XM177E2 4x: Difference between revisions

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[[Category:Weapons]]
[[Category:Weapons of Vietnam]]
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! rowspan=2 | [[Ammo]]  
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|[[File:Flag_us_new.png|50px]]<br><strong>[[US]]</strong> || [[File:Xm177 s.png|512px]]<br><b>[[XM177E2 4x]]</b> || [[File:Weapon car15s.svg|512px]] || [[File:Class_Assault.png|50px]] <b>[[Assault]]<br> || 20 / 60
|[[File:Flag_us_new.png|50px]]<br><strong>[[US]]</strong> || [[File:Xm177 s.png|512px]]<br><b>[[XM177E2 4x]]</b> || [[File:Weapon car15s.svg|512px]] || [[File:Class_Assault.png|50px]] <b>[[Assault]]<br> || 20[[+1]] / 60
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! rolspan=2 | [[Weight]]
! rolspan=2 | [[Weight]]
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|[[XM177E2]] ([[R629]] in US Army service)||[[Sniper Rifle]]<br>[[Carbine]]||Auto+Semi||750 RPM||7.77° & 1.62° [[ADS]]||0.935||810 m/s||12.3 g (189.818 gr)||2.43 kg (5.35 lbs)   
|[[XM177E2]] ([[R629]] in US Army service)||[[Scoped]]<br>[[Carbine]]||Auto+Semi||750 RPM||6.27° & 1.12° [[ADS]]||0.945||810 m/s||12.3 g (189.818 gr)||2.43 kg (5.35 lbs)   
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! rowspan=2 | [[Weapon Script Name]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Weapon Script Name]]
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|Colt Commando Model 629||5.56mm||[[USA]]||1967||Colt||11.5 in (292 mm)||32.5 in (830 mm)||weapon_car15s
|Colt Commando Model 629||[[5.56mm]]||[[USA]]||1967||Colt||11.5 in (292 mm)||32.5 in (830 mm)||weapon_car15s
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=HISTORY=
<hr>
The Colt Commando was not initially part of the CAR-15 Military Weapons System, but was added in 1966 in response to the US military's desire for a shorter M16 and without the [[Model 607]] SMG's inadequacies. Colt engineer Rob Roy designed a simpler two-position telescoping tubular aluminum buttstock to replace the complicated extending triangular version. The fragile and ad hoc triangular handguards were replaced by reinforced round handguards. Each half of the round handguard is identical, simplifying logistics by not requiring a top/bottom or left/right pair. The Model 609 Commando has a forward assist, while the Model 610 Commando does not. A Model 610B with a four-position selector was available, but not used by the U.S. military. All versions are equipped with the 4.25-inch (108 mm) long moderator.
 
'''XM177E2''' is a compact U.S. 5.56×45mm carbine in the AR-15/M16 family, built for close-quarters handling and carried with standard M16-pattern magazines. Compared to the [[M16A1]], it uses a shorter barrel and a distinctive extended flash moderator, along with a telescoping stock. It is best known for Vietnam-era special operations use and for the characteristic “Commando” profile that influenced later U.S. carbines.


The XM177 uses a unique flash suppressor sometimes called a flash or sound moderator for its 10-inch (250 mm) barrel. This device is 4.2 inches (110 mm) long and was designed primarily as a counterbalance measure as the shorter barrel makes the weapon unwieldy. This device reduces flash signature greatly and sound signature slightly, making the normally louder short barreled carbine sound like a longer barreled [[M16A1]]. Although it has no internal baffles and does not completely reduce the sound signature to subsonic levels, because it alters the sound level of the weapon, the US Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives has declared this muzzle device to be a sound suppressor and regulates its civilian purchase in the United States.
==HISTORY==
Colt developed the CAR-15 “Commando” series in the mid-1960s in response to U.S. military demand for a shorter M16-type weapon without the shortcomings of earlier compact AR-15 experiments. Colt engineer Rob Roy designed a simpler two-position telescoping aluminum stock to replace earlier, more complex designs, and the fragile early handguards were replaced by reinforced round handguards whose identical halves simplified parts logistics. Early Commandos existed in versions with and without a forward assist, and all were fitted with a long “moderator” muzzle device designed to reduce flash and slightly soften the report while also acting as a counterbalance on the very short barrel; this distinctive device later became a point of legal classification in the United States.


