The 607 was Colt's 2nd "carbine" M16 after the 605 & was the first type to use a retractable type stock to shorten it's length. The 607 used a 10" barrel & the first type retractable stock, they were in Colt's catalog in 1965 listed as a sub-machine gun even though it fired the .223 rifle cartridge. They were never a major production model & will be found in a variety of configurations, they were superceded in 1966 by the AF GAU series & Army XM177. There were reportedly a small number bought by the Army & US property marked as GX5857, this rifle is built to replicate one of these. The replica pictured below is a legal BATF registered semi-auto SBR (ahort barreled rifle).
Album by willyp. Photos by willyp. 1 - 52 of 52 Total. 55730 Visits.
607 "standard" configuration This replica is a legally registered SBR, it's built to represent an Army purchased GX5857 w/forward assist, they can also be found with "slickside" 603 uppers without forward assist, in this pic it's in "standard" trim, regular A1 grip & 3.5" moderator, the moderator on this rifle is a replica non-NFA by my65pan.
"Standard" stock extended Here w/stock extended, port door open showing early serrated chromed bolt group, fitted w/M1 cotton sling w/clip on front swivel as depicted in Colt's 1965 catalog. Note the 2 roll pin holes at rear of lower, the upper is the hole that took the roll pin to secure the original XM16E1 style receiver extension in place, the lower one is the one added to secure the 607 lock rod & takedown spring/detent. Edit
Right, with shortened A1 grip Same rifle shown here w/shortened grip, this grip is a standard A1 which is simply cut off at the bottom to make it shorter, grips of this style were seen on some of the prototypes & may have been used in the field on an individual basis.
Shortened grip, stock extended This is a view w/the door open showing the early chrome carrier group w/serrations for the forward assist. Most 607's used the XM16E1 partial fence type lower although some early models used the slabside 601 lowers. They can also be found w/slickside uppers w/no forward assist & 603 type uppers w/forward assist.
Standard grip with 3 prong FH Another "variation" using the standard type improved 3 prong FH (same as the XM16E1), earlier guns were tried w/this FH but the excessive muzzle flash & noise led to the developement of the 3.5" moderator shown earlier.
Shortened A1 grip & 3 prong A very compact rifle!, the shortened A1 grip & 3 prong makes the 607 compact, light & very easy to handle although shooting it in this configuration is a bit of an "experience"!
3 prong, short grip, stock extended
607 stock The true 1st model "carbine" stock was made from a cut down standard type C or D rifle stock, some of the early pre-production guns were built using 601/602 lowers & 601 stocks.
607 action right side XM16E1 "partial fence" lower, very early 603 forward assist upper with straight forge contours cutback under the port door, no forge codes & counterbored lug.
Right rear receiver detail A view of the roll pin hole & roll pin added for the 607 stock. The work on this rifle was done by heatNbeat and his work is superb!, I HIGHLY recommend him.
Close detail view of lock rod pin Another view of the roll pin addition for the 607 stock, the rifle uses the stock set by my65pan w/an RRA entry tube, buffer & spring, the tube comes black, this one was anodized gray by US Anodizing, the lower lock rod comes bright & was parkerized along w/it's hardware, the buttplate & fittings come in natural aluminum & they were anodized.
607 shortened grip The grip shown in these completed pics is a shortened A1 grip as seen in some pics of the original rifles, I ran out of A1 grips & will fit & picture it as soon as I get some more!
Lock tube extension end Stock installation was done by heatNbeat in the original style, when the rear of the receiver was drilled out for the lock rod it was drilled through the buffer detent hole & the front of the rod protrudes just into the rear receiver, again, outstanding machine work by heatNbeat.
Another view of the lock rod location From a different angle showing the "head" of the lock rod coming thru the lower just to the left of the open takedown pin.
607 forend right side I believe this handguard set is one of Wa-Tom's sets prior to TSI, they are shortened from the rear, use a standard front HG cap & a specific rear cap as the originals.
Forend bottom Cooling holes in handguards & fitting of the shortened handguards to the retainers are shown here.
607 muzzle Moderator is a non-functional replica provided by my65pan of the original 3.5" moderator, it was parkerized by US Anodizing & is an excellent product! The front sight base (FSB) has been smoothed, cleaned of markings, drain hole filled & bayonet lug removed to replicate the original, this work was done by heatNbeat.
607 muzzle left These rifles will also be seen w/the standard 3 prong rifle FH but the moderators were much more common in service. Being a legal SBR the moderator is not permanently fixed & can be removed as the original & a standard 3 prong affixed.
Forend left side WA-Tom's HG set is an exc representation of the originals.
Action & markings This rifle has had "replica" markings applied as a US property marked GX5857, most 607's were marked as 607A or 607B (automatic or burst), the auto marking & phony sear pin holes were also added for authenticity. These were all done by Ident marking LLC. & their work is superb!
607 fire control group markings The added replica markings of auto & a marking representing the sear pin holes of the originals. Also note this rifle uses non-dimpled pins & selector as most pics I've seen of originals show them w/o the dimpled parts.
Left view of rear receiver A view of the additional roll pin added by heatNbeat, you can also see the auto marking & phony sear pin marking.
607 stock The stock shown retracted after the receiver was modified & the stock fitted by heatNbeat.
