Bushmaster M17S

Last updated
Bushmaster M17S
Bushmaster M17S right.jpg
The Bushmaster M17S rifle
Type Bullpup semi-automatic rifle
Place of originAustralia
Production history
Designed1992
Manufacturer Bushmaster Firearms International
Produced1992–2005
Specifications
Mass8.2 lb (3.7 kg)
Length30 in (760 mm)
Barrel  length21.5 in (550 mm)

Cartridge 5.56×45mm NATO
Action Gas-operated rotating bolt
Feed system STANAG magazines
Sights Iron sights

The Bushmaster M17S is a semi-automatic bullpup rifle that was manufactured by Bushmaster Firearms International from 1992 until 2005.

Contents

History

The design of the M17S dates back to 1986 when the Australian company Armtech Ltd. developed the prototype as a prospective military rifle for the Australian Army. Two prototypes were developed, one for the 5.56×45mm NATO, the C60R, and the more revolutionary C30R that used caseless ammunition. The C30R was developed hastily and an out-of-battery ignition resulted in a prototype exploding during a high-profile demonstration.

The Australian Army adopted a licence-built version of the Steyr AUG, leading to the sale of the Armtech design to another Australian company, Edenpine (Edenpine Pty Ltd. Charles St. George, improved the design, resulting in the ART-30 and SAK-30. The salient features of the M17S were in place but some Finnish Valmet parts were used instead of AR-15 parts to reduce costs. Edenpine expressed interest in selling the design on the United States market and subsequently licensed the design to Bushmaster for local manufacture, thus avoiding import restrictions. [1] The rifle was sold from October 1992 to 1994 as the "Edenpine M17S Bull-Pup rifle". The distributor was Edenpine (USA) Inc., headquartered in San Jose, California.

When Edenpine folded in 1994, the totality of the rights passed to Bushmaster, who manufactured it as the "Bushmaster M17S", starting just a few months before the approval of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. The M17S was the only American-made bullpup rifle to be offered commercially, and the only one not banned by name. The BATF approved a version with a longer barrel sleeve which covered more of the muzzle thread. This made it impossible to securely attach the M16-style "Birdcage" flash hider without modification of the barrel sleeve. [2]

Design

Left side Bushmaster M17S left.jpg
Left side

The Bushmaster M17S is a semi-automatic rifle that uses a gas-operated, rotating bolt. The design takes the operating system of the Armalite AR-18 and moves the pistol grip forward in a manner similar to the British SA80. Instead of the sheet metal receiver of the AR18 and SA80, the Bushmaster M17S uses an extruded 7075-T6 aluminum receiver that serves as the stock and foregrip as well. This method of construction is particularly efficient and was subsequently copied by other designs. [1]

Operation is a short-stroke fixed piston system that is self-compensating. The rifle is chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO and accepts STANAG magazines. The main drawback of the subsequent modified design, reported by some users, was the tendency of its aluminum hand guard to become hot after one or two magazines were emptied in rapid fire. Bushmaster discontinued production of the M17S in 2005. [3]

Variants


A more up to date version is offered by K&M Arms and chambered in at least four calibers. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

Colt AR-15 Semi-automatic rifle

The Colt AR-15 is a lightweight, magazine-fed, gas-operated semi-automatic rifle. It is a semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle sold for the civilian and law enforcement markets in the United States. Colt's Manufacturing Company currently owns the AR-15 trademark and is used exclusively for its line of semi-automatic AR-15 rifles.

Bullpup Firearm with its action and magazine in its buttstock

A bullpup firearm is one whose action is located behind the trigger instead of in front of it. This creates a weapon that is lighter and more compact and maneuverable than conventional firearm designs with the same barrel length, maintaining the same muzzle velocity and effective range.

The M14 rifle, officially the United States Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire battle rifle that fires 7.62×51mm NATO ammunition. It became the standard-issue rifle for the U.S. military in 1959 replacing the M1 Garand rifle in the U.S. Army by 1958 and the U.S. Marine Corps by 1965 until being replaced by the M16 rifle beginning in 1968. The M14 was used by U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps for basic and advanced individual training (AIT) from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s.

The Mini-14 is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co. Introduced in 1973, it is based on the M14 rifle and is essentially a scaled-down version chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO.

ArmaLite AR-10 Battle rifle

The ArmaLite AR-10 is a 7.62×51mm NATO battle rifle developed by Eugene Stoner in the late 1950s and manufactured by ArmaLite, then a division of the Fairchild Aircraft Corporation. When first introduced in 1956, the AR-10 used an innovative straight-line barrel/stock design with phenolic composite and forged alloy parts resulting in a small arm significantly easier to control in automatic fire and over 1 lb (0.45 kg) lighter than other infantry rifles of the day. Over its production life, the original AR-10 was built in relatively small numbers, with fewer than 10,000 rifles assembled. However, the ArmaLite AR-10 would become the progenitor for a wide range of firearms.

