Colt Canada has given British and European audiences their first sight of the C25 rifle at Defence Vehicle Dynamics, the successor to the C7 and C8 family that has served Canadian and allied forces for more than 35 years, the company stated.
The rifle has been selected by the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, and was developed under the Canadian Modular Assault Rifle project.
Sean Congdon, President and Chief Executive of Colt Canada, said: “We’re really excited to be at this year’s DVD. It marks the start of us telling our story, with C25 as our focus. C25 is not simply about introducing a new rifle. It is our response to how the operational environment is changing and what soldiers need from their weapon system today.
“It builds on decades of experience with the C7/C8 platform, combined with what our customers have told us about the challenges they are facing in the field. As we bring C25 to the UK and other European markets, we’re taking the same approach that has always defined Colt Canada: listening closely to our customers and developing solutions around their operational requirements.”
The reasoning behind the design addresses a problem facing every Western army. Level IV body armour is becoming more common, and according to the company the current 5.56mm cartridge cannot be relied on alone to defeat it, while no settled view has emerged on a next-generation intermediate calibre.
Rather than change the round, Colt Canada has approached the difficulty from the other direction, making the soldier more accurate against the smaller, harder targets that armour leaves exposed, under the fatigue and stress of sustained operations. The company describes the C25 as a precision and human factors programme built around a defined concept of employment. The rifle remains chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO and carries a 13.7 inch chrome-lined, free-floating, cold hammer forged barrel, with a full length top rail on the upper receiver accommodating a range of attachments including the company’s own 1-6x low power variable optic.
The company describes four changes as central to the design, the first being a two-stage trigger intended to deliver a more sensitive, positive break under stress. Optimised barrel geometry reduces disturbance to the projectile, which the company says supports higher practical accuracy across the effective range. Controlled gas redirection at the muzzle decreases sound pressure at the firing position, suppresses flash and reduces felt recoil. The low power variable optic extends the engagement window and reduces the time a soldier spends exposed.
Colt Canada has supplied military customers across Europe since the 1990s, and says approximately 3,000 of its weapon systems are in service with the British Army including the special forces, alongside fleets in the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark.
Sometimes I wonder if we’re making too much of this rise in body armour.
Level IV means nothing to the grenade, mortar or 155mm.
Grenades ok but your average squads hasn’t got a mortar or 155mm in his back pocket!
I think I’d like a shot on one of these. C7 has been very good but something along the lines of an MK22 in .338 would be in with a shout; would also keep the Yanks onside.
I’d need a day on the ranges to come to a proper conclusion…