In November 2009, the Colt Defense company expires the contract with the US DoD (US Department of Defense) for the supply of M4 carbines to the army and the USMC (Marine Corps). By this date, many famous weapons firms (such as Robison Arms, Z-M Weapon) have presented their small arms samples, in the hope of replacing the M4 carbine. The famous American company Magpull, which produces numerous accessories and additions to small arms, was no exception. In 2006, the MAGPULL MASADA rifle was provided - a new modular small arms system chambered for 5.56x45.
When creating the MASADA rifle, the developers certainly "looked back" at the SCAR complex. In the Adaptive Combat Weapon System, it is possible to change the configuration of rifles by changing the barrel, trigger, butt, etc. without the help of auxiliary tools. This allows the weapon to be adapted to a particular task in the shortest possible time. The MASADA rifle is presented in several versions:
Standart - standard assault rifle with a barrel, length
14.5 inches (370mm) and foldable, adjustable in length
butt having a two-position adjustable cheek.
CQB is a 10.5 '' (265mm) barrel carbine, and as a result
having a shorter forend.
SPR - "sniper" version with a barrel having a length
18 inches (460mm), plus a PRS stock adjustable to
length and height.
AK variant - a variant developed for the Soviet model cartridge
1943 (7.62x39). Food comes from AK stores.
Magpul Massoud is the second variant of the Marksman rifle developed by
chambered for.308Win (7.62x51)
The MASADA assault rifle is an automatic or semi-automatic weapon, the automation of which is based on the use of the energy of powder gases discharged through a gas outlet in the wall of the barrel with a short stroke of the gas piston. Shooting is carried out from a closed bolt. When fired, part of the powder gases rushes through the gas outlet in the barrel wall and presses on the piston, forcing it to move backward and give movement to the bolt group. When moving back, the bolt disengages its 7 lugs from the breech. The gas piston returns back under the action of its own return spring. Meanwhile, the bolt group on the way back compresses the return spring, extracts and ejects the spent cartridge case and cocks the hammer. Under the action of the return spring, the bolt group begins to move forward, sending a new cartridge along the way into the chamber and locking the breech of the barrel. After all the cartridges in the magazine are used up, the rifle automatically switches to the slide delay function, which is automatically turned on by the magazine feeder shelf, and turned off manually, using a flag on the end of the trigger bracket on both sides.
The barrel is fixed in the receiver with a special clamping bracket, which allows you to change the barrel and the gas outlet system (they go as a single module) by hand, without the help of tools. To change the caliber or configuration, it is enough to change the barrel, bolt group and magazines. The receiver is divided into two halves: the upper (UPPER receiver) and the lower (LOWER receiver). The upper half is made of 7515 T6 magnesium-aluminum alloy, and the lower half is made of impact-resistant polyamide. The two halves are connected to each other using pins: front and rear. Picatinny rails (STANAG 2324) are located along the entire upper part of the rifle, as well as on the bottom and on both sides of the forend, allowing you to install the widest range of additional equipment.
The trigger type trigger is almost identical to that on the M16 rifles and is a separate module. The civilian version allows firing only single shots. In some states, where it is allowed to have weapons with automatic fire, it is possible to install a trigger with a fully automatic mode. The fuse is a three-position translator (on a combat version) or two-position (on a civilian version) and has the following modes safe (fuse), semi - auto (fire with single shots) and full - auto (automatic fire). The last mode has rifles with trigger, allowing the possibility of automatic fire. All weapon accessories are made of impact-resistant polymer, identical to that of which the LOWER receiver is made. Removable sights are made of a folding diopter rear sight and a folding front sight. The ejection window is on the right side. A special reflector protrusion is located near it, designed to ensure comfortable shooting from the left shoulder. The loading handle is located on the right side above the extraction window, but thanks to the special slots on the left side, it is possible to install the handle on the left. The buttstock is mounted in the receiver on its rail and is fixed with a pin. For the MASADA rifle, two stocks are standardly offered: folding, adjustable in length and folding, but not unregulated in length. There is also an optional butt stock adjustable in length and height. All stocks are made of polyamide and equipped with cheeks for more comfortable shooting.
Food is made from magazines made according to the STANAG 4179 standard (it is possible to use magazines from the M16 rifle), as well as by a special development of the MAGPUL company - PMAG magazines, which have a transparent "window" that allows you to monitor the consumption of ammunition. In the "AK variant" configuration, food is produced from stores from a Kalashnikov Assault Rifle.
The controls (magazine latch, fuse box, etc.) are duplicated on both sides, which makes the weapon more comfortable for left-handed shooters.
In January 2008, another American company, Bushmaster, announced the acquisition of the rights to the MASADA rifle. Now the rifle is mainly produced for the civilian market under the name Bushmaster ACR.