The ArmaLite AR-18 is a gas-operated assault rifle chambered for 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition. The AR-18 was designed at ArmaLite in California by Arthur Miller, Eugene Stoner, George Sullivan, and Charles Dorchester in 1963 as an alternative to the Colt AR-15 design, a variant of which had just been selected by the U.S. military as the M16. A semi-automatic version known as the AR-180 was later produced for the civilian market. While the AR-18 was never adopted as the standard service rifle of any nation, its production license was sold to companies in Japan and the United Kingdom, and it is said to have influenced many later weapons such as the British SA80, the Singaporean SAR-80 and SR-88, the American Adaptive Combat Rifle, the Belgian FN F2000, the Japanese Howa Type 89 and the German Heckler and Koch G36.

Eugene Stoner American firearms designer

Eugene Morrison Stoner was an American firearms designer who is most associated with the development of the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle that was redesigned as a civilian sporting rifle, then modified by Colt's Patent Firearm Company for the US military as the M16 rifle.

Bushmaster Firearms International American firearms manufacturer

Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC, based in Carson City, Nevada, United States, is an American manufacturer and distributor of firearms. The company's product line revolves around semi-automatic pistol and rifle variants of the M4/AR-15 design.

.450 Bushmaster Rifle cartridge

The .450 Bushmaster is a rifle cartridge developed by Tim LeGendre of LeMag Firearms, and licensed to Bushmaster Firearms International. The .450 Bushmaster is designed to be used in standard M16s and AR-15s, using modified magazines and upper receiver assemblies.

The Desert Tech Stealth Recon Scout (SRS) is a bolt-action sniper rifle developed by the Utah-based firearm manufacturer Desert Tech. It was unveiled at the 2008 SHOT Show. It is known for its bullpup design.

The Barrett M468 is a variant of the M4 Carbine, rechambered for a heavier and larger 6.8mm bullet for increased terminal performance. The designation of M468 stands for an M4 carbine chambered for the 6.8mm SPC cartridge. It was an attempt to create an optimal Special Operations close-to-medium range carbine for Close Quarter Battle (CQB). A 12-inch barreled micro-carbine and 16-inch barreled carbine version were created. Barrett ceased manufacturing the rifle in 2010.

.30 Remington AR

The .30 Remington AR cartridge was created in 2008 by Remington Arms to fill a perceived gap in performance on large game between the .223 Remington and larger cartridges such as the .308 Winchester. Design of the cartridge is considered a joint effort between companies under the "Freedom Group" name through a private equity firm and included such companies as Bushmaster, DPMS and Remington itself. It is a rebated rim cartridge designed to fit Remington's R-15 semiautomatic hunting rifle. It was designed to fit the dimensional constraints of the AR-15 magazine and is based on a modification of the .450 Bushmaster, which in turn was based on the .284 Winchester.

Smith & Wesson M&P15 Gun

The Smith & Wesson M&P15 is an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle by gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson. Introduced in 2006, the firearm is designed for police and consumer markets.

Remington ACR Assault rifle

The Adaptive Combat Rifle (ACR) is a modular assault rifle designed by Magpul Industries of Austin, Texas, and known initially as the Masada.

Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 Cadet rifle

The Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 is a .22 LR variant of the Smith & Wesson M&P15 semi-automatic rifle, but is blowback-operated rather than direct impingement-operated. It is intended for recreational shooting ("plinking") and small game hunting. It is made with a polymer upper and lower receiver rather than the aluminum alloy that is normally used in AR-15 style rifles, and uses proprietary polymer box magazines.

Bushmaster Arm Pistol Bullpup pistol

The Bushmaster Arm Pistol was a 5.56×45mm NATO firearm, categorizeable as either a long pistol or compact carbine rifle, produced by the Gwinn Firearms Company, and later Bushmaster Firearms Inc. The firearm was a new design, having a tipping-block bolt system combined with a long stroke piston system similar to the AK-47 rifle.

7.62×40mm Wilson Tactical

The 7.62×40mm Wilson Tactical is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced in 2011 by Wilson Combat. The goal was to produce an accurate, low-recoil .30-caliber hunting cartridge that could be used in an AR-15-type rifle using as many standard components as possible.

AR-15 style rifle Rifles based on the Colt AR-15 design

An AR-15 style rifle is any lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR-15 design.

Smith Enterprise, Inc. American manufacturing company

Smith Enterprise Inc. (SEI) is a firearm and accessory manufacturing facility based in Tempe, Arizona that is known for making flash suppressors, muzzle brakes, sound suppressors, M14 rifles and accessories for M14 rifles.

Vortex Flash Hider

The Vortex Flash Hider or Vortex Flash Eliminator is a flash suppressor made by Smith Enterprise, Inc. for a variety of different rifles, carbines, machine guns and handguns.

References

  1. 1 2 Cutshaw, Charles Q. (2011). Tactical Small Arms of the 21st Century: A Complete Guide to Small Arms From Around the World. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. pp. 243–244. ISBN   978-1-4402-2482-9.
  2. "I have a Bushmaster M17S Bullpup AR15 type rifle. Will any of your Muzzle Brakes/Flash Hider fit on the barrel of rifle without any modification?". Bushmaster Firearms International. April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.[ dead link ]
  3. Peterson, Phillip (2010). Gun Digest Buyer's Guide to Tactical Rifles. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 31. ISBN   978-1-4402-1793-7.
  4. "K&M M17S-556". 18 November 2014.