Looking at the Colt M5 Carbine

One of the things shown at DSEi 2021 (Defence and Security Equipment International, a biennial defence and security trade exhibition) was the Colt M5 Carbine. Eric Graves was at DSEi again this year and reported on it. Here’s what he had to say about this new carbine and its multiple configurations.

Via Soldier Systems Daily.

The Colt M5 Carbine

DSEi 2021

Colt, Colt Canada, and their new parent company CZ Group displayed a multitude of firearms at DSEi.

One of the weapons that caught my eye was the latest upgrade to the M4 Carbine, which Colt calls the M5. The latest addition to the ambidextrous controls is a Bolt Catch at the right side of the Carbine which can be manipulated with forefinger or thumb.

Colt M5 lined up on a display rack. — Colt plans to offer the M5 lower and monolithic upper from Colt Canada to the British Army for the Special Operations Brigade Rifle.

The latest addition to the ambidextrous controls is a Bolt Catch at the right side of the Carbine which can be manipulated with fore finger or thumb.

The Colt M5 Carbine's specification sheet. — Note that although it bears the LMT patent number, the Colt M5’s barrel attachment is different than that of the LMT. The former utilizes an internally threaded extension on the upper that accepts a barrel and barrel nut, thus allowing it to mount directly to the upper receiver instead of doing so via the barrel nut. The latter uses a pair of cross bolts that clamp to the barrel extension vs a threaded-in barrel nut. The LMT patent number appears on the uppers due to the one-piece rail monolithic design.

The upper receiver has some upgrades as well. They’ve incorporated an anti-torsion lug to the upper, extending the front of the receiver. This facilitated a free float Barrel. Additionally, the Foreend is M-Lok compatible, with a Picatinny Mil Std 1913 Rail along the top.

Here’s a close-up of the Colt M5’s trigger guard.

The Colt M5 Carbine

DSEi 2021

M5 Configurations