Bushmaster M17S

History of the Bushmaster M17S

The M17S is a commercial "Maverick" rifle system sold in the early to mid 1990s by Bushmaster Firearms, Windham, Maine. It originally originated in Australia and almost saw its potential as the standard battle rifle for the Australian Army before fate steered it in a different direction.

In the end it was only produced for a few years, but it found a foothold in the highly competitive U.S. civilian arms market.

Origin of Bushmaster M17S

The origins of the Bushmaster M17S can be traced back to the mid-1980s. Australia-based Armtech LTD has designed and developed two prototype rifles - the C30R and C60R - for possible sale to the Australian Army. The C30R uses "casingless" ammunition, a cartridge that attempts to extract the remaining casing from a spent bullet, reducing production costs and reducing the weight of the weapon (similar to the Heckler & Koch G11 rifle without a casing) ). The C60R is more traditional, firing a standardized 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge. The C30R's reputation was shattered when the prototype exploded while demonstrating its capabilities to potential buyers.

Before the C60R made waves, Armtech sold its C60R design to Edenpine PTY LTD, while the Australian Army opted for the Austrian Steyr AUG Universal Rifle System - which will now be manufactured under license on Australian soil.

Edenpine attempted to further develop the original Armtech design and develop the system into the ART-30 and SAK-30 rifles. In search of another potentially more lucrative market, the company decided to sell the rifle in the United States.

For this, they need an "insider" to circumvent any import restrictions. As such, Bushmaster Firearms International was commissioned to manufacture the sophisticated design under the brand name "Edenpine M17S Bull-Pup Rifle" for Edenpine (USA).

The sale lasted from 1992 to 1994, when the Edenpine company collapsed and ceased to exist. This gave Bushmaster full rights to manufacture and sell the M17S system, so the rifle is now sold under the more common name "Bushmaster M17S".

Of course, there are some limitations in the US market - the M17S cannot be sold with its M16 style flash hider. Therefore, Bushmaster lengthened the barrel slide to prevent the use of this device. Ultimately, the Bushmaster M17S became the first "Bull and Puppy" configuration rifle sold in the U.S. commercial arms market.

Production of the Bushmaster M17S continued until 2005.

Physical Characteristics of the Bushmaster M17S

The Bushmaster M17S has a bullpup design, which means the magazine and feeder are located behind the trigger group. The gun had nice, clean lines from the stock to the forearm, with the barrel protruding forward and covered with a flash suppressor (later banned from the US market). As with other Bulldog configurations, the stock is an integral part of the receiver.

The receiver itself is designed to make cleaning and servicing easier as the operator simply activates a Captivated Push Pin Takedown System to separate the upper and lower receivers. The cartridge ejector is located on the right side of the gun body, above the magazine feed. The pistol grip is sharply angled for an ergonomic grip, while the trigger is protected by a full square trigger ring. There's also a built-in carry handle that doubles as an accessory rail and a Picatinny-style charging handle.

A 25-meter sight is available through a channel below the sight rail, which itself accepts popular sights, sights and equipment depending on the operator's needs. The barrel is 21.5 inches long (the gun itself is 30 inches long, including the barrel), and the lining is hard chrome, made of chrome molybdenum vanadium steel.

Standard accessories include a shoulder strap attached to the bottom and front of the stock via hinged loops. The firing action consists of a short stroke piston with a self-compensating gas operating system. Other features include a semi-automatic shooting mode and an air-cooled gun. The steel magazine is designed as a straight, 10-round deep, spring-loaded system with a magazine caliber of 5.56 mm/in. 223 Remington Cartridge.

Also available (where legal) is the M16 STANAG 30-round curved box magazine. This magazine issue is designed for the more general buying market and is mounted on the lower receiver. According to Bushmaster's marketing, the weapon system accepts all AR magazines.

The M17S has a curb weight of 8.28 lbs (without magazine).

Bushmaster marketed their M17S to potential buyers in the "home defense", hunting and sport markets.

Bushmaster M17S Specification

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