In 2015 the founder of Iron Horse Firearms, Ryan McDonald, envisioned the use of the thumb actuated trigger on the government issued M-4 rifle. Being a former U.S. Marine, Ryan would research into the viability of his idea, and would then create the Iron Horse Rifle. Although not well known, alternative trigger designs utilizing the thumb, rather than the index finger, are not as new an idea as many believe when first seeing Iron Horse Rifle.