Bushmaster XM-15 | |
---|---|
Type | Semi-automatic rifle/carbine/ AR-15 style rifle |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
Wars | War in Iraq (2013–2017) [1] |
Production history | |
Manufacturer | Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC |
Specifications | |
Mass | 8.27 lb (3.75 kg) (20" barrel, without magazine) [2] |
Length | 38.25 in (97.2 cm) (20" barrel) |
Barrel length | 20 in (51 cm) (rifle), 16 in (41 cm) (carbine) |
Caliber | .223 Remington / 5.56×45mm NATO |
Action | Gas operated, direct impingement |
Rate of fire | Semi-auto [3] |
Muzzle velocity | 3,260 feet per second (990 m/s) (rifle), 3,100 feet per second (940 m/s) (carbine) |
Effective firing range | 600 yards (550 m) [3] |
Maximum firing range | 3,865 yards (3,534 m) [3] |
Feed system | STANAG magazine, 30 rounds [4] |
Sights | A2-style front post [5] |
The Bushmaster XM-15 series (or XM15 [3] ) is a line of AR-15 style semi-automatic rifles and carbines manufactured by Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC. [2] Variants include the Bushmaster M4-type Carbine, Patrolman series, QRC series, Bushmaster XM15-E2S, and the Carbon 15 line. [2] [5]
The standard XM-15 has a forged 7075T6 aircraft-grade aluminum upper and lower receiver. Barrels of XM-15 firearms have a heavy profile and are hard chrome-lined 4150 alloy steel or 416 stainless steel. [2] [4] In Bushmaster's 2016 sales brochure, all new-production XM-15s are stated to be supplied with a 4150 steel barrel. [5] The standard barrel has rifling of 1 turn in 9". [3]
The Bushmaster XM15-E2S "M4 type" carbine first gained notoriety for its use in the October 2002 Beltway sniper attacks. [8] [9]
A Bushmaster XM15-E2S carbine was displayed in a February 2011 video message by Caucasus Emirate leader, Dokka Umarov. Bushmaster rifles were captured by pro-Russian forces during the Russo-Georgian War. [10]
A Bushmaster XM-15 was used in the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. [11] Just before the two-year anniversary of the massacre, nine families of the 26 victims of the shooting filed a class action lawsuit in Connecticut against Bushmaster, Remington Arms and others, [12] seeking "unspecified" damages for the defendants' purported negligent entrustment and illegal marketing of the XM-15 rifle. [13] Plaintiffs argued that both theories of liability fell within exceptions to the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which affords broad civil immunity to gun manufacturers. [14] [15] The case was dismissed in superior court and was appealed to the Connecticut Supreme Court. [16]
In March 2019, the Connecticut Supreme Court reinstated the wrongful death lawsuit, holding that the plaintiffs successfully pleaded a cause of action for illegal marketing. [17] Remington appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which denied review on November 12, 2019. [18] On February 15, 2022, Remington Arms insurers settled with families of Sandy Hook victims and agreed to pay a total of $73 million to families. [19]
XM-15 rifles were also used in the 1997 North Hollywood shootout, [20] the 2018 Nashville Waffle House shooting, [21] and the 2022 Buffalo shooting. [22]
An XM15-E2 was captured from Islamic State fighters in Sinjar Mountains by Peshmerga during the Iraqi Civil War. [1]
As of October 2, 2000, California has banned the Bushmaster XM15 by name in the Kasler v. Lockyer Assault Weapon List, among other AR-style rifles by Armalite, DPMS, Colt, and Eagle Arms, to name a few. [23]
As a result of the Sandy Hook school shooting:
A carbine is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges.
A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries.
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The M4 carbine is a 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle.
Remington Arms Company, LLC, was an American manufacturer of firearms and ammunition. It was formerly owned by the Remington Outdoor Company, which went bankrupt in 2020 with its lines of business sold to several purchasers. Two resulting companies each bear the Remington name—the firearms manufacturer is Remington Firearms owned by RemArms, LLC., and the ammunition business is Remington Ammunition owned by Vista Outdoor Inc.
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The 6.8mm Remington Special Purpose Cartridge is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate rifle cartridge that was developed by Remington Arms in collaboration with members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and United States Special Operations Command to possibly replace the 5.56 NATO cartridge in short barreled rifles (SBR) and carbines. Based on the .30 Remington cartridge, it is midway between the 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×51mm NATO in bore diameter. It uses the same diameter bullet as the .270 Winchester hunting cartridge.
A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock, or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attached. The stock also provides a means for the shooter to firmly brace the gun and easily aim with stability by being held against the user's shoulder when shooting the gun, and helps to counter muzzle rise by transmitting recoil straight into the shooter's body.
Bushmaster may refer to:
The Heckler & Koch HK416 is an assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge. It is designed and manufactured by the German company Heckler & Koch.
The Barrett REC7 is an American firearm manufactured as a selective-fire fully-automatic and semi-automatic rifle by Barrett Firearms. It is an M4 carbine utilizing a short-stroke gas piston system. REC7 is available in either 5.56×45mm NATO or 6.8mm Remington SPC. The REC7 is Barrett's second AR-pattern rifle chambered for the 6.8mm Remington SPC cartridge, the first being the Barrett M468 rifle. The 6.8 SPC-chambered M468 rifle employed the same direct gas-impingement system as the M4.
Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC, is an American firearm manufacturer and distributor. The company's product line revolves around semi-automatic pistol and rifle variants of the M4/AR-15 design. It is currently in full operation and is based in Carson City, Nevada. Bushmaster Firearms is unrelated to the Bushmaster autocannon.
The Bushmaster M4 or M4A3 is a semi-automatic or select-fire assault carbine manufactured by Bushmaster Firearms International, modeled on the AR-15. It is one of the Bushmaster XM15 line of rifles and carbines.
The M6 is a series of carbines designed and manufactured by LWRC International. It is based on the M4 carbine, with which it shares 80% of its parts. The 'M' model name is not a US military designation. Like the HK416, it features a proprietary short-stroke self-regulating gas piston system and bolt carrier/carrier key design, which prevents trapped gases from contacting the bolt carrier or receiver of the weapon. The manufacturer claims that this reduces the heating and carbon fouling of the internals, simplifies field maintenance, and improves reliability.
The Type CQ is an unlicensed Chinese variant of the M16 rifle manufactured by Norinco. According to the Norinco website, the rifle is officially known as CQ 5.56.
A STANAG magazine or NATO magazine is a type of detachable firearm magazine proposed by NATO in October 1980. Shortly after NATO's acceptance of the 5.56×45mm NATO rifle cartridge, Draft Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 4179 was proposed in order to allow NATO members to easily share rifle ammunition and magazines down to the individual soldier level. The U.S. M16 rifle's magazine proportions were proposed for standardization. Many NATO members, but not all, subsequently developed or purchased rifles with the ability to accept this type of magazine. However, the standard was never ratified and remains a "Draft STANAG".
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An AR-15–style rifle is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on or similar to the Colt AR-15 design. The Colt model removed the selective fire feature of its predecessor, the original ArmaLite AR-15, itself a scaled-down derivative of the AR-10 design by Eugene Stoner. It is closely related to the military M16 rifle.
The most infamous example is the Bushmaster ...rifle that John Allen Muhammed and John Lee Malvo use in their October 2002 Washington D.C., killing spree.
Bushmaster's XM-15 E2s "M4 type" carbine allegedly was used by John Allen Muhammad and has gained notoriety as the weapon used in the Washington, D.C., area sniper shootings, according to the complaint.