Let's see your C7 clones! (and C8 clones too, I guess...)

Claven2

Claven2

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Tme for a good old fashioned gun #### thread! We all know a lot of guys have C7 or C8 variant clones in their gun safes, well, because it's cool if you're Canadian to have one (or two or...)

So I'll start it off.

This is my attempt at a basic C7A1 clone.

DSCN3250.jpg


Rifle is a CMMG AR15A3 I picked up. It was missing the buttstock (someone put a magpul MOE stock on it?!? so I put on a stag buffer tube and stock with a Colt butt plate with a steel trap door. 1:7, chrome bore and chamber. Stag M16 BCG to replace the semi-auto BCG CMMG ships their guns with.

The optic is a C79A1, but it's not an ex-CF one. Believe it or not, I actually have the original box, manual and invoice. It's a private purchase Elcan. Diemaco plastic BUIS.

Makes me wish I had a crap-o issue Thermold mag for photo purposes - lol.

All in all though, it's a pretty convincing copy apart from markings on the lower.

So let's see what you've got?
 
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That's real nice Claven! You have to get rid of that p-mag though and put some proper steel stamped mags in there ;)

There's one behind glass in the Calgary Shooting Center that has been machined to have the flag and all the stamps in the reciever! Very slick. All green furniture, and a green elcan too if I recall.

I'm sure there's a picture around somewhere?
 
TV-PressPass said:
That's real nice Claven! You have to get rid of that p-mag though and put some proper steel stamped mags in there ;)

There's one behind glass in the Calgary Shooting Center that has been machined to have the flag and all the stamps in the reciever! Very slick. All green furniture, and a green elcan too if I recall.

I'm sure there's a picture around somewhere?
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Was looking at it today, VERY VERY NICE!
 
Stevo said:
Were the Thermolds still in service after the introduction of the C7A1?
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Yes, IIRC, for a short period of time, up to 97 or so, depending on unit. Prior to that, thermold were standard issue with C7A1 in Canada while metal mags were for deployed ops.
 
Stevo said:
Were the Thermolds still in service after the introduction of the C7A1?
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Yes. Not sure about exact length of time, and that would vary according to unit when they got the A1 and when they got the replacement magazines...but when I got to infantry battalion, I was issued an A1 right away, the thicker Thermold mags, in 1994. While in Yugo they had some possibly American steel magazines for us to use, and returned to them the day we flew home. For the next two years still used the thicker newer Thermolds, until I think summer of 1996, when some of the units started to swap out Thermolds for the new black steel magazines, but I barely used them at all in service, having left shortly after that.

I'm not exactly sure when the unit first got the A1's though.

I found the Thermolds in the C7 to be really reliable, despite what I thought was a weak and cheap spring, and they were tough, right up 'till the magazine lips were so old they would actually break off...and at that moment they became disastrous for you, spilling rounds all over the place, or actually jamming plastic in the action/receiver area...a mess. So they did have weak lips too...but somehow they were actually tougher to break than I'd expected.

I don't have any PMAG's, but I have no doubt they are far superior to any Thermold M-16 magazine.
 
I was looking at C7/C8 marking pics on the net and came up with this C8 - interesting. No maple leaf.

C8markings.JPG


Here's a legit C7A2 for everyone to compare to.

c7a2bodyyc3.jpg


Interesting to note real ones are not engraved, but rather roll stamped.
 
Rebel Rouser said:
In the first picture the last two letters (NL) mean it's a Netherland's rifle.
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Makes sense.

Question for you, did the C7A1 use the tougher gloss-black thermoset rifle hand guards, or the matte thermoplastic hand guards like the M16A2?

Right now I have thermoplastic hand guards on my clone, but I suspect they should be thermosets.

I know the buttstocks themselves were thermoplastic on the C7A1 series, identical to the M16, but apparently the latch mechanism on the canadian trapdoor is different. I shamefully never took notice of the differences when I last held a real C7A1.

Interestingly, it appears Colt Canada still offers the C7A1 for LE/Gov clients. The one they depict on their website appears to be a Neatherlands Diemaco-marked lower and is otherwise identical to a Canadian C7A1 but with the Tri-Ad mounted. Apparently new production A1's are Tri-Ad equipped... I didn't know that until now. I wonder if any CF A1's have had that upgrade?

Source:
http://www.coltcanada.com/c7-page.htm
 
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