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

fully-automatic An automatic firearm or fully automatic firearm (to avoid confusion with semi-automatic firearms) is a self-loading firearm that continuously chambers and fires rounds when the trigger mechanism is actuated. The action of an automatic firearm i ...

and

semi-automatic rifle A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single round each time the Trigger (firearms), trigger is pulled while automatically loading the next Cartridge (firearms), cartridge. These rifles were developed Pre-World War II, and w ...

Barrett Firearms Barrett Firearms Manufacturing is an Australian-owned, 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 fo ...

. It is an

M4 carbine The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) 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. The M4 is extensively used by the US mi ...

utilizing a short-stroke gas piston system and is available in either

5.56×45mm NATO The 5.56×45mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 5.56 NATO, commonly pronounced "five-five-six") is a rimless bottlenecked centerfire intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal. It consists of the SS109, ...

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 rifle. The 6.8 SPC-chambered M468 rifle employed the same Stoner bolt and carrier piston system as the M4.

Design and features

Unlike possible replacements for the M16/M4 such as the now canceled XM8, the REC7 is not an entirely new rifle, instead it is made up of an upper receiver 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 Stoner bolt and carrier piston. In addition, the REC7 uses the new

(6.8×43mm) cartridge, a round that is of roughly equivalent length to

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 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 gun barrel#Muzzle, muzzle device that suppresses the muzzle blast, blast created when a gun (firearm or airgun) is discharged, thereby reducing the sound inten ...

. 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 and Greek root , meaning "two" and "foot" respectively. Bipods are design ...

night vision device A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD) or 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 ...

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 1913 rail (MIL-STD-1913 rail) is an American rail integration system designed by Richard Swan that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It forms part of the NATO standard STANAG 2324 rail. It was originally used for mount ...

. 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 device attached to the muzzle (firearms), muzzle of a rifle that reduces its Muzzle flash, visible signature while firing by cooling or dispersin ...

, a six-position Magpul MOE butt stock and pistol grip. The REC7 outfitted in a shortened barrel PDW configuration was one of the weapons displayed to

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

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 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifles Short stroke piston firearms Assault rifles of the United States Semi-automatic rifles of the United States ArmaLite AR-10 derivatives AR-15 style rifles 6.8mm firearms Weapons and ammunition introduced in 2007

Design and features

See also

References

External links