CAR-15: Encyclopedia II - CAR-15 - The Family

CAR-15 - The Family

CAR-15 - CAR-15 Rifle

By the time the idea of the CAR-15 family was developed, Colt had already been producing two rifle variants for the US military. Colt's CAR-15 family included two rifles, one with the forward assist function (Model 603) and one without (Model 604). Both of these weapons were purchased by the US military, and more information can be found on the M16 page.

CAR-15 - CAR-15 Carbine

The CAR-15 Carbine was a shortened M16-style weapon for situations where length could be a problem, such as stowage aboard vehicles. The barrel ended just fore of the front sight triangle. Obviously, a bayonet could not be attached and all CAR-15 Carbines had no bayonet lugs. The initial prototype used a shorter handguard and a 16-inch long barrel. Carbines with forward assist were designated Model 605As. Some carbines were made without forward assist but with a four-way fire control group that allowed semi-automatic, three-round burst, and full-automatic fire were labeled Model 605Bs. The Navy SEALs were seen using a CAR-15 Carbine as early as 1962.

CAR-15 - CAR-15 Submachine Gun

The Model 607 CAR-15 SMG was a compact weapon that for use among special forces and vehicle crew. The barrel was reduced in length by half to 10 inches, so that the SMG had an empty weapon weight of 5.3 lbs and an overall length of 26 inches. The SMG was the first AR-15 made with a retractable buttstock. It resembled a shortened fixed buttstock, but a two-position latched recessed in the back allowed it to be extended and locked into position, increasing the length of pull by 2.7 inches.

A number of muzzle devices were used on the CAR-15 SMG. Initially, they used the duckbill or three-prong flash hiders, which proved unsatisfactory. Colt made a 1.3-inch long moderator that lessened the noise and muzzle flash from such a short-barreled weapon as well as aided reliable cycling by increasing the amount of back pressure. However, problems such as heavy barrel coppering still occurred. Tracer bullets also would wildly yaw. A second moderator, 4.25-inches in length, with six slots, would replace the previous muzzle device and become standard for the SMG as well as its descendants, the XM177/GAU-5 series.

Reflecting its non-production nature, the CAR-15 SMG was made with what spare parts were available. They initially were made with M16 receivers without forward assists and with shortened pistol grips from the Survival Rifle. Eventually, they were made with XM16E1 receivers with forward assists, standard pistol grips, and the 4.5-inch long moderator. The handguards were made from full-length rifle handguards by chopping them in half and using either the fore or aft pair. The ends would then be machined to fit the slip ring and handguard cap.

About 50 CAR-15 SMGs were made. Most were issued to Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces, though some were also given to Army K-9 units. Although commonly referred to as CAR-15s, the rifles equiped with Armson Occluded Eye Gunsights (or OEGs) were more likely XM177E1s or XM177E2s.

For more information see Colt Commando

CAR-15 - CAR-15 Survival Rifle

The Model 608 CAR-15 Survival Rifle was meant for use among downed aircrew. Because of the AR-15's takedown feature, it could be split in two and stowed with four 20-round magazines in the seat pack. By having a 10-inch long barrel, the assembled weapon was 29 inches in overall length. Unique to the CAR-15 Survival Rifle were a fixed tubular plastic-coated aluminum buttstock and a round handguard. They did not have a forward assist or a bayonet lug. The pistol grip was chopped down. Some were made with a conical flash hider, though the 1.3-inch long moderator was also used. For more information, see Colt Commando.

CAR-15 - CAR-15 Heavy Assault Rifles HBAR

The CAR-15 family also included versions with heavy barrels to be used for sustained automatic fire, similar to the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), a weapon of WWII fame, that was being replaced throughout the US military. The Colt Model 606 Heavy Assault Rifle M1 featured a heavy barrel and could be fitted with a bipod, including those designed for the M60, those designed for the BAR, or a Colt-made design. Two additional subvariants were eventually created for the Model 606, the 606A, which added the forward assist feature, and the 606B which added in Colt's own 4-position trigger that allowed for a 3-round burst function in addition to fully automatic. The 4-position selector was developed by Foster Sturtevant in December 1966. The burst cam could be modified so the burst length was two-rounds, three-rounds, or six-rounds. The US Army purchased less than two hundred Heavy Assault Rifle M1s for testing, but did not adopt them.

A further variant of this system, the Heavy Assault Rifle M2, was developed that was belt-fed. Rob Roy at Colt designed a special box to hold the belt and expended links. The ammunition box came in two versions, a 50-round box and a 120-round box. The system required a heavily modified upper and lower receiver. The belt-fed version was similar to one already developed by Eugene Stoner and John Peck at Armalite for the AR-10 that was also never fielded. A conversion kit based on the M2 was built by John A. Ceiner as well. Though the US Army evaluated their use as helicopter door armament, less than 20 of the belt-fed version were made.

See also Colt CMG-1 and Colt CMG-2

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The Family", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki