Bushmaster XM-15

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Bushmaster XM-15
M4gery.jpg
Bushmaster XM15
Type Semi-automatic rifle/carbine/
AR-15 style rifle
Place of originUnited States
Service history
Wars War in Iraq (2013–2017) [1]
Production history
Manufacturer Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC
Specifications
Mass8.27 lb (3.75 kg) (20" barrel, without magazine) [2]
Length38.25 in (97.2 cm) (20" barrel)
Barrel  length20 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 range600 yards (550 m) [3]
Maximum firing range3,865 yards (3,534 m) [3]
Feed system STANAG magazine, 30 rounds [4]
SightsA2-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]

Contents

Variants

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]

Notoriety

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]

Legality

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:

Users

A map with users of the Bushmaster XM-15 in blue Bushmaster XM-15 Users.png
A map with users of the Bushmaster XM-15 in blue

Non-state actors

Related Research Articles

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Bushmaster may refer to:

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References

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