The Model 610 was classified as the XM177 but adopted by the Air Force as the GAU-5/A Submachine Gun (GA denoting an automatic gun and U a complete unit rather than a parts kit: the popular "gun aircraft unit" and "gun automatic unit" explanations are backronyms). The Army purchased 2,815 Model 609 CAR-15 Commandos on June 28, 1966, which were officially designated Submachine Gun, 5.56 mm, XM177E1. As part of the contract, Colt was supposed to supply each XM177E1s with seven 30-round magazines, but Colt was unable to build a reliable 30-round curved magazine that would fit in the M16 magazine well, so most XM177E1s were shipped with 20-round magazines. The exception was 5th Special Forces Group, who received a total of four early 30-round magazines. Colt completed delivery of the purchased XM177E1s in March 1967.
The XM177E2 was the later Army designation for the improved Commando configuration created after field testing led Colt to lengthen the barrel from 10 inches to 11.5 inches and make related changes, including chrome-plated chambers and a modified moderator with a mounting boss intended to support the Colt [[XM148]] grenade launcher and rifle-grenade attachments. In April 1967 the U.S. Army purchased a limited quantity of these longer-barreled Commandos for specialized Vietnam service, and they were issued notably to MACV-SOG-associated personnel and other users who valued compact weapons for patrols and close-range fighting. Despite its handling advantages, period reporting also noted ongoing tradeoffs typical of early short-barreled carbines—greater blast and noise, reduced effective range and velocity compared to full-length rifles, and continued magazine availability concerns during the era—while production of the CAR-15 Commando line ended around 1970.


In 1967, in response to field testing, Colt lengthened the Commando's barrel from 10 to 11.5 inches (254 to 292 mm). The increased length reduced noise and muzzle flash, and allowed fitting of the Colt [[XM148]] grenade launcher. A metal boss was added to the moderator for mounting of the XM148 and rifle grenades. The chambers were chrome-plated. The Commandos with the longer barrels were called the Model 629 and Model 649. The Model 629 Commando has a forward assist; the Model 649 Commando does not.
===Sources===
* Stevens, R. Blake; Ezell, Edward C. ''The Black Rifle: M16 Retrospective''. Collector Grade Publications.
* Plaster, John L. ''SOG: The Secret Wars of America’s Commandos in Vietnam''. Simon & Schuster.
* Dockery, Kevin. ''Weapons of the Vietnam War''. Amber Books.
* Ezell, Edward C. ''Small Arms of the World''. Stackpole Books.


In April 1967, the Army purchased 510 Model 629 Commandos for use by troops assigned to the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG), and designated them XM177E2. Delivery was completed by the end of September 1967. The Air Force adopted a similar model without the forward assist feature as the GAU-5A/A. Sources debate whether or not this was a Colt Model 630 or Model 649. According to John Plaster and other sources, the lack of 30-round magazines continued to be problematic and SOG operators resorted to pooling their personal resources and purchasing the larger capacity magazines on the civilian U.S. market. Problems with range, accuracy, barrel fouling, and usage of tracer bullets continued to plague the XM177 series, but Colt estimated that it would take a six-month $400,000 program to do a complete ballistic and kinematic study. There were also recommendations for a 29-month $635,000 research and development program. Both recommendations were declined by the U.S. military as American ground force involvement in the Vietnam War was gradually winding down. Production of the CAR-15 Commando ended in 1970.
<br>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAR-15 SOURCE]
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File:C0hl2llitva41.jpg|Reproduction
File:C0hl2llitva41.jpg|Reproduction
File:Untitled a.jpg
File:Untitled a.jpg|XM177E2-style carbine.
File:CAR-15555.jpg
File:CAR-15555.jpg|XM177-family CAR-15 Commando.
File:Xm grip 450.jpg
File:Xm grip 450.jpg|XM177E2 grip and controls detail.
File:CAR-15 (XM177E1) as tested in 1966.jpg|CAR-15 (XM177E1) as tested in 1966
File:CAR-15 (XM177E1) as tested in 1966.jpg|CAR-15 (XM177E1) as tested in 1966
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Latest revision as of 23:05, 24 February 2026

