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View Full Version : military contractors.....?

badassjon
06-26-2003, 03:37 AM
can anybody tell me how many m16s were made by gm hydromatic division
what about harrington richards?
what other contractors made the early m16 rifles? thanx
john in houston
sfc ret
06-26-2003, 08:42 AM
a lot :)
Noah Zark
06-26-2003, 09:28 AM
If you include development, Armalite, Colt, Harrington and Richardson, and Hydramatic Div.

There are pictures of the various receivers in "Small Arms of the World", later editions edited by the late Ed Ezell.

The text may mention the quantities, I'll look tonight.

Noah
Noah Zark
06-26-2003, 06:47 PM
I checked the references that I have and there was no mention of quantities produced.

If I do run across any data I will post it.

Noah
Ekie
06-27-2003, 09:13 AM
There have been four manufactors with DOD contracts:

H&R
GM
Colt's
Bushmaster (only 2,000)

I can probably look up H&R and GM numbers........
RJ Shooter
06-27-2003, 09:38 AM
Ekie, what about Fabrique Nationale?
Ekie
06-27-2003, 02:46 PM
Oops, yeah FN.

GM was the first break from the "sole contract" with Colt's. Think thier initial contract was for 160,000 for about $210 a pop (Colt's was just over $100). The GM serial numbers were in the 3,000,000 range, and H&R were in the 2,000,000 range. I have seen H&Rs with serial numbers as high as 2,240,000, so they made more then 240,000 of em. Think the H&R contract was at about $300 a pop. I will do some digging this weekend....
PBR
06-29-2003, 06:39 PM
Didnt Bushmaster have to cease production for violating Colts patent for the M4 ?
shamayim
10-01-2003, 08:59 PM
Originally posted by PBR
Didnt Bushmaster have to cease production for violating Colts patent for the M4 ?

Naw, they ceased production because George Bush the first got beaten in the 1994 election, and there went the pull that got them the contract in the first place; or don't you know where the Bush summer residence is?

While the Bushie (hmmm, isn't that an odd coincidence--Bush and Bushmaster:D ) rifles are still in use by the govt, none has ever been issued to any unit of the Armed Forces. They passed them out to federal law enforcement and prison units.:(
Ekie
10-02-2003, 07:49 AM
Colt's did the vast majority of the work on the M4, so no the Govt can not give out a contract to someone else for the M4. In other words:

"Because of the terms of the license agreement with Colt's Mfg., the US Government does not have the right to use Colt's proprietary data for this non-DOD procurement and therefore a TDP will not be made available."

http://www.fbodaily.com/cbd/archive/1997/05(May)/14-May-1997/10sol003.htm