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3/8/2024 12:03:10 PM EDT
I'm going to try a Canadian clone build.  Can someone tell me the difference between the c7 and c7a1?  

Thanks.
3/8/2024 2:47:12 PM EDT
[#1]
I believe the plain jane C7 was basically an M16A2 rifle but using the C7/A2-field-sights upper. The C7A1 had a flat top typically with the C79 Elcan on it. C7A2 added the collapsible stock. I'm sure there's more to it but I think thats the gist.
3/8/2024 3:43:24 PM EDT
[#2]
Do you have a source that knows the correct id markings on the variants of lowers?
3/8/2024 4:11:36 PM EDT
[Last Edit: AlaskaJohn][Edited] [#3]
Might find something useful here.

C7 FAMILY OF COMBAT WEAPONS

https://www.coltcanada.com/news-media/
3/8/2024 6:48:56 PM EDT
[#4]
Here's another site.

http://pullig.dyndns.org/retroblackrifle/ModGde/4nGde/C7.html
3/9/2024 4:54:11 PM EDT
[Last Edit: tiger222][Edited] [#5]
C7A1 is the one I needed up with after trying all of the other types. Not a 100% correct but exactly the way I like it.

Attached File
"It just gets that much more exciting when it has a carry handle on it. Or tiger stripes. If you have both, then you have the John Wayne in the Green Berets size of a big win."
3/11/2024 11:14:47 AM EDT
[#6]
Awesome rifle.  Three questions, what bus iron is on there?  What weight barrel is the the rifle and is that the right weight for an c7 build, three is that a real elcan and do you like it?  

Thanks
Jeff.
3/11/2024 12:20:29 PM EDT
[Last Edit: tiger222][Edited] [#7]
Originally Posted By 57man:
Awesome rifle.  Three questions, what bus iron is on there?  What weight barrel is the the rifle and is that the right weight for an c7 build, three is that a real elcan and do you like it?  

Thanks
Jeff.
View Quote


Hi Jeff
Thanks!

The Buis is a Diemaco unit, impossible to find, however you can 3D print one, someone uploaded the file for free on the net.

My rifle has a 20” pencil 1/7 with and extended A2. I prefer the pencil with a RAS to offset the weight. Issued rifles use the A2 government profile.

Let me know if you need close ups of anything.

It’s a real Elcan bought it new in the late 90’s / early 2000. Love the scope. There are air soft replicas that are pretty close, but super short eye relief and a the mount wiggles, but looks 90% correct.

Oh and the magazine is a maple leaf 🍁 marked Themold, though I think that CF have moved on from these.
"It just gets that much more exciting when it has a carry handle on it. Or tiger stripes. If you have both, then you have the John Wayne in the Green Berets size of a big win."
3/11/2024 10:09:39 PM EDT
[#8]
Was the pencil barrel spec on the c7 or did they use the heavier a2 barrel?
3/11/2024 10:10:48 PM EDT
[#9]
Did you 3d print your buis?
3/12/2024 8:34:41 AM EDT
[#10]
Originally Posted By 57man:
Was the pencil barrel spec on the c7 or did they use the heavier a2 barrel?
View Quote


Issued CF rifles had the government A2 barrels.

Originally Posted By 57man:
Did you 3d print your buis?
View Quote


Mine is genuine, however the clamping bracket is 3D printed. Mine developed a crack sometime over the 20 plus years of ownership. The printed one looks identical, however with the nature of the material, you’ll probably want to sand and paint it so it doesn’t look printed :)

There are others that have much more correct clones to mine, hopefully they will chime in. There used to be quite a dedicated cadre of Canadian clones here.
"It just gets that much more exciting when it has a carry handle on it. Or tiger stripes. If you have both, then you have the John Wayne in the Green Berets size of a big win."
3/12/2024 9:15:12 PM EDT
[#11]


Here's a poor photo of one in the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum in Shiloh, Manitoba.
3/13/2024 8:12:15 AM EDT
[Last Edit: tiger222][Edited] [#12]
Originally Posted By bdgfate:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53584540538_bb029162ee_o.jpg

Here's a poor photo of one in the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum in Shiloh, Manitoba.
View Quote


That’s sobering, I still think the C7A1 is somewhat relevant, I remember when they came out and thought they looked so futuristic, and here is one in a museum!!
"It just gets that much more exciting when it has a carry handle on it. Or tiger stripes. If you have both, then you have the John Wayne in the Green Berets size of a big win."
3/18/2024 11:40:29 AM EDT
[#13]
We have a C7 upper half.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/harrington-richardson-c7-complete-20-upper-black.html

We are living in a Tom Clancy novel

Over 50 and reputed to be a formidable brigand

https://hr1871.com/
3/21/2024 1:55:19 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote History
Originally Posted By tiger222:


Hi Jeff
Thanks!

The Buis is a Diemaco unit, impossible to find, however you can 3D print one, someone uploaded the file for free on the net.

My rifle has a 20” pencil 1/7 with and extended A2. I prefer the pencil with a RAS to offset the weight. Issued rifles use the A2 government profile.

Let me know if you need close ups of anything.

It’s a real Elcan bought it new in the late 90’s / early 2000. Love the scope. There are air soft replicas that are pretty close, but super short eye relief and a the mount wiggles, but looks 90% correct.

Oh and the magazine is a maple leaf 🍁 marked Themold, though I think that CF have moved on from these.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Quote History
Originally Posted By tiger222:
Originally Posted By 57man:
Awesome rifle.  Three questions, what bus iron is on there?  What weight barrel is the the rifle and is that the right weight for an c7 build, three is that a real elcan and do you like it?  

Thanks
Jeff.


Hi Jeff
Thanks!

The Buis is a Diemaco unit, impossible to find, however you can 3D print one, someone uploaded the file for free on the net.

