Overview
The Barrett REC7 (designation stands for "reliability-enhanced carbine") is an American firearm manufactured as a selective-fire fully-automatic and semi-automatic rifle by Barrett Firearms. It is an M4 carbine utilizing a short-stroke gas piston system. REC7 is available in either 5.56×45mm NATO or 6.8mm Remington SPC. The REC7 is Barrett’s second AR-pattern rifle chambered for the 6.8mm Remington SPC cartridge, the first being the Barrett M468 rifle. The 6.8 SPC-chambered M468 rifle employed the same direct gas-impingement system as the M4.
Design and features
Unlike possible replacements for the M16/M4 such as the now canceled XM8, the REC7 is not an entirely new rifle, instead it is made up of an upper receiver that is attached to an M16/M4 lower receiver and is compatible with many accessories intended for the M16/M4 family. It can also be mated to M16/M4 lower receivers currently in the possession of the US military. The rifle uses a short-stroke gas piston mechanism, unlike the M16 or M4 which use direct impingement.
In addition, the REC7 uses the new 6.8mm Remington SPC (6.8×43mm) cartridge, a round that is of roughly equivalent length to 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition, so it is compatible with a standard-size lower receiver currently in use by the United States military.
The REC7 uses a short-stroke gas piston designed by Barrett. It rides above the barrel and is housed inside the fore-end. The spring-loaded piston is a one-piece 17-4 stainless steel rod. The forward and rearward movement of the piston is approximately one inch.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).