Arms Tech Compact Police Carbine: Innovative 5.56 Subcarbine for 1st Responders

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by David Crane
david@defensereview.com

The Compact Police Carbine (CPC) Model 556, by Arms Tech LTD is one cool little semi-auto 5.56mm carbine. Designed specifically for police 1st Responders (First Responders) (specifically patrol officers and motorcycle officers) the Arms Tech Compact Police Carbine (CPC) will provide patrol officers, including motorcycle officers with a handy 5.56x45mm subcarbine for 1) dealing with threats who are armed with rifles/carbines themselves and/or wearing up to NIJ level IIIa body armor, or 2) making high-risk traffic stops.

The Compact Police Carbine (CPC) is the semi-auto-only version of the Arms Tech Compak-16 5.56 subcarbine/SBR (Short-Barreled Rifle). And, just like the Compak-16, the Compact Police Carbine (CPC) avoids the AR-15/M16’s and SOPMOD M4/M4A1 Carbine’s use of direct gas impingement (as the operating mechanism). So, the CPC will be significantly more reliable under adverse conditions and high round counts, and will require much less maintenance in the field.

The CPC is short enough in length that it will allow an LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) to keep it pointed (in a weapon retention stance) at the…

occupants inside a suspect vehicle (that he’s/she’s just stopped) with one hand, while he/she checks the driver’s (and any other vehicle occupant’s) I.D./Driver’s License, registration, and proof of insurance, with the other–even while standing very close to the driver’s window (DefRev doesn’t recommend this particular high-risk traffic stop tactic/technique, however. There are much more tactically-sound ways to conduct a high-risk stop.).

DefRev got a chance to shoot the Compak-16 at SWAT Round-Up 2002, and we were impressed with it. You can read the article I wrote on it, titled "Arms Tech Compak-16 Subcarbine at SWAT Round-Up 2002. First Time Video!" by clicking on this link. The article contains a link to a video clip of me running several magazines through the Compak-16 at the OCSO (Orange County Sheriff’s Office) range.

Click here to read a very informative document on the Arms Tech Compact Police Carbine (CPC) Model 556. The document includeds several hi-res images of the CPC, including a pic of the optional AT LTD QD-223 Suppressor/Silencer attached to the Compact Police Carbine (CPC). Arms Tech LTD (AT LTD) makes highly advanced and robust multi-alloy suppressors/silencers, of which teh QD-223 suppressor/silencer is one. The Arms Tech Compact Police Carbine (CPC) comes with a Vortex Flash Eliminator attached as standard.

DefRev pulled the following directly off the Arms Tech Compact Police Carbine (CPC) Model 556 document (which fully explains the weapon):

"Officers being outgunned by heavily armed felons are being addressed by the authorization of shoulder arms. In the case of motor officers, the problem has remained unaddressed. The motorcycle officer is often the first lawman to appear at the scene of an incident and is nearly always equipped with just a handgun – and no backup.

To meet these requirement for an utterly reliable, lethal and durable semiautomatic carbine suitable for motor officers, AT LTD developed the Compact Police Carbine (CPC) Model 556. Other than being capable of semiautomatic fire only, the CPC is identical to our full-automatic 5.56mm COMPAK-16. Both designs feature a 24-inch overall length and a 9.5-inch, heavy profile 1:9 Rate-of-Twist (ROT) progressive gain-twist polygonal bore extended wear barrel, along with our patented gas trap operating system. This gas management design provides a number of advantages, to include, improved controllability during sustained fire, easier maintenance, markedly superior barrel life, and vastly superior accuracy.

The very stiff polygonal 5.56mm barrel is made from a newly developed stainless steel designed specifically for sustained rapid and yet consistently accurate fire. The result of our efforts is an extremely accurate and reliable weapon in a chambering suitable to the task at hand. All this, in a package that easily fits into a locked Police Road King hard saddlebag – with room to spare.

The 1:9 ROT provides excellent stability for all commonly encountered 5.56mm loadings available to law enforcement. Unfortunately, issue M4s and their many copies largely come with the same 1:7 twist as the M16A2 and will not stabilize the 52 grain TAP round or any of the 55 grain rounds currently available. The use of M855 62 grain military ball in law enforcement is questionable since this round was designed as armor piercing. With the slower 1:9 ROT, together with it’s progressive gain twist in a polygonal bore configuration, the CPC system promises an extremely long service life.

SUPPRESSOR CAPABLE DESIGN. Borrowing on lessons learned by our design team in developing our numerous suppressors currently in use with military special operations units, we have very recently developed our extremely robust and compact quick-disconnecting QD-223 suppressor, which is optimized for 5.56mm weapons systems. This suppressor is fully compatible with the AT CPC. Further, the QD-223 suppressor does not detract from systems accuracy in the least. The Smith Enterprise G-6A1 Vortex flash hider is an integral component of the QD-223 suppressor system and standard on the AT CPC.

THE ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE. Organizations needing a compact semiautomatic 5.56mm weapon can either purchase complete a complete CPC Model 556 system or take the very cost-effective route of simply upgrading their existing AR/M-16-type weapons to the CPC configuration by merely retrofitting our complete barreled upper receivers with matched bolt assemblies. Contact Arms Tech LTD for details on these programs."

If you’re a law enforcement organization, and you’re currently looking for a handy 5.56mm carbine or subcarbine for your 1st responders, so they can deal more effectively with armed and armored "active shooters", or active shooters at distance, you definitely should check the Compact Police Carbine (CPC) Model 556 out. Arms Tech LTD (AT LTD) can be contacted by phone at 602-272-9045. Ask for Joe Rustick. Be sure to ask him about Arms Tech’s "gain-twist rifling".

DefRev highly recommends you outfit the Compact Police Carbine (CPC) with either the

or

Both are at the top of the heap for Close Quarters Battle applications. The EOTech and Aimpoint units are DefRev’s two favorite optical weapon sights (optical gunsights) for CQB applications.

If your military unit is looking for a handy, compact AR-15/M16-based 5.56mm carbine/subcarbine that will be reliable under adverse combat conditions, the Arms Tech Compak-16 is the way to go.

Click here to view the front page of the Arms Tech Compak-16 brochure.

Click here to see the back page of the Arms Tech Compak-16 brochure.

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Arms Tech Compact Police Carbine: Innovative 5.56 Subcarbine for 1st Responders by

About David Crane

David Crane started publishing online in 2001. Since that time, governments, military organizations, Special Operators (i.e. professional trigger pullers), agencies, and civilian tactical shooters the world over have come to depend on Defense Review as the authoritative source of news and information on "the latest and greatest" in the field of military defense and tactical technology and hardware, including tactical firearms, ammunition, equipment, gear, and training.

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