I was paging thru the Bushmaster catalog and stumbled on an interesting fact. All of the part numbers for the collapsible butt stock assembly and the 4 1/2" flash suppressor part numbers are the same as the federal stock numbers in the operators manual for the XM177E2 dated 1980.

An example is the buffer assy. Bushmaster part number is 1005-914-4578. The federal stock number is the same.

The XM177E2 operators manual is POMM 9-1005-294-14/1, title is Submachine Gun, 5.56MM, XM177E2, dated June 1980 (Draft Copy)

I don't know what anyone can do with this info but I thought it was interesting.

Maybe Bushmaster was involved in the XM177E2 as a parts supplier to the Army back in 1980.

I would normally say you have too much time on your hands, but that is interesting. I'll have to take out my USMC M16A2 manual and do some cross checking.

The Cheat

Yeah, but the flash suppressor they show on their web site is NOT an XM177E2 job. It's a visual duplicate of the original XM177 type, that was used on the 10 inch barrel models.

And I seriously doubt that the collapsible stock they're selling these days is anything like the plastic coated aluminum original either.

Finally, I am unaware the Bushmaster had any government contract at all until their M4 job, many years after the XM177E2 contracts had been completed.

Very intersting but that is something I would have discovered prior to getting a new girlfriend.

Just keep in mind that the current manuals use a National Stock number which has 13 numbers while the old Federal Stock Number only has 11 numbers, so cross referencing is not possible. I tried.

Yeah I know the FS in the catalog is not the same thing as the moderator on the XM177E2. The manual I have says the moderator for the 11.5" barrel, XM177E2, is 4.5" long. The FS in the Bushmaster catalog is 4.5" long.

I have a real old Bushmaster catalog that lists the aluminum collapsible stock with the same part number as the now M4 stock. It appears they kept the same part number as they upgraded the stock. I also do not think the stock was the same as the original rubber coated one.

And yeah I have too much time on my hands on occassion.