Bushmaster Firearms International
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Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC is a manufacturer and distributor of guns which is based in Windham, Maine in the United States. Bushmaster's product line revolves around semi-automatic pistol and rifle variants of the AR-15 design. As of the latest 2003 BATF information on firearm production figures, Bushmaster currently is the best selling brand for AR type firearms in the United States.
Bushmaster Firearms
Bushmaster's firearms are typically offered in a 5.56 NATO chambering with forged aircraft-grade (7075-T6) aluminum receivers. Most Bushmaster barrels are 4150 steel, offered in 1:9 twist rate, and chrome-lined to increase durability. Some barrels are available with 1:7 rifling, on special order. Stainless steel or chrome molybdenum barrels are available on certain models.
History
Bushmaster Firearms orginally produced their unique 'First Generation' assault rifle using an aluminum lower receiver paired to an stamped steel upper receiver. This first geneneration model used the AK-47 gas system and the recoil spring is located within the upper barrel gas system as compared to the AR-15/M-16, where the recoil spring is located within the butt stock. Originally marketed for police and the military, Bushmaster later changed its unique hybred version AR-15/M-16 to the standard Colt/Armalite design. The First Generation assault rifles were chambered for the 5.56mm round. Bushmaster First Generation assault rifles are very rare and are collectibles.
Carbon 15
The Carbon 15 series of firearms use carbon fiber composite receivers and selective external parts. This allows for a reduction of weight, and a claimed increase in the strength of the firearm. The design and facilities to produce the Carbon 15 firearms was purchased from the now defunct Professional Ordnance, of Lake Havasu, Arizona.
Dissipator Models
The Bushmaster Dissipator is an attempt at a "best of both worlds" AR carbine, combining the long sight radius of the full-length M16A2 with the shorter (16.1"/406mm) barrel of some of the shorter carbines. This combination would allow the most effective use of the iron sights for a carbine with such a short barrel, and may be preferred if the carbine is going to be used primarily with iron sights. Similar modifications have been accomplished in the past by other manufacturers and by depot-level modification, but these earlier conversions sometimes suffered from reliability problems due to the close proximity of the gas port to the muzzle, which throws the timing of the weapon's gas system off and makes it especially sensitive to gas port diameter and port pressure variables introduced by the ammunition. Bushmaster's solution was to use the front sight tower/gas block in its regular, long sight radius position as for the M16, and then fit a second, "shaved" gas block at the normal position for the carbine-length barrels such as the M4 or CAR-15. This second gas block is completely covered by the standard full-length M16A2 handguards, which may be used without further modification. However, some aftermarket rail systems may require minor modifications in order to be properly fitted. Dissipator barrels are available in heavy, fluted, and "M4" configurations, depending on the weight and balance characteristics required by the user.
M17S
The Bushmaster M17S is a semi-automatic rifle in bullpup configuration. Its design dates back to 1986, when the Australian company Armtech Ltd. designed it as a prospective military rifle for the Australian Army; it was prototyped in two designs, the standard 5,56mm x45 C60R and the more revolutionary C30R which employed a caseless ammunition. Although the concept of the C30R was highly publicized in Australia, it was developed in haste, this leading to poor reliability, and premature demonstration before full development in front of news media and high-rank military officials was plagued by an episode of "Out of Battery Ignition" resulting in the gun exploding while being fired. This episode led to the demise of Armtech and to the decision of the Australian Army to adopt the Austeyr instead. The design was later sold to another Australian company, Edenpine PTY Ltd., which spent enormous amounts of money to improve the design in two different prototypes called the ART-30 and SAK-30, where the salient features of the M17S were essentially in place but where some Finnish Valmet parts were used instead of AR-15 parts to save money. Edenpine expressed interest in selling the design on the United States market and subsequently licensed the design to Bushmaster to be manufactured locally thus to avoid import restrictions; the rifle was thus sold from October, 1992 to 1994 as the "Edenpine M17S Bull-Pup rifle"; the distributor was Edenpine (USA) Inc., the American branch of Edenpine of Australia, headquartered in San Jose, California. When Edenpine folded in 1994, the totality of the rights passed to Bushmaster which there on marketed the rifle as the "Bushmaster M-17", starting just a few months before the approval of the Brady Bill. The M17S was the only American made bullpup rifle to be offered commercially, and the only bull-pup rifle not banned under the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, through a "Post-ban" version without the M16-style "Birdcage" flash hider was marketed to comply with its provisions. The M17S is a semi-automatic rifle that uses a gas operated, rotating bolt system, and can be considered as a bull-pup conversion of the Armalite AR-18 assault rifle. It features a short-stroke fixed piston system that is self-compensating. This system reduces heat and fouling, and allows multiple types of ammunition to be fired without cycling failure issues. The Bushmaster M17S chambers .223 Remington/5.56 x 45 mm NATO ammunition, and was factory-issued with a 10-rounds magazine, although it can use any kind of STANAG 4179 (M16 rifle) magazine. Its total weight is of approximately 3,77 Kilograms (8,31 Pounds), with a total length of 72 cm (approx. 30 inches) and a barrel length of 54,6 cm (21,4 inches). The main drawback of the design, reported by almost all users, was the tendence of its aluminium handguard to become extremely hot after one or two magazines emptied in rapid fire. Bushmaster discontinued production of the M17S in 2005.
BAR-10
The BAR-10 was meant to compete in the .308 market against Armalite's AR-10 series rifles and Springfield Armory's M1A Rifle by offering a .308 rifle that could accept the relatively inexpensive metric and inch pattern FN FAL magazines.
Bushmaster .308 rifles have suffered broken bolts due to design and heat treatment issues; Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC has replaced hundreds of their broken bolts with a higher quality replacement.[citation needed]
In 2005 Bushmaster discontinued the BAR-10 line of rifles.
Beltway Sniper Lawsuit
In 2004, Bushmaster Firearms agreed to contribute $500,000 to a $2.5 million settlement along with co-defendant Bull's Eye Shooter Supply, paid to some victims and families of victims of the 2002 Beltway snipers. A Bushmaster-manufactured .223 caliber rifle was used in the attacks. The company cited mounting legal fees as the reason for settling.[1]
See also
References
- ^ Manning, Stephen (10 September 2004). "Families of sniper victims reach settlement". Associated Press. Retrieved 18 April 2007.