Hands On with the New Colt Canada C25

How do you defeat enemies with level IV body armor? This is the question the Canadian Armed Forces have wrestled with when tackling the replacement of their venerable C7 and C8 rifles. It’s a question that many major armies will have to find an answer for as they come to replace their current generation of small arms. The US Army has opted for power and penetration with the Next Generation Squad Weapons program and the new 6.8x51mm round. Earlier this month, at a range day in Copenhagen, Colt Canada explained their answer to the question.

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Not every military sees a larger, more powerful round as the answer. While the US Army has gone all-in on the 6.8mm family of ammunition for its close combat units, other nations - for various reasons - will be more cautious, not wanting to move away from the proven 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm standardised ammunition natures. After assessing a number of approaches the Canadian Armed Forces and Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) have examined the options and have chosen to stick with 5.56 for their soldiers’ individual weapons. The Canadian Modular Assault Rifle developed by Colt Canada in conjunction with the Canadian Armed Forces seeks to improve the average Canadian soldiers’ capability to defeat enemies with modern body armor by giving them a modern, modular rifle which improves their practical accuracy.

While at its core the C25 has a classic direct impingement system, or expansion gas bleed-off as Colt Canada describes it, the rifle is the current apex of the venerable Stoner design. The rifle's length ranges between 32in (813mm) and 35.2in (895mm), depending on stock position, and weighs in at 7.61 lb (3.45 kg) unloaded and without optics and accessories, but with an MFMD mounted. The C25 is an evolution of the Colt Canada C8A4 (the Modular Rail Rifle); it has been adapted to Canadian Army requirements and adopted under the Canadian Modular Assault Rifle (CMAR) project earlier this year.

How Does the C25 Improve Soldier Accuracy?

During the unveiling of C25 at a recent event in Copenhagen, Tim Moore, Colt Canada’s Director of International Business Development, emphasised that increasing the hit probability and the impact of rounds on target was the key consideration for Colt Canada when working with the Canadian Armed Forces. The C25 achieves this in a few ways: improvements to the rifle’s ergonomics (new MLOK handguard, a monolithic upper receiver and fully ambidextrous controls), a new two-stage trigger, a new 1-6X low power variable optic (LPVO) and a new muzzle device - the Millbrook Strategic Sciences Multi-Function Muzzle Device or MFMD. These features combine to improve the soldiers’ practical combat accuracy, even under the stress of battle.

In Copenhagen, I had the opportunity to get behind the C25 for the first time. Putting around 100 rounds of Sellier & Bellot SS109 through a C25 with Colt Optics’ 1-6x Low Power Variable Optic.

In terms of points of contact with the weapon, the 5-slot MLOK forend, mounting to the monolithic upper receiver, minimises flex and offers plenty of room for mounting enablers like lights and lasers. The C25 has the very ergonomic ERGO 2 pistol grip as standard and a full suite of ambidextrous controls.

The C25 also benefits from a new two-stage trigger, unique to the C25, which Colt Canada says is intended to ensure a more sensitive, clearly perceptible and predictable trigger pull each shot. The trigger had a smooth first-stage take-up, with the second stage breaking predictably, followed by a short reset. The rifles have a 13.7in (348 mm), 1:7 twist, cold hammer-forged chrome-moly vanadium steel barrel with improved geometry to reduce disturbance of the projectile. The C25 is optimised for Canada’s current SS109 (C77 Ball) but Tim Moore noted that Colt Canada were exploring other 5.56x45mm loadings for the rifles.

Moore noted that C25 has been optimised to be effective out to 300m, though with the Colt Optics’ 1-6x LPVO I can see a skilled rifleman easily reaching out further. The barrel is tipped with a directly threaded MFMD, which will be standard across the whole C25 fleet - making Canada the first country to equip its service rifles with a suppressor as standard.

There has been a lot of hype around the MFMD so I was excited to give one a try. Canada reportedly trialled 14 suppressors from various manufacturers before selecting the MFMD.

The MFMD’s flow-through design is a key component of the strategy to improve practical accuracy. It reduces the rifle’s visual and audible signature and also helps mitigate perceived recoil which in turn helps with practical accuracy. The muzzle device’s design is driven by fluid dynamics which leads to its very unconventional profile. Colt Canada noted that they had tested the MFMD, which is 3D printed from Inconel, extensively putting 10,000 rounds through it.

 As a left-handed shooter I found the MFMD’s flow-through design minimised gas pushed out the rear of the upper receiver and I was impressed by the MFMD’s sound signature mitigation. The base module of the MFMD is designed to work as an all-in-one flash hider, muzzle brake and suppressor. It can be augmented with an additional module, the SD, which offers further suppression but the Canadian Armed Forces have opted for just the base MFMD. Despite this the base muzzle device still suppresses the C25 to around 140dB, this was certainly noticeable on the firing line.

The new carbine comes in the increasingly ubiquitous flat dark earth finish, marking the end of the unique green furniture (pistol grip, stock and hand guards) of the C7 and C8 family of Canadian weapons. I’m a fan of the classic Canadian furniture colours, optimised for the plains and woodland, so I’m sad to see it replaced by FDE.

All in all, the C25 left the impression of a capable weapon: robust, accurate and ergonomic. The new MFMD has a practical effect, and the rifle as a package seems well placed to fulfil the new Canadian doctrine.

The Canadian Modular Assault Rifle (CMAR) program has so far seen Canada order 30,000 General Service (GS) variants of the C25 (the same configuration we got to shoot), with an optional second phase of procurements to follow. The C25 will supersede any previous efforts to upgrade older C8 carbines to the C8A4 spec.

As Colt Canada relaunches itself around the new C25 platform they’ve established a new mantra: ‘shaped through service’ - this makes sense given successes in the Netherlands, Denmark, the UK and at home in Canada where their close ‘business to government’ relationship with the Canadian Army has driven the C8A4’s refinement into the C25.