C Products Defense (CPD) is a U.S. company with over 50 years of firearms experience. They have spent a lot of time developing a new robotic manufacturing method for magazines. This provides precise dimensions and amazing consistency. Their redesigned Colt-pattern 9mm SMG magazines are the best on the market.
In the beginning was the Stoner AR-15, which begat the M-16. Vietnam special projects gave us the XM-177. The XM177’s CDI (chicks dig it) factor was off the charts, but it wasted a lot of energy as flash and noise. It got very dirty quickly, and the ballistics on the 10.5-inch barrel left a lot to be desired.
Genius inventor Maxwell Atchisson realized that the XM177 needed to be redesigned in 9mm. His 9mm design was a simple closed-bolt, blowback-operated submachine gun.
Atchisson’s blowback system consists of a heavy bolt resting against the base of the 9mm cartridge case, and a heavy buffer and recoil spring compressed by the kinetic energy of the bolt when it is thrown back during recoil. The stored energy of the compressed spring drives the bolt forward into the firing position. This eliminates the entire gas system, allowing the use of very short barrels.
For close quarters, it had all the energy it needed in a small, low-recoil package, while retaining the great ergonomics of the M-16. A 10.5-inch barrel is the sweet spot for 9mm, producing near-optimum velocity.
Colt’s lead designer, Henry Tatro, took over the project, and in 1985, Colt introduced the 9mm SMG. Colt was more interested in parts commonality with the M-16 than innovation. They came up with a rough, mass-produced product still sold by Colt today. The Marine Corps adopted the 10.5-inch barrel model for the Fleet Antiterrorism Security Teams (FAST), and it was used by DOE, DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service. The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Panama also fielded the SMG.
The magazine well is fitted with an adapter to accept modified Israeli UZI magazines. The Colt magazines have narrow feed lips. They are very hard to load, prone to double feeds, and wear quickly.
C Products has redesigned 9mm AR magazines with new followers and springs. The combination of 400-series stainless steel and heat treatment makes this magazine particularly suitable for heavy-duty use.
C Products Defense magazines are made by fully automated robotic welding stations. This ensures precision manufacturing; each weld is dimensionally correct. Any weld not meeting the load specifications is immediately rejected.
All CPD magazines use a new anti-tilt follower. The .020-gauge stainless steel combined with increased interior dimensional room enhances proper stacking of the rounds and dramatically reduces failure due to jams.
My experience with Colt magazines was not very good. They were hard to load and performed inconsistently. When I signed up for Bill Rogers‘ Urban Carbine program, I wondered how his Colts would run.
For the CQB phase, the school supplies 9mm Colt M-4 carbines equipped with Aimpoints and co-witnessed iron sights. The shooter had to engage multiple small moving targets at distances from seven to 20 yards, each of which were exposed for less than a second each and had to be hit to score. There is no time to clear a jam. No problem. I fired over 800 rounds through his school guns (which had seen many, many classes) in a week with no jams. His secret? C Products mags.