Factions Weapon Icon Classes Ammo

US
XM177E2 4x		 Assault
 20+1 / 60
Damage Base Headshot × Chest × Stomach × Leg × Arm × Bayonet Rifle Grenades Reload Speed
Partial Empty
35 ×2.5 = 87.5 ×1.2 = 42 ×1.15 = 40.25 ×0.8 = 28 ×0.75 = 26.25 NO NO 2.366 Seconds 3.166 Seconds
Designation Weapon Type Fire Modes Fire Rate Bullet Spread ° Range Modifier Muzzle Velocity Projectile weight Weight
XM177E2 (R629 in US Army service) Scoped
Carbine		 Auto+Semi 750 RPM 6.27° & 1.12° ADS 0.945 810 m/s 12.3 g (189.818 gr) 2.43 kg (5.35 lbs)
Full name Caliber Place of Origin Date Manufacturer Barrel Length Total Length Weapon Script Name
Colt Commando Model 629 5.56mm USA 1967 Colt 11.5 in (292 mm) 32.5 in (830 mm) weapon_car15s


XM177E2 is a compact U.S. 5.56×45mm carbine in the AR-15/M16 family, built for close-quarters handling and carried with standard M16-pattern magazines. Compared to the M16A1, it uses a shorter barrel and a distinctive extended flash moderator, along with a telescoping stock. It is best known for Vietnam-era special operations use and for the characteristic “Commando” profile that influenced later U.S. carbines.

HISTORY

Colt developed the CAR-15 “Commando” series in the mid-1960s in response to U.S. military demand for a shorter M16-type weapon without the shortcomings of earlier compact AR-15 experiments. Colt engineer Rob Roy designed a simpler two-position telescoping aluminum stock to replace earlier, more complex designs, and the fragile early handguards were replaced by reinforced round handguards whose identical halves simplified parts logistics. Early Commandos existed in versions with and without a forward assist, and all were fitted with a long “moderator” muzzle device designed to reduce flash and slightly soften the report while also acting as a counterbalance on the very short barrel; this distinctive device later became a point of legal classification in the United States.

The XM177E2 was the later Army designation for the improved Commando configuration created after field testing led Colt to lengthen the barrel from 10 inches to 11.5 inches and make related changes, including chrome-plated chambers and a modified moderator with a mounting boss intended to support the Colt XM148 grenade launcher and rifle-grenade attachments. In April 1967 the U.S. Army purchased a limited quantity of these longer-barreled Commandos for specialized Vietnam service, and they were issued notably to MACV-SOG-associated personnel and other users who valued compact weapons for patrols and close-range fighting. Despite its handling advantages, period reporting also noted ongoing tradeoffs typical of early short-barreled carbines—greater blast and noise, reduced effective range and velocity compared to full-length rifles, and continued magazine availability concerns during the era—while production of the CAR-15 Commando line ended around 1970.

Sources

  • Stevens, R. Blake; Ezell, Edward C. The Black Rifle: M16 Retrospective. Collector Grade Publications.
  • Plaster, John L. SOG: The Secret Wars of America’s Commandos in Vietnam. Simon & Schuster.
  • Dockery, Kevin. Weapons of the Vietnam War. Amber Books.
  • Ezell, Edward C. Small Arms of the World. Stackpole Books.
Real-Life Photos
  • Reproduction
    Reproduction
  • XM177E2-style carbine.
    XM177E2-style carbine.
  • XM177-family CAR-15 Commando.
    XM177-family CAR-15 Commando.
  • XM177E2 grip and controls detail.
    XM177E2 grip and controls detail.
  • CAR-15 (XM177E1) as tested in 1966
    CAR-15 (XM177E1) as tested in 1966
Videos
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