Most were issued to Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces, though some were also given to Army K-9 units. However, manufacturers such as Colt, Heckler & Koch, and Zastava Arms have referred to compact carbines as submachine guns, to emphasize their short length and to differentiate them from longer carbines.Ībout 50 CAR-15 SMGs were made. The dictionary definition of submachine gun is an automatic firearm that fires pistol-caliber cartridges. It was a compact weapon for use by special forces and vehicle crewmen. In 1965, Colt introduces the new Model 607 CAR-15 Submachine Gun (SMG), which is an improved version of the Colt Armalite AR-15 Tanker Model with some modifications from the M16. The barrel is too short to mount a bayonet, so the SMG had no bayonet lug. The retractable buttstock resembled a shortened version of the fixed buttstock, but a two-position latch recessed in the back allowed it to be extended and locked into position, increasing the length of pull by 2.7 inches (69 mm). It was the first AR-15 made with a retractable buttstock, with its overall length being only 26 inches (660 mm) with the buttstock retracted. In late 1959, Colt introduced a Tanker Model of the AR-15. CAR-15 Submachine Gun (AKA: CAR-15 Model 607) Both versions used the rifle-length buttstock.Īs early as 1964, United States Navy SEALs were using the CAR-15 Carbine. Instead of three-round burst, the burst cam could be modified to two-round or six-round burst.
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The selector itself had 360 degrees of motion, and could be moved either clockwise or counterclockwise, unlike with standard groups. Unlike the standard three-position group, the four-position group went from (going clockwise from the 9 o'clock position) safe, fully automatic, semi-automatic and finally burst.
#Colt ar 15 carbine full#
The Model 605B had no forward assist, but had a four-position selector switch (developed by Foster Sturtevant in December 1966) so that a user could select safe, semi-automatic, three-round burst, or full automatic modes of fire. One prototype used a shorter handguard and a 16-inch (410 mm) long barrel. Because of the shorter barrel, no bayonet mounting lugs were provided. The only significant change from the M16 rifle was that the barrel was shortened to 15 inches (381 mm) in length, so that it ended just forward of the front sight base. It was an improved version of the AR-15 SBR, which was a shorter barrel version of the Colt Armalite AR-15. The Model 605A CAR-15 Carbine was a shortened version for situations where longer weapons could be unwieldy, such as aboard vehicles or helicopters. It was made in prototype form only and saw no sales.Ī semi-auto Bushmaster Dissipator barrel which uses a similar short-barrel, standard length hand-guard concept to the CAR-15 Carbine The CAR-15 Heavy Assault Rifle M2 was a belt-fed conversion of the standard CAR-15, with a heavy barrel and bipod attachment.
![colt ar 15 carbine colt ar 15 carbine](https://www.gunsamerica.com/userimages/6160/956934426/wm_4607612.jpg)
It was designed to feed from 30-round box magazines. The CAR-15 Heavy Assault Rifle M1 was a heavy-barreled version of the standard AR-15 with a bipod attachment, intended for use as a Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). The principal difference between the Model 603 and Model 604 is that the former has a forward assist, allowing a user to manually close a stuck bolt. However, the United States military had already committed to purchases before Colt created the concept of the CAR-15 weapons system. The Model 603 CAR-15 Rifle, adopted initially by the United States Army as the XM16E1 and then later as the M16A1, and the Model 604 CAR-15 Rifle, adopted by the United States Air Force as the M16, formed the core of the CAR-15 family.