Colt ACR
Colt's Manufacturing Company · Assault Rifle · Prototype · 1989
Also known as: M16A2E1, Colt Advanced Combat Rifle
Overview
The Colt ACR is an experimental assault rifle that served as Colt's entry in the United States Army's Advanced Combat Rifle (ACR) program of the late 1980s, an effort to find a successor capable of doubling the first-hit probability of the M16A2. Built on a modified M16A2 platform, it fired a duplex cartridge containing two stacked 5.56mm projectiles to increase hit probability at close range, and added an oil/spring hydraulic buffer that cut felt recoil by roughly 40 percent, a telescoping buttstock, a muzzle brake/compensator, and optics compatibility. The duplex round degraded long-range accuracy, so users still had to carry conventional M855 ball ammunition. None of the ACR contenders met the Army's requirements and the program was cancelled around 1990.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3310 g (116.8 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 4670 g (164.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1031 mm (40.59") |
| Folded Length | 932 mm (36.69") |
| Barrel Length | 518 mm (20.39") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 948 m/s (3110 fps) |
| Effective Range | 325 m (355 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 548 m (599 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 650 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 178 mm (7.01") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Aluminum Alloy |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Polymer |
| Finish | Phosphate |
Calibers
- 5.56x45mm Duplex · primary — also known as 5.56mm Duplex, 5.56x45mm twin-bullet
- 5.56x45mm NATO · 5.56mm NATO — also known as 5.56 NATO, 5.56x45mm, .223 Remington (chamber compatible)
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Fire Selector
- Features: Telescoping Buttstock, Hydraulic Recoil Buffer, Muzzle Brake Compensator, Optic Mount, Oversized Heat Shield, Carrying Handle
Service history
Operators
- United States Army (trials only) · as M16A2E1
Production
Production years: 1988-1990
Small number of prototypes built for the Phase III ACR trials; never mass-produced.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Colt's Manufacturing Company
Discontinued: 1990
Notes
Designated M16A2E1 internally. The duplex round used two steel-cored copper-jacketed .224-inch projectiles (roughly 2.3 g front and 2.1 g rear) loaded nose-to-tail in a standard-length 5.56x45mm case. The rifle could also fire standard M855 5.56x45mm NATO ball.
Background
The Advanced Combat Rifle program sought a 100 percent improvement in hit probability over the M16A2. Four contractors reached Phase III (Colt, AAI, Steyr, and Heckler & Koch), but none of the radical approaches (duplex rounds, flechettes, caseless ammunition) proved worth the cost, and the program ended without a winner.