The Springfield Armory M6 Scout is a .22 Hornet over .410 bore combination gun that is virtually identical to the original M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon. It is also made in .22 Long Rifle over .410 bore and .22 Magnum over .410 bore. The Scouts are made with barrels, as opposed to the original M6's barrel length, to comply with

National Firearms Act The National Firearms Act (NFA), 73rd Congress, Sess. 2, ch. 757, was enacted on June 26, 1934, and currently codified and amended as . The law is an Act of Congress in the United States that, in general, imposes an excise tax on the manufact ...

. The later models have large over-sized trigger guards and

Picatinny rail The 1913 rail (MIL-STD-1913 rail) is an American rail integration system designed by Richard Swan that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It forms part of the NATO standard STANAG 2324 rail. It was originally used for mount ...

s for mounting a wide range of sights and scopes. They come in

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

or with a Parkerized finish.

Characteristics

The Springfield Armory M6 Scout is virtually identical to the original Ithaca M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon. The Scout is also made of stamped sheet steel, with a forged steel removable barrel assembly. The barrel assembly is connected to the stock/action group by means of a removable hinge pin. Whether folded or disassembled, the overall length for storage is approximately 18.5 inches which is the length of the barrels. Unlike nearly all other firearms, there is no "furniture" on the Scout like a buttstock or a

forearm The forearm is the region of the upper limb between the elbow and the wrist. The term forearm is used in anatomy to distinguish it from the arm, a word which is used to describe the entire appendage of the upper limb, but which in anatomy, techn ...

. The only parts which are not steel are the rubber butt plate and cheek rest. Aircrew were instructed to wrap the barrels with parachute cord as a field expedient fore-stock.http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/v-shrake/m6.html The M6 Survival System The Scout has a rifle barrel mounted above a .410 shotgun barrel, this is known as a superposed "over-under" design. Its upper rifle barrel is chambered for .22 Long Rifle or .22 Magnum, in addition to the .22 Hornet used by the USAF M6. The Scout comes with iron sights and the later models have Picatinny rails for mounting a wide range of sights and scopes. The original USAF Ithaca M6 stock held 9 rounds of .22 Hornet ammunition and four .410 shells, and the Scout holds 12 rounds of .22 Hornet and 4 shotgun shells. For the rim-fire models, the stock holds 15 rimfire cartridges and four shotgun shells. One other unique feature of the M6 is the "squeeze-bar trigger". Intended for use by aircrew who might be downed in any type of weather and terrain, the trigger, hammer, and barrel latch are designed to be easily operated while wearing heavy gloves or mittens. To this end, the USAF Ithaca M6 was the only firearm issued to American armed forces that had no trigger guard. The amount of pressure needed to release the sear, combined with the practice of keeping the hammer uncocked unless preparing to fire, was considered sufficient to counter any risk of accidental discharge. Springfield Armory's version included a large over-sized trigger guard.

References

{{Multiple Barrel Firearms .22 LR firearms .22 Winchester Magnum firearms Combination guns Multiple-barrel firearms Rifles of the United States Shotguns of the United States Springfield Armory Inc. firearms Survival guns

Characteristics

See also

References