#brownells

[gun-gallery]

Brownells BRN-Proto - 5.56x45mm

[typicalpnwguy]

History of the Colt XM177 series carbine

The Colt XM177 series was a family of short-barreled carbines developed during the Vietnam War as a more compact alternative to the standard M16 rifle. These carbines, designed for U.S. special operations forces, were developed in the mid-1960s and became a precursor to modern military carbines such as the M4. The most notable variants were the XM177 and XM177-E2, which were used by special forces units, including the U.S. Army’s MACV-SOG and other elite groups.

The U.S. military’s experience in Vietnam highlighted the need for a more maneuverable firearm that could still provide the firepower of the M16 but in a more compact form. The Colt XM177 series originated from earlier efforts to shorten the M16 rifle, particularly the CAR-15 project, which included a variety of weapons based on the Armalite AR-15 platform. Colt's first attempt at a carbine version of the M16 was the Model 607, which was part of the Colt Automatic Rifle-15 (CAR-15) family. However, this model had issues with reliability and an awkward collapsible stock.

By 1966, Colt refined its carbine design into what became the Colt Model 609 (XM177-E1) and Colt Model 610 (XM177). The primary difference between these models was that the XM177-E1 was designed for the Army, while the XM177 was intended for the Air Force. These carbines featured a 10-inch barrel and a unique moderator that functioned both as a flash suppressor and a rudimentary sound suppressor.

The XM177-E1 (Colt Model 609) was issued mainly to U.S. Army special forces. It included a two-position retractable aluminum stock, allowing for a compact design ideal for jungle warfare and airborne operations. The barrel length was significantly shorter than the 20-inch barrel of the standard M16A1, making it easier to handle in tight quarters. The carbine was chambered for 5.56×45mm NATO and had a forward assist—a feature absent on the Air Force's XM177 (Colt Model 610) variant.

Due to feedback from field use, Colt modified the design into the XM177-E2 (Colt Model 629). The major improvement was a slightly longer 11.5-inch barrel, which improved reliability and accuracy while still maintaining a compact size. The longer barrel also allowed for better ballistic performance and reduced muzzle flash. Additionally, the XM177-E2 featured a redesigned sound moderator to further suppress noise and muzzle blast, helping with concealment and reducing the risk of enemy detection during covert operations.

The XM177-E2 became the most widely used version and was favored by U.S. Army special operations forces. Despite its improvements, it was never standardized as an official U.S. military rifle designation beyond the experimental "XM" classification. However, many were issued to MACV-SOG operatives, Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) units, and other special operations forces engaged in close-quarters combat in Vietnam.

The XM177 series was well-liked for its maneuverability and high rate of fire, making it a formidable weapon in jungle warfare and for airborne troops. However, the short barrel resulted in: Increased muzzle blast and flash, despite the presence of the moderator. Reliability issues due to increased cyclic rate and fouling of internal components. Moderate suppression from the moderator, which was not a true silencer but helped reduce the carbine’s loud report.

Additionally, the moderator was classified as a sound suppressor by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), leading to legal restrictions on civilian sales in later years.

Though the XM177-E2 was never fully adopted as a standard-issue rifle, it directly influenced the development of future military carbines. The Colt Model 653 and later the M4 Carbine, which became the standard-issue carbine for the U.S. military, owe much of their design to the XM177 series.

The lessons learned from the XM177 series were crucial in developing modern compact rifles, particularly in balancing barrel length, reliability, and modularity. Today, while original XM177 models are rare and primarily collector’s items, their impact on military firearms design remains significant.

The Colt XM177 and XM177-E2 carbines were groundbreaking designs that addressed the need for a compact, high-firepower weapon for U.S. special operations forces. Though they were not widely adopted as standard-issue weapons, their influence on modern carbines like the M4 is undeniable. Their role in Vietnam and special operations history cements them as pivotal firearms in the evolution of military small arms.

[adamjagger]

Spr thing #1

Alright guys it’s been a while but I felt like this one be a good subject to post on. Before getting starting I do have a full video on my YouTube channel showing everything I am talking about in this post.

Recently I got the urge to set up a “spr” style rifle. I’ve always thought the idea of taking a standard “infantry” style rifle and giving it a little longer barrel and a bit more magnification. That being said I had what I think is the perfect candidate for this. Last year solgw sent out one of their exo3 16” complete uppers for me to use and review. That I think is the perfect base to start with. To go with that I have a brownells Mpo 1-6 optic sitting in a Midwest industries qd mount. While I do want to eventually switch this out for a little bit more magnification with something like the leupold mk4. Then the Harris bipod is a key feature of this rifle. The lower is just my typical Anderson stripped lower that I then fill with all the forward controls designs parts and a geissele trigger. The thing that I think is important with this rifle is still keeping the ability to do regular rifle things. To do that we have all the regular rifle accessories like the streamlight vir2 for the ir laser, modlite okw hooked to a Unity hot button, and having the griffin reece 5 to keep it suppressed.

