The Barrett REC7 (designation stands for "reliability-enhanced carbine")Barrett Model REC7 Rifle
/ref> is an American firearm manufactured as a selective-fire

fully-automatic An automatic firearm is an auto-loading firearm that continuously chambers and fires rounds when the trigger mechanism is actuated. The action of an automatic firearm is capable of harvesting the excess energy released from a previous discha ...

and

semi-automatic rifle A semi-automatic rifle is an autoloading rifle that fires a single cartridge with each pull of the trigger, and uses part of the fired cartridge's energy to eject the case and load another cartridge into the chamber. For comparison, a bolt ...

Barrett Firearms Barrett Firearms Manufacturing is an American manufacturer of firearms and ammunition located in Christiana, Tennessee. It was founded in 1982 by Ronnie G. Barrett for the purpose of building semi-automatic rifles chambered for the .50 BMG (12. ...

. It is an

M4 carbine The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensive ...

utilizing a short-stroke gas piston system. REC7 is available in either 5.56×45mm NATO or

6.8mm Remington SPC The 6.8mm Remington Special Purpose Cartridge (6.8 SPC, 6.8 SPC II or 6.8×43mm) 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 ...

. The REC7 is Barrett’s second AR-pattern rifle chambered for the

cartridge, the first being the

Barrett M468 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 cre ...

rifle. The 6.8 SPC-chambered M468 rifle employed the same direct gas-impingement system as the M4.

Design and features

Unlike possible replacements for the M16/M4 such as the now canceled

XM8 The Heckler & Koch XM8 is a lightweight assault rifle system developed from the late 1990s to early 2000s. The rifle was designed by German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch (H&K), and shares design and engineering with their G36 rifle. ...

, the REC7 is not an entirely new rifle, instead it is made up of an

upper receiver In firearms terminology, the firearm frame or receiver is the part of a firearm which integrates other components by providing housing for internal action components such as the hammer, bolt or breechblock, firing pin and extractor, and has th ...

that is attached to an M16/M4 lower receiver and is compatible with many accessories intended for the M16/M4 family. It can also be mated to M16/M4 lower receivers currently in the possession of the US military. The rifle uses a short-stroke gas piston mechanism, unlike the M16 or M4 which use

direct impingement Direct impingement is a type of gas operation for a firearm that directs gas from a fired cartridge indirectly (through the barrel, through a gas block, and then through a gas tube) into the bolt carrier or slide assembly to cycle the action. F ...

. In addition, the REC7 uses the new

(6.8×43mm) cartridge, a round that is of roughly equivalent length to 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition, so it is compatible with a standard-size lower receiver currently in use by the United States military. The REC7 uses a short-stroke gas piston designed by Barrett. It rides above the barrel and is housed inside the fore-end. The spring-loaded piston is a one-piece 17-4 stainless steel rod. The forward and rearward movement of the piston is approximately one inch. Like many

AR-15 An AR-15-style rifle is any lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR-15 design. The original ArmaLite AR-15 is a scaled-down derivative of Eugene Stoner's ArmaLite AR-10 design. The then Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation ...

type rifles, such as the M16/M4, the barrel is threaded to allow muzzle attachments such as a

suppressor A silencer, also known as a sound suppressor, suppressor, or sound moderator, is a muzzle device that reduces the acoustic intensity of the muzzle report (sound of a gunshot) and muzzle rise when a gun (firearm or air gun) is discharged, b ...

. The REC7 employs a free-floating Daniel Defense rail system, which allows many military accessories such as a

bipod A bipod is a V-shaped portable attachment that helps support and steady a device, usually a weapon such as a long gun or a mortar. The term comes from the Latin prefix ''bi-'' and Greek root ''pod'', meaning "two" and "foot" respectively. Bip ...

night vision device A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The devi ...

s, and combat optics to be placed on the rifle. The REC7 features forged 7075 aluminum upper and lower receivers that are hard-coat anodized a deep black. The lower receiver has a single-stage trigger, a Magpul enhanced trigger guard for firing with gloves, and a beveled magazine well for rapid magazine changes. The upper receiver is flat-top with a

Picatinny rail The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was ...

. The barrel is chrome-lined and is fitted with a M16A2

flash suppressor A flash suppressor, also known as a flash guard, flash eliminator, flash hider, or flash cone, is a muzzle device attached to the muzzle (firearms), muzzle of a rifle that reduces its visible signature while firing by cooling or dispersing the b ...

, a six-position Magpul MOE butt stock and pistol grip. The REC7 outfitted in a shortened barrel

PDW Personal defense weapons (PDWs) are a class of firearms intended for self-defense and security rather than warfare and infantry. Most PDWs fire a small-caliber (less than ), centerfire bottleneck cartridge resembling a scaled-down intermediate ...

configuration was one of the weapons displayed to

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

officials during an invitation-only Industry Day on November 13, 2008. The goal of the Industry Day was to review current carbine technology prior to writing formal requirements for a future replacement for the

. The Barrett Enhanced Bolt is made from high-strength 9310 steel. The bolt is designed specifically for use in the piston operated REC7, not just adapted from a direct gas bolt. The bolt’s gas-ring-free design is easy to clean. Reinforced at critical areas, every bolt is proofed and magnetic-particle inspected to guarantee reliable performance. At the heart of the operating system is a nitrided, two-position, forward-venting gas plug that retains the piston. The piston can be accessed through the front of the gas block without removing the handguard so optical sights or laser devices do not need to be zeroed after routine maintenance. The REC7 rifle’s forged 7075 aluminum upper and lower receivers are Type 3 hardcoat anodized. The lower houses an ultra-dependable single-stage trigger. The upper supports a free-floated, hammer-forged, chrome-lined barrel with M4 feed ramps machined into the receiver and the barrel extension. A mil-spec A2 flash hider protects the muzzle.

References

External links

Barrett Firearms Model REC7
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett REC7 Barrett firearms 5.56 mm assault rifles Short stroke piston firearms Rifles of the United States ArmaLite AR-10 derivatives AR-15 style rifles 6.8mm firearms

Design and features

See also

References

External links