US Army Invents New Heavy Barrel for M4
As reported by TechLink two small arms engineers at the U.S. Army’s CCDC Armaments Center have invented a new M4A1 barrel for extended cyclical fires.
On July 7th 2020 the Army was granted a 15-year design patent, which is now available for license to companies that are interested in manufacturing the barrel.
The new AR barrel features spiral fluting to aid in cooling and decrease weight. The designers state that the new barrel dramatically reduces the risk of ammunition cook-off by cooling faster than the current M4A1 barrel.
“(The M4A1) allows us to fire a better suppressing fire,” Lt. Col. Terry Russell told the Army Times in 2015. “At some point, a barrel is going to bend. It could be solid steel, but as soon as you reach a certain heat point it’s going to do some damage to the barrel. … But (the improved barrel) would have helped out to a certain degree.”
In April, a 20-year utility patent was granted for the new barrel.
Jeremy Mallette is co-founder of International Sportsman. An avid hunter and outdoorsman, he has spent more than a decade in the outdoor industry, from hiking and camping to silencers and hunting. His father taught him to shoot at age six, and he received his first firearm at age eight — a 1942 Colt Commando .38 special revolver. He enjoys yearly trips to Kansas for pheasant hunting, spending time with his children at the deer lease, and collecting unique firearms.