I just recently finished getting this all together and got to take it out for a few hundred rounds. So far I’ve just been getting my bearings since it has been a while since I’ve shot at any actual distances. After zeroing the rifle I began taking shots and doing 1 up drills at ranges varying from 100 yards up to 236 yards today. It’s somewhat difficult to find shots in my woods where I can see my steel plates through the woods. So far though this thing has been a blast to shoot and run. Definitely stay tuned to keep up on what’s going on with this mini series. I plan on focusing a lot of the time I put into my content on just this single project so things will be moving pretty fast.

Thanks for reading

Adam

[retro-life-journal]

BRN-180 Part 2

A Look at the additional additions and details of my Retro-Mod Rifle.

The idea of retro-mod rifles have really exploded in the last couple of years. Be it for nostalgia, or to make a clone of the equipment used by military or law enforcement of mentioned eras gone by with tasteful modern additions, it’s a market people are interested in. Brownells used this idea of Retro inspired modern rifles with the BRN180. A modern take on a classic. Their vision of what the AR180 would have evolved into, had that platform had the popularity of the AR15. It might seem sorta backwards on this concept, but my idea was to be able to take a platform based of a rifle I wanted and couldn’t afford, and give it the retro styling cues to fill that void. The BRN180 filled the void and need of an AR180, and here are the accessories I used to give my rifle the look I wanted.

“Retroing” a Modernized Idea

Well start with stock. Brownells offers an AR180 style stock that is a nice looking piece. But when Midwest Industries released their AR180 style stock, that featured a trapdoor it was the one I had to have for this rifle.

The Trapdoor and contents I’ve chosen to carry.

Packaged and sold by Midwest Industries, this stock is a joint venture between MI and Manticore Arms. Per the specs supplied by MI on their website, the trapdoor stock features the main body made of a fiber reinforced polymer. The length of pull with a 1913 adapter to an AR15 lower is the same as the original AR180s. The trapdoor as seen above will hold a standard M16 cleaning kit and a small bottle of CLP. The only downside to the trapdoor is, it is advertised as not water-tight, and they suggest if you have something you want kept completely dry during a dunking event, put it in a bag. I haven’t tested it that hard in rain yet, but that is something I have the intent to do in the future.

The Midwest hinge, attached to a KNS adapter for AR15s

The hinge is made by Midwest. Made from 4140 heat treated steel, it attached nicely via 1913 rail to the KNS adapter I have in place of the buffer tube in the UnBranded AR lower I use, and has a nice spring and lockup when in the ready position.

Next up is the optic I chose. The original AR180 scopes used were a 4x, that looked very similar to the carry handle scopes of that day. I opted to go with a Primary Arms GLx 2x prism scope. One thing I love about the PA optics is the ACSS reticle, and this scope to me was a modern update that flowed with the overall mix of modern and retro I was going for. The only thing I’m going to add to the scope, will be a QD adapter. That way getting to the Magpul Gen 3 BUIS will be quick and easy.

The sling is a USGI M16 sling, attached to an A1 grip the same way it was on the M16, and attached to the MLok rail via a GI style MLok sling adapter just in front on the handguard.

And now to what has become my favorite accessory to this awesome rifle.. the Handguard. The part that gives this rifle alot of its retro looks, while keeping the hand protect form heat sustained from rapid fire. The MLok floated handguard is nicely made on the BRN, by Midwest Industries, but when firing a lot of consecutive shots, mag after mag, it heats up. This handguard remedies that. Made and sold by AR180parts.com, it is 3D printed from heat resistant ASA filament. When it comes it’s in two pieces. It’s constructed in a way, that it slides over the rail and is secured via MLok. You can see the faint line where the two pieces meet up. When it comes it also has the layer lines prominent. I ended up researching, and discussing it with the manufacturer, to ultimately “weld” (glue) the two pieces together. I then painstakingly water sanded the layer lines out, using paper ranging from 180-2500 grit in steps, giving it the slick look that Vintage M16 and AR180 handguards have. These come in 3 different lengths, from short all the way to a full rail length. Mine is the AR16 inspired handguard.

