Colt Canada C25 Sharpshooter: A Compact 5.56 Built for Accuracy
Every army has a few soldiers whose job is to hit what the rest of the squad cannot. Colt Canada has built a rifle around that job. The new C25 Sharpshooter is a semi-automatic modular 5.56mm NATO rifle, billed as "compact with maximum accuracy," and it is the first look at what the C25 Series brings beyond the C7/C8 family that has served Canadian and allied forces since the 1980s.
The Sharpshooter role sits in the gap between the standard rifleman and the sniper. A sharpshooter or designated marksman fights inside the squad's formation, with a semi-automatic rifle, a better trigger and a better optic than the soldiers around them, and extends the reach and precision of the whole unit without leaving it. That is a different job from the sniper's, who usually works separately with dedicated equipment and training. A rifle for this role needs accuracy, but it also needs to be handy, reliable and easy to carry, which is where the C25 Sharpshooter's compact design comes in.
The C25 Series was developed in close collaboration between Colt Canada, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. This model is built to help soldiers fight with greater stealth and precision against harder targets. Body armour keeps improving, and the C25 Sharpshooter aims to make the soldier more effective from the first shot using standard 5.56mm ammunition.
The accuracy starts at the barrel, which is an unchromed, free-floating, cold hammer-forged 18-inch chrome-moly vanadium steel unit with a 1:7 twist, six grooves and a manganese phosphate finish. A Geissele Super Semi-Automatic trigger gives enhanced feedback and a crisp, fast break.
The upper receiver is a longer 7-slot Magpul M-LOK unit with an integral STANAG 4694 NATO accessory top rail, ready for a bipod, a laser and night or thermal vision. The Cerakote Flat Dark Earth finish covers a 7075 aluminum receiver, and the grip is an ERGO 2 SUREGRIP. Controls are fully ambidextrous, covering the selector, magazine release, bolt catch release and charging handle.
The muzzle is what makes the rifle stand out. The Multi-Function Muzzle Device (MFMD) combines noise and visible signature suppression, and it also reduces recoil. It is a Millbrook Strategic Sciences unit that sits over the barrel, so the added length is kept down. For a marksman whose position matters as much as the shot, less noise and less flash means less to give them away, and less recoil makes it easier to see the hit and follow up.
Colt Canada C25 Sharpshooter key features:
- Semi-automatic modular rifle in 5.56x45mm NATO
- 18 inch unchromed, free-floating, cold hammer-forged barrel, 1:7 twist, 6 groove
- Muzzle velocity of 2,942 fps (897 m/s)
- Geissele Super Semi-Automatic trigger
- Multi-Function Muzzle Device that reduces noise, visible signature and recoil
- 7-slot Magpul M-LOK upper receiver with integral STANAG 4694 NATO accessory top rail
- Fully ambidextrous selector, magazine release, bolt catch release and charging handle
- ERGO 2 SUREGRIP and an adjustable buttstock
- NATO STANAG 4179 magazine
- Overall length of 38.82 to 41.32 in (986 to 1,050 mm)
- Weight of 9.00 lb (4.08 kg) with suppressor, without optic, mount, red dot, bipod, magazine or Magpul accessories
- Cerakote Flat Dark Earth finish
In terms of optics, it seems this rifle carries a Leupold and an Aimpoint ACRO in a Spuhr mount. Since Colt Optics now exists, one would have expected Colt to use this for marketing? Overall, this is a good-looking rifle I’d love to use in a DMR competition.
Is 5.56mm the right caliber for a sharpshooter rifle, or do you prefer a 7.62mm DMR? Are you as surprised - and delighted - by the caliber choice as I am?
If this post has you ready to hit the range, head over to gunranges.com - a free directory to help you find shooting ranges near you, wherever you are in the United States.
Ex-Arctic Ranger. Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus. Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics, optics, thermals and suppressors. TCCC Certified. Occasionaly seen in a 6x6 Bug Out Vehicle, always with a big smile.
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In no way am I criticizing the rifle. I am certain it is well built.
As a retired soldier who spent his formative years in a light infantry unit, I do not believe it serves a real purpose. Any unit that has a spare rifleman can put an ACOG on a A4 upper to cover the same ground for far less. 5.56mm is lethal inside of valid engagement ranges. The USMC had excellent results with M16A4 and optics in the early phase of Iraq. Later on when we were operating in the cities, an ACOG or CCO on an M4 was perfectly capable of DM coverage.
When long engagements are needed, it is time to have a trained soldier with 7.62mm doing the work. I do not believe there is a niche for this rifle that cannot be accomplished for less cost. The scope is too large for easy maneuverability in bush. I would like to see an actual competition between a M16A4 with an ACOQ and this,
good sheot 11b