Canadian C7 & American M16A2

[imntxs554]

I was looking at some M16A2's images and then started clicking Visit Page. Then clicking for awhile I was lead to this page which i read why there was changes. But couldn't this Colt still have been identical between our Services ?

Colt Canadian C7/ Colt American M16A2

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[browningautorifle]

Simple Frank, different procurement organizations want different things. The ratchet design of the burst capability is expensive compared to the auto sear. It's all about money. Our Diemaco facility, when first started could have finished the contract in no time and been out of business, they stretched it out and then the foreign contracts started coming in. Now it's Colt Canada so they're doing better...but for us, we kept it simple. Except for the C79 sight...there are so many that are so much better...many are cheaper too.

[CODFan]

Perfect opportunity for a C7 clone picture .....

Attachment 66862

[browningautorifle]

Missing the A1, but at the cost, I guess that can pass. Nice crowd.

[Brian Dick]

The top one is an "A1" with round handguards. See the pencil barrel?

[Sentryduty]

You are right

Not to start an argument, but to offer clarification, on the Canadian specification rifles our designations are a bit different from the US spec.

C7- The basic Diemaco production rifle with fixed carry handle sight, 0.5" diameter pencil barrel and 1:12 twist rifling, some of these rifles were recently supplied to the Afghan National Army to help modernize their forces. This would have been the earliest production version. Generally issued with Diemaco 30 round plastic magazines which had a poor reputation for breaking the bodies or feed lips. This lead to the persistent caution on the ranges to never use your magazine as a rifle support or monopod.

C7A1- Heavy profile barrel, change to 1:7 twist rifling, flattop receiver, addition of the Elcan C79 optical sight with plastic back up "iron" sight. Official publications and drawings detailed a plastic magazine, but since my first range day with a C7A1 in 1999, I have only ever seen the replacement Diemaco 30 round metal magazines. The plastic magazines can however still be seen as part of the C7 rubber training rifle molding, and occasionally found, brittle and sunbaked, in training areas where they had been lost on previous exercises.

C7A2- As the A1, with green furniture, ambidextrous FCS, Mag release, and charging handle. Addition of Triad mount, accu-wedge, battery storage in the grip, C8 carbine cleaning kit carrier, relocated rear sling swivel, carbine butt stock with buttpad and revised buffer. Elcan C79 sight upgraded to C79A1 with revised base to improve robustness, later, some rifles were equipped with Eotech sights and/or Cadex folding forward grip.

The C8 Carbines have undergone their own similar but slightly different evolution, of which I am not as familiar. I had a C8A3 overseas for a month or so, it was handy, even though it seemed a bit heavy for the size of it.

[CODFan]

The C7A1 is a little different. It introduced the Flat Top with weaver rail.

[browningautorifle]

And yes Brian, it did have a heavy front end. Not the best idea they came up with...

[Brian Dick]

OK, got that. I was thinking USA A1 configuration. I knew the first Diemaco C7 rifles had the A1 upper with the built in brass deflector. I'd like to find a set of real Diemaco/Colt Canada green plastic furniture. I built a clone exactly like CODFan's second rifle but with black furniture and the later Colt 6 position collapsible stock. It's a straight A3 upper/barrel assy made by FNMI in Columbia. The barrels had to be configured with the "skinny" section to attach the M203 GL. I hope Colt Canada can hang in there. Colt Hartford isn't doing so well but at least they're still going. They've been bankrupt 3 times in the past 40 years or so.

[Lee Enfield]

OK, got that. I was thinking USA A1 configuration. I knew the first Diemaco C7 rifles had the A1 upper with the built in brass deflector. I'd like to find a set of real Diemaco/Colt Canada green plastic furniture. I built a clone exactly like CODFan's second rifle but with black furniture and the later Colt 6 position collapsible stock. It's a straight A3 upper/barrel assy made by FNMI in Columbia. The barrels had to be configured with the "skinny" section to attach the M203 GL. I hope Colt Canada can hang in there. Colt Hartford isn't doing so well but at least they're still going. They've been bankrupt 3 times in the past 40 years or so.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. When the CF decided to go green, they trialed 2 methods while Diemaco prevaricated.

1. green paint
2. Armalite green furniture