November 18, 2008, Bushmaster released a statement saying, "The ACR is being redesigned to become a superior offering to compete for the next generation U.S. Army infantry carbine and subcompact weapon requirement and will be available to selected customers in 2009."