The development of the C7 paralleled that of the M16A2 by Colt. A Canadian Forces Liaison Officer worked with the Marines in the M16A1 Product Improvement Program and relayed information to Canada's Rifle Replacement Program Office. The C7 for all intents and purposes is much like earlier M16A1E1s, rather than final product M16A2s. The earliest C7s were actually manufactured by Colt for Canadian Forces as the Colt Model 715. The C7 series of firearms is driven by the same direct impingement gas system of the M16 series. The C7 has, like the M16A1, a semi-automatic fire mode and a fully automatic mode. The C7 also features the structural strengthening, improved handguards, and longer stock developed for the M16A2. Diemaco changed the trapdoor in the buttstock to make it easier to access and a half-inch spacer is available to adjust stock length to user preference. The most easily noticeable external difference between American M16A2s and Diemaco C7s is the retention of the A1 style rear sights. Not easily apparent is Diemaco's use of hammer-forged barrels. The Canadians originally wished to use a heavy barrel profile instead of the M16A2 profile, but Colt denied permission. Also, Diemaco has developed a different mounting system from Colt for the M203 grenade launcher for the C7 rifle family.
C7A1
The C7A1 (Diemaco C7FT) replaces the iron sight/carrying handle used on the C7 with a modified Weaver rail for mounting optics. Canadian development of rails preceded American standardization of the MIL-STD-1913 "Picatinny rail", so the "Canadian Rail" or "Diemaco Rail" differs slightly. There are 14 slots instead of 13 and each slot is narrower. The height of the rail is also lower, allowing the use of normal front sights (MIL-STD-1913 requires a different front sight assembly). During development, the original rails were vacuum-bonded to the top of a bare receiver though for production the rail and receiver were made out of a single forging. The mount can use traditional iron sights or the ELCAN C79 Optical Sight 3.4x power optical sight, both of which can be adjusted for individual eye relief. The optical sight was designed for the C9 light machine gun and includes horizontal and vertical mil-bars used for range determination and deflection, and a tritium glow-in-the-dark aiming post rather than the traditional crosshairs. The 3.4x is powerful enough to properly see targets at the maximum accurate range of 400 m, though like most magnified optical sights it is prone to criticism for creating tunnel vision in close quarters situations. While the wide aperture helps to speed target acquisition, Canadian soldiers generally forgo the C79 sight in favour of non-magnified optical sights or backup iron sights when engaged or training in close quarters battle. The front sight was changed to a round post 0.050 inches (1.3 mm) in diameter, from the square post.
C7A2
With Canadian involvement in Afghanistan, Diemaco and the Canadian Forces have developed improvements to the C7A1 to better suit the operational situations at hand. The result, the C7A2, has a four-point telescoping stock unit similar to that of the C8 carbine and a 3-rail TRI-AD I mount on the front sight triangle. The selector lever, magazine release, and charging handle latch are ambidextrous. Also, the C7A2 is issued with green colour furniture as standard. These weapons are often seen with a similar plethora of accessories as their American counterparts given the overall commonalities of the system and the rail mounts. The C7A2 is also issued with the C79A2 ELCAN optical gunsight with 3.4x magnification but with a uniform green rubber armored coating, but some soldiers who are issued it have either been issued or have purchased sights like the EOTech holographic weapons sight and the Trijicon ACOG. Within an eight man section, 6 soldiers will normally carry a C7A2, the section commander and second in command, two grenadiers and two riflemen, with only the machine gunners carrying a C9A2 LMG.
| C7 rifle | |
|---|---|
| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | Canada |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1984–present |
| Used by | Afghanistan, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, United Kingdom |
| Wars | UNAMIR, Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom, War in Afghanistan, Iraq War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Diemaco (Former) Colt Canada (Current) |
| Produced | 1982–present |
| Number built | 200,000+ |
| Variants | C7A1, C7A2 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) (unloaded) 3.9 kg (8.6 lb) (with 30-round magazine) |
| Length | 100.6 cm (39.6 in) (C7 C7A1 C7A2) (A2 Stock Extended), 92.98 cm (36.61 in) (C7A2) (Stock Collapsed) |
| Barrel length | 508 mm (20.0 in) |
| | |
| Cartridge | 5.56x45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 700–900 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 900 m/s (3030 ft/s) |
| Effective range | 400 m (440 yd) (effective); 600 m (660 yd) (effective in a section) |
| Feed system | Various 30-round STANAG magazines. |