Buttplate The buttplate showing the lever in the L (lock or right) position, the O (open or left). The upper screw holds the lever on & secures the stock to the lock rod. The stocks are cutdown Type D stocks w/rubber coated swivels secured by roll pins.
3 prong, short grip, stock extended Left side view w/stock extended, 3 prong FH & shortened A1 grip.
3 prong, short grip, stock retracted 3 prong, shortened A1 grip w/stock extended, this is the most compact configuration of the 607's.
3 prong, stock extended Here it is shown w/the standard A1 grip & the 3 prong FH.
3 prong stock retracted Standard A1 grip, 3 prong shown with the stock retracted.
Left view, stock extended There is a lever on the buttplate that swivels left & right, swiveling to one side allows the stock to retract/extend, swiveling it the other way locks it in position. In this pic the rifle is shown w/the 3.5" moderator & shortened grip.
Left, stock retracted, shortened grip Left side w/stock retracted, lower assembly is complete just awaiting it's barrel & moderator, the barrel is an original Colt 16" 1/12 carbine barrel being shortened to 13.5" w/a sleeved 3.5" moderator to duplicate the look of the 10" barrel w/original moderator, NFA paperwork is in the works as it has to be registered as an SBR w/the BATF.
Left view "standard" configuration Here shown w/standard A1 grip, 3.5" moderator & stock extended.
"Standard" config retracted Here shown w/standard A1 grip, 3.5" moderator & stock retracted.
607 parts prior to assembly Components used, Nodak XM16E1 lower, Colt very early 603 upper, original Colt early chrome 603 FA carrier, bolt & components, original Colt lower parts (modified to legal semi-auto), my65pan stock set, & moderator, WA-Tom handguard set, original Colt SP1 16" 1/12 barrel, cut to 10", FSB modified to 607 config by heatNbeat, anodizing & parts parkerizing by US Anodizing.
607 right, stock not mounted Shows the lower assembled but the stock is not mounted. This stock set is by my65pan & duplicates the original mounting style which requires some work to the lower. TSI also makes a very nice stock set that is a bolt-on but there are minor cosmetic differences between the original.
607 right, with stock mounted The stock is mounted & complete, the lower locking tube must be cut to length, the lower drilled for it, the takedown spring cut down, another hole drilled thru the lower for a roll pin which holds both the takedown spring/detent & lower lock rod in place.
Upper-lower receivers aprt Upper open, bolt carrier group removed. The lower for this replica is an NDS XM16E1 partial fence, stock set is my65pan, upper is actually a later 603 that was modified to straight forge configuration, had the early indent added under the rear of the port door & the forge codes from the upper handle removed, this work was all done by US Anodizing.
Bolt carrier group Forward assist 607's would probably have used both chrome & parked bolt carrier groups, I elected to use an early FA chrome carrier on this build. All the parts are original Colt w/the modified (lightened) early style lg head firing pin.
605 & 607 barrels stripped Top: 607 barrel Bottom: 605 barrel Both were done by heatNbeat, the 607 is 10" in original muzzle configuration as it's a registered SBR, the 605 is 15.5" & has the FH permanently pinned on.
607 barrel stripped 607 barrel as received from heatNbeat prior to assembly. The work is outstanding & his attention to detail & work quality is beyond reproach!
607 FSB The FSB is a later style Colt from an SP1 carbine, it was smoothed of forging flash & markings, had the drain hole filled & the bayonet lug removed to duplicate the earlier FSB's found on the 607's. Very early cast 601/602 type FSB's could also be found on 607's.
607 FSB bottom drain hole filled A pic showing the attention to detail & the quality of heatNbeats work, this FSB originally had a drain hole under the sight post!
605 & 607 barrels bottom FSB comparison 607 barrel on left, 605 on right. The work on these barrels was done by heatNbeat, the 607 was a 16" 1/12 SP1 carbine barrel, here you can see the area where the bayonet lugs were ground off.
607 muzzle & replica moderator Right view of the 607 muzzle, barrel was shortened to 10", FSB had all markings removed, flash removed/smoothed & had the drain hole under the front sight post filled, this example is a registered SBR so the barrel is threaded & the non functioning moderator can be removed.
607 muzzle & moderator A pic showing the cleaned off forging flash on the FSB. The work that I have had done by heatNbeat has always been outstanding, his attention to detail, quality of work is absolutly outstanding!
607 muzzle left side Left view of muzzle/moderator prior to assembly, gas tube & sling swivel pins haven't been assembled yet. The moderator (non functional non NFA) is an excellent repro by my65pan who also made the stock assembly.
Rear of FSB Area of FSB cleaned of flash on the rear.
607 FSB left side Note the ridge under the front sight post, this FSB originally had a drain hole, not only was heatNbeat able to fill the hole he actually duplicated the ridge!
607 barrel left side As received from mods by heatNbeat.
605 & 607 barrels stripped
Left side Left side before the stock was mounted, the buttplate, lock rod rod & parts had already been parked/anodized but had not been fitted to the lower. The short triangle handguards have the rear triangular retainer as the originals, I beleive the HG's are one of WaTom's pieces (now TSI) & are very nice!
607 L parts set Parts components from left side, components list was given earlier.
