M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon: Difference between revisions
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==Versions== |
==Versions== |
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Being a military firearm, the originals were sold only to the US military.<ref> |
Being a military firearm, the originals were sold only to the US military.<ref> |
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{{cite web|url=http://www.1stconnect.com/anozira/SiteTops/weapons/milsurvrifle.htm |title=Military Survival Rifles |accessdate=2007-09-20 |deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070904121327/http://www.1stconnect.com/anozira/SiteTops/weapons/milsurvrifle.htm |archivedate=September 4, 2007 |df= }} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http://www.smallarmsreview.com/may.htm The Athens Arms & Ordnance M6Scout] |
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081201013006/http://www.smallarmsreview.com/may.htm The Athens Arms & Ordnance M6Scout] |
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*[http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/v-shrake/m6.html The M6 Survival System] |
*[http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/v-shrake/m6.html The M6 Survival System] |
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*[https://books.google.com/books?id=lyEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA7&dq=popular+science+1951+M6&hl=en&ei=PBTBTP2AL8Ofngf024HtCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=true ''New Survival Gun, Combines Rifle and Shotgun''] 1951 article at bottom of page 107 |
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=lyEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA7&dq=popular+science+1951+M6&hl=en&ei=PBTBTP2AL8Ofngf024HtCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=true ''New Survival Gun, Combines Rifle and Shotgun''] 1951 article at bottom of page 107 |
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Revision as of 18:31, 28 May 2017
| M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon | |
|---|---|
 Original USAF M6 Survival Rifle/Shotgun | |
| Type | Combination rifle/shotgun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Ithaca Gun Company, Springfield Armory |
| Specifications | |
| Caliber | .22 Hornet or .22 LR .45 Colt/.410 bore shotgun |
| Barrels | 2 |
| Sights | Iron |
The M6 Air Crew Survival Weapon was a specially-made firearm issued to United States Air Force aircraft crews to help forage for food in the event of a plane crash. It was issued to U.S. Air Force aircrew from the late 1950s until the early 1970s, replacing the World War II-era M4 Survival Rifle. Plans to replace both with the MA-1 never came to fruition.
Design
The M6 was a superposed ("over-under") combination gun, with a rifle barrel located above the shotgun barrel. The rifle barrel fired a .22 Hornet bullet and the shotgun barrel was chambered for a .410 bore shell. For compact storage, the M6 folded in half and a compartment in the stock held 9 rounds of .22 Hornet ammunition with 4 shotgun shells. A firing pin selector allowed the shooter to choose which barrel would be fired.[1]
The M6 was never intended as a weapon with which to engage hostile troops. Instead it was designed so that a downed aircrew could forage for wild game. Designed in the 1920s by the Springfield Armory it was first produced by Winchester in 1930 and later by the Ithaca Gun Company.[1]
Because most bomber crews operated in the Arctic region during the Cold War, a trigger bar was used that could be depressed while wearing mittens as opposed to a conventional trigger.[1]
The standard version, as used by the military, has a 14-inch barrel version, and folds in half to a minimum size of 15 inches.[1]
Versions
Being a military firearm, the originals were sold only to the US military.[2]
Springfield Armory, Inc. manufactured three versions called the M6 Scout with 18" barrels for legality reasons.[3] The Springfield Armory M6 Scout and pistol has been made in .22 Hornet/.410 bore calibers and alternately in .22 Long Rifle with .410 bore. The prototype M6 pistol built for Springfield Armory was a version of the M6 which could fire a .45 Colt cartridge in the .410 bore.
In 2010, Chiappa began marketing a version of the Aircrew Survival Weapon called the Chiappa X-Caliber. It is an evolution of the M6 Scout, which had the major failing of disassembling by removing a pin to take the gun down into two easy to stow parts. If the pin was lost, the gun could not be reassembled. The Chiappa X-Caliber is designed to fold in half by pushing one locking lever. In addition, it comes with adapters that allow up to a dozen different calibers of cartridges and shotshells to be used, one at a time in each barrel.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Thompson, Leroy (20 August 2013). US Combat Shotguns. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-78096-016-6.
- ^
"Military Survival Rifles". Archived from the original on September 4, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ S. P. Fjestad. Blue Book of Gun Values, 13th Ed. Blue Book Publications.
- ^ Cassell, Jay (6 October 2015). Shooter's Bible: The World's Bestselling Firearms Reference. Skyhorse Publishing. p. 777. ISBN 978-1-5107-0192-2.
External links
- The Athens Arms & Ordnance M6Scout
- The M6 Survival System
- New Survival Gun, Combines Rifle and Shotgun 1951 article at bottom of page 107