Colt CMG-1 machine gun
| Colt Machine Gun-1 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Belt-fed machine gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1965 |
| Manufacturer | Colt Manufacturing Company |
| Produced | 1965-1967 |
| Specifications | |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Feed system | Belt-fed, open bolt, direct impingement Variants also exist that use a gas piston |
The Colt Machine Gun-1 or CMG-1 was an open bolt belt-fed machine gun that fired 5.56×45mm cartridges designed by Colt Manufacturing Company in 1965. Colt hastily developed the CMG-1 to complement the CAR-15, a Colt branding of the M16 rifle, so that Colt might offer both of them as an alternative to the Stoner 63 weapons system. It failed to achieve any sales, and was replaced by the Colt CMG-2, which also failed to achieve any sales.
Though marketed together with the CAR-15, the CMG-1 had few parts in common with it. One CMG-1 used direct impingement and shared the bolt, gas tube, and other operating parts of the M16. However, other CMG-1s used gas pistons. The CMG-1s also used the M16's pistol grip, front sight block, and flash hider. Similar to the Stoner 63, the CMG-1 could be fed from either side. The rate of fire was 650 rounds per minute. Only two or three CMG-1s were ever made. Colt made them with sheet-metal stamping.
Colt offered the CMG-1 in four different versions: bipod-mounted, tripod-mounted, vehicle-mounted, or fixed mount. The 11.5 lb (5.2 kg). bipod-mounted version was marketed as a light machine gun for use by assault troops. It was the only version with a buttstock. The 12.5 lb (5.7 kg). tripod-mounted version was considered a medium machine gun. The vehicle mounted version was a pintle-mounted machine gun for use by soldiers in land vehicles. The fixed mount version was fired by a solenoid allowing for remote operation so it could be mounted in a helicopter or other aircraft.
In 1967, Colt replaced the CMG-1 with the CMG-2. The CMG-2 abandoned any commonality with the M16 and was only available as a bipod-mounted full-automatic-fire-only light machine gun with a vertical foregrip. The CMG-2 was gas-piston operated, but used a modified M16 bolt. The firing pin was double-sided, so it could be reversed if it was damaged or broken. The extractor was machined into the bolt and ejected spent rounds down through the vestigial magazine well. The fixed plastic stock was built into the back of the bolt-carrier group.
...
Wikipedia