Close Quarters Battle Receiver

Close Quarter Battle Receiver[1]

Top: An M4A1 with SOPMOD package, including Rail Interface System and Trijicon 4x ACOG. The barrel length is 14.5 inches (370 mm).
Bottom: An M4A1 with a Close Quarter Battle Receiver. The barrel length is 10.3 inches (260 mm).
Type Assault rifle
Place of origin  United States of America
Service history
In service 2000-present
Used by See M4 Carbine users
Wars War in Afghanistan, War in Iraq
Production history
Designer Colt Defense
Designed 1999
Produced 2000-present
Number built Approx. >10,000
Specifications (CQBR)
Weight 2.7 kg (5.95 lb)
Length 743 mm (29.3 in) stock extended
667 mm (26.3 in) stock retracted
Barrel length 262 mm (10.3 in)

Cartridge 5.56x45mm NATO
Action gas operated, rotating bolt
Muzzle velocity 800 m/s (2,625 ft/s)
Effective range 300 m (328 yd)
Feed system 20 or 30-round STANAG detachable box magazine

The Close Quarter Battle Receiver (CQBR) is a replacement upper receiver for the M4A1 Carbine. The CQBR replaces the M4 with a barrel 10.3 in (262 mm) length making it the modern equivalent of the Colt Commando short-barrel M16 variants of the past.

Its preliminary National Stock Number was 1005-LL-L99-5996; however, a complete CQBR-equipped carbine now has the NSN 1005-01-527-2288. The overall length of the upper receiver is 19.25 inches (489 mm). With the stock retracted, the overall length of the weapon is 26.25 inches (667 mm). The CQBR entered service in 2000.

Contents

Background

The M4 and M16 are not ideally suited for all missions, so it was proposed that the modularity of the M16 series would allow a user to replace the upper receiver of an existing weapon with one more suitable to the task. One of two proposed special mission receivers that were planned for inclusion into the SOPMOD Block II kit, the CQBR has taken off on its own. Like the proposed Special Purpose Receiver, the Close Quarters Battle Receiver has been more or less taken on by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (often referred to as NSWC-Crane or just "Crane") as its own project following the CQBR's removal from the SOPMOD program. Just as the Special Purpose Receiver morphed into the Special Purpose Rifle, and was type-classified as Mk 12 Mod 0/1, the complete CQBR-equipped carbine has been type-classified as the Mk 18 Mod 0.

The purpose of the CQBR remains to provide operators with a weapon of submachine gun size, but firing a rifle cartridge, for scenarios such as VIP protection, urban warfare, and other close quarters battle (CQB) situations. The CQBR is designed to provide improvement over previous AR-15/M16-type weapons in this category. The CQBR is usually issued as a complete weapon system, and not just an upper receiver. The CQBR was once only available to Naval Special Warfare units, but the Mk 18 Mod 0 has become general issue for Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) missions and, as of 2006, for NCIS agents deploying to active combat zones. The Mk 18 is also used by the Coast Guard's Tactical Law Enforcement Teams, Maritime Safety and Security Teams, and Maritime Security Response Team and the United States Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Operators. It is also used by Marine Force Recon's CQB operators, and is in most cases the standard weapons of choice for said operators.

The short 10.3 in (262 mm) barrel length requires special modifications to reliably function. The gas port is opened from 0.062 to 0.070 in (0.16 to 0.18 mm). A one-piece McFarland gas ring replaces the three-piece gas ring set. The standard four-coil extractor spring is replaced with a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) five-coil spring. An O-ring surrounds the extractor spring. The standard M4 flash hider has been replaced with the M4QD flash hider for suppressor compatibility.

Evolution

Specifications

The handguard manufacturer has changed since KAC to Daniel Defense as the primary contractor for the MK18 RIS, NSN # 1005-01-547-2624.

See also

References

External links