Overall this rifle is easily becoming one of my favorites. The addition of the accessories I chose, I feel gave it the more retro vibe I was seeking with modern materials, reliability, and features. If you have any interest in the stuff pictured, Check out Brownells for the BRN180 upper, stock and BUIS; Primary Arms for the GLx 2X Prism; and AR180parts.com for the handguard. I’ll link them below.

Browse thousands of firearm accessories, gun parts, gunsmithing tools, reloading, and shooting supplies for competitive and recreational sho

DetailsAfter rigorous field testing, this optic has been given a Silver-tier rating by the National Tactical Officers Association.Primary Ar

Newly Manufactured Parts – AR180 Parts

[theaverageshooter]

This @brownellsinc BRN-180S is just about complete. . The upper is a BRN-180S in .223 Wylde (5.56/.223) and features a @bigrix slip on handguard and retro cone styled muzzle device. The optic I’m running is a @sigsauerinc Romeo5, the back ups are your every day vanilla @magpul BUIS set. . The SBR’d lower is a @brownellsinc BRN lower with the picatinny rear and a PSA EPT lower parts kit. The stock is also the new Brownells retro AR-180 styled folding stock. As for the pistol grip, that is a retro AR-180 clone by @bigrix as well and the magazine is a lancer “Alien Green” magazine. . I’ve been in love with the BRN ever since I first got one put together and I’ve enjoyed the process in completing it along the way. . Huge shoutout to @brownellsinc for helping make this thing a possibility! . #bop #bureauofpropaganda #fieldagent #bopagent #brownells (at Fort Bragg, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc5GNKXuU54/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[fuckyeahguns-ig]

@primerprojects • • • _ @brownellsinc BRN4 x @sigsauerinc Rattler _ #hk416 #416 #sigmcx #mcxrattler #mcx #300blackout #brownells #itsavibe https://www.instagram.com/p/CQw6jziFUHq/?utm_medium=tumblr

[senpai-kalash]

WASR Wednesday my dudes.

Throwback to my first AK

@brownellsinc

[bop-pipeguy]

Langdon Tactical LTT Elite- The Chicken Parm of the pasta guns

It’s only fitting that todays final installment of the pasta gun series is being written on spaghetti night, however the LTT Elite is so much more than just spaghetti. While I am originally from western New York and take pizza very seriously, chicken parm is the meal saved for the special occasions. This is because it’s more work than spaghetti or pizza, but shines as the pick of the three options while still being relatively inexpensive for what you’re getting. I feel it’s the perfect comparison dish for the LTT Elite. Much more work goes into these pistols than other Berettas you may find, yet for all the performance that’s packed into them, they are still a fraction of what, let’s say a custom tuned 1911 would be.

The LTT Elite 92 feels like a completely different gun in the hand. It’s ultra thin grips make for an incredibly comfortable pistol where the original 92FS, while comfortable for those with bigger hands like myself, still feels pretty chunky. The trigger is absolutely amazing. Im not sure what magic they’re adding to it out there in Arizona (I think it’s garlic and basil) but the trigger feels noticeably better than a user installed trigger job in a bag. The slide has front cocking serrations which add a certain aesthetic to it. I’d never really considered them because I use the scallop in the slide for things like press checks, but they are nice. I love that Langdon has retained the flat front trigger guard of the M9A1 which lends itself to a flush fit should you decide to mount a light to the gun.

Original grips on the left, LTT Ultra Thin grips on the right

The Gun has a two tone look thanks to its stainless steel barrel and trigger. This look can extend to more of the small parts if the buyer elects for the full NP3 treatment. Personally I favor the “Murdered out” look of the M9 and M9A1, but that’s not a dealbreaker by any means. There is also an option to flush cut and crown the barrel, giving the front end a flat clean look. It’s probably nostalgia talking but I still like that little bit of barrel sticking out past the slide.

There are some things I do wish were different however. After experiencing it on my Wilson Combat Centurion Tactical, I’d of liked if the LTT came with a magazine guide. Not necessarily for guiding a magazine, but it adds about half an inch of length to the grip and makes the gun fit a little more comfortably in my hand. The one thing I simply do not like about the LTT Elite is the fiber optic front sight. My experience with fiber optics is they don’t illuminate well indoors, and they not only can, but are expected to eventually come out of their housing. To me that’s the same as when people talk about how great a guns warranty is…..it doesn’t help you in a gunfight. It much rather see orange ring tritium or a simple serrated front sight.

Overall this is an absolutely fantastic pistol and easily my favorite of the three I’ve discussed.it doesn’t scratch the nostalgia itch like a commercial M9 or M9A1 would, but as a working gun it’s pretty hard to beat for an older DA/SA design.