Does one “weapon” fit all? Does one “weapon” fit most? I am not exactly sure? Actually I am leaning towards “no” but I am open to suggestions. Then the Colt CM901 enters into the market and it is engineered to be able to shoot the intended 7.62 NATO chambering down to the 5.56 NATO round via the different uppers it can accommodate. With a separately built and supplied sleeve the CM901 can accept complete upper receivers of different or the same calibers and can run them with little interruption.
Having shot the CM901 a fair bit with a high-powered optic and out at some long ranges I decided to swap some optics and add a few items to the CM901’s upper receiver. The Leupold is swapped out with the Aimpoint T1, Blue Force Gear’s Vickers Combat Application Sling added and a Tango Down “Stubby” VFG was affixed to the rail on this weapon. With this carbine set up in a similar fashion as my Colt Commando, I decided to hit the range and work on some drills that we shoot with the CM901’s little cousin.
Overall heft of the weapon is very noticeable compared to the M16 family of weapons, but it balances and handles nicely. Working in similar fashion to the M16 the loading, unloading and manipulating is similar, but the CM901 has some ambidextrous features, namely the bolt and magazine release that are now accessible for both righties and lefties. The one-piece upper receiver allows for adding just about anything you want on a 1913 rail and the 16.1” barrel housed within the upper is free floating.
Working with the CM901 on the PD range at fifty yards and in I realized some good work could be done with this combination of caliber and weapon. A couple of things I noticed immediately were that follow up shots (hammer pairs and NSR’s) was not as fast with the .308 and that comes down to just simple physics. I’m not massively built, nor am I a wispy character, but the more recoil definitely plays to some additional time between shots. The recoil of the CM901 to me seems to be very straight back, with almost a slow push rather than anything sharp. It is also noticeably louder! Most of my .308 shooting is suppressed and I forgot, especially being indoors, how this round boomed.
Putting myself through a “modified” MEU-SOC course of fire that we use I found myself being pushed to make the shots within the allotted times. Shooting ball ammo from Federal, I had no issues with malfunctions and all of the rounds landed exactly where the sights were when I pressed the trigger. As for the trigger group on this weapon it is similar in fashion to the system found on the M16. Pretty much just a simple, rack-grade trigger that will get the job done.
My overall impression with the CM901 as some type of patrol rifle or entry weapon is simple; yes it can be done. Ammo selection would be key here and I might lean towards looking at the Hornady TAP in the 110-grain offering. Depending on where you live and if you operate in a rural law enforcement setting where intermediate ranges are likely, I would definitely take a hard look at this system to accommodate your needs.
For more on the CM901 you can look here: www.coltsmfg.com
I have a couple of these on order. While I have no expectations of the 901 being a half minute rifle like my LaRue RangAR, I will also have less heartburn over beating the tar out of it. The 901 seems to offer a lot in a working gun. The ability to drop a 5.56mm upper on it for training and enhanced options was the one feature that really nailed it for me. As a training and working platform in a service quality gun, the 901 looks like a real winner and I am hoping for the best with it. Jason is killing me with all the positive reviews that continue to come from him in regards to the performance of the 901.
I recently ran my LaRue Texas Ranger issue rifle through a 3 day EAG Advanced Low Light Carbine class. The facts are simple with these things. Your 5.56mm based techniques will be pushed to the limit when shooting a 5.56mm sized .308. I found that running the .308 carbine more like a shotgun in regards to stance and recoil management was the way to go. With that said, for a gun that I can deny cover to an opponent with from CQB range to a 1000 yards, that is a compromise that seems to make sense.
For ammo on a .308 patrol rifle, I’d lean toward the Remington 150 gr Core-Lokt Ultra Bond JSP, followed by the Speer 150 gr Gold Dot JSP, and Swift 150 gr Scirocco bonded PT. Hopefully Federal will make a T-TBBC tactical load optimized for 16″ barrel .308’s in the near future…
Gary,
How about the Hornady 155 TAP load?
Great load, especially against unobstructed targets; not as blind to barriers as some of the newer bonded loads.