My rifle has a 20” pencil 1/7 with and extended A2. I prefer the pencil with a RAS to offset the weight. Issued rifles use the A2 government profile.

Let me know if you need close ups of anything.

It’s a real Elcan bought it new in the late 90’s / early 2000. Love the scope. There are air soft replicas that are pretty close, but super short eye relief and a the mount wiggles, but looks 90% correct.

Oh and the magazine is a maple leaf 🍁 marked Themold, though I think that CF have moved on from these.

Do you know if KAC made the locking bottom rail for Canadian's rifle M5 RAS like they did with the M4 RAS?
WTB : KAC FF M4 RAS P/N 20208
3/21/2024 8:39:44 AM EDT
[#15]
Originally Posted By HipSh0T:

Do you know if KAC made the locking bottom rail for Canadian's rifle M5 RAS like they did with the M4 RAS?
View Quote


Don’t know off hand, but mine has the SAS style locking bottom rail. I would imagine the CF and SAS followed each other laterally in kit and upgrades as they were both commonwealth / dominion forces with Diemaco rifle fleets. Not sure if the M5 was officially adopted like the M4, but for sure in use with individual upgrades. Would wager a nice lunch the C8 CQB uses the SAS RAS :)
"It just gets that much more exciting when it has a carry handle on it. Or tiger stripes. If you have both, then you have the John Wayne in the Green Berets size of a big win."
3/29/2024 4:58:26 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote History
Originally Posted By --FLEET--:
I believe the plain jane C7 was basically an M16A2 rifle but using the C7/A2-field-sights upper. The C7A1 had a flat top typically with the C79 Elcan on it. C7A2 added the collapsible stock. I'm sure there's more to it but I think thats the gist.
View Quote


That’s basically it.  What people refer to as the C7A1 was a flattop Weaver rail as it predates the 1913 spec.  Rail was the proper height so that an F marked FSB was not required.  Short and long (spacer) stocks were available to those that needed them for proper length of pull.  Triad mount came out sometime in the early 2000s. I definitely had one on my first deployment to Afghanistan in 2003.  It was still called and marked C7 as the only new part was the upper.  A mix of large and small forward assists.

C7A2 came out in 2004 and was when the ambi mag release was adopted along with ambi selectors, although they didn’t have enough parts when they were initially upgraded. Stock colour was changed to Canadian Average Green at that time as well.  Buttstock is a pebble texture but looks like the old Colt carbine stock.  There are some smooth N1 marked buttstocks that are a darker green and I assume they were made by Colt.  Peel washer on the initial conversions since it was the same barrel.  What else?  They came with the old style castle nut, I’m not sure if new factory ones use castle nuts or not.  Four position receiver extension.

All of them were marked C7 since the A2 upgrade reused the original parts. An A2 stamp was added beside C7 during the conversion and looks silver since it went through the anodizing.  New ones are marked C7A2 from the factory.
4/2/2024 12:42:50 AM EDT
[#18]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Leg:


That’s basically it.  What people refer to as the C7A1 was a flattop Weaver rail as it predates the 1913 spec.  Rail was the proper height so that an F marked FSB was not required.  Short and long (spacer) stocks were available to those that needed them for proper length of pull.  Triad mount came out sometime in the early 2000s. I definitely had one on my first deployment to Afghanistan in 2003.  It was still called and marked C7 as the only new part was the upper.  A mix of large and small forward assists.

C7A2 came out in 2004 and was when the ambi mag release was adopted along with ambi selectors, although they didn’t have enough parts when they were initially upgraded. Stock colour was changed to Canadian Average Green at that time as well.  Buttstock is a pebble texture but looks like the old Colt carbine stock.  There are some smooth N1 marked buttstocks that are a darker green and I assume they were made by Colt.  Peel washer on the initial conversions since it was the same barrel.  What else?  They came with the old style castle nut, I’m not sure if new factory ones use castle nuts or not.  Four position receiver extension.

All of them were marked C7 since the A2 upgrade reused the original parts. An A2 stamp was added beside C7 during the conversion and looks silver since it went through the anodizing.  New ones are marked C7A2 from the factory.
View Quote

Excellent Info as always! Glad to see you are still around Leg.
If U can't Truck It F!@k It!
4/3/2024 8:29:20 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Leg][Edited] [#19]
Quote History
Originally Posted By imdBman:

Excellent Info as always! Glad to see you are still around Leg.
View Quote


I pop in occasionally. The Cdn government has ruined the hobby for me by banning the AR-15 up here in 2020.

H2 buffer for the C7A2 and we still use rifle ramps in all of our rifles, including the C8A3.  We are also still using the old black “tilting” follower in our D&H black Teflon aluminium magazines. I believe we switched to aluminium in the mid 90s due to cracking feed lips in the Thermold magazines.  That would mean that Thermold is the only correct magazine for a C7.  C7A1 used both during their service life, same for the C8 since we didn’t change them until 2003.

In Afghanistan in 2003 we also had some some new C8s show up mid way through the tour that had a flattop weaver rail upper and the old 14.5” skinny barrel unique to the C8 with .750 FSB. They came with the EoTech 552 and I believe they had four position receiver extensions with N1 stock.  I never came across them again and I assume they were procured solely for operations in Afghanistan.
4/3/2024 8:45:34 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote History
Originally Posted By HipSh0T:

Do you know if KAC made the locking bottom rail for Canadian's rifle M5 RAS like they did with the M4 RAS?
View Quote

As far as I’m aware Canada never adopted the M5 RAS.  The PPCLI did purchase some for one of their deployments to Afghanistan but it would have been an off the shelf purchase and not an issued item.  It was JTF 2 that used the RAS on their C8s with Cdn spec bottom rail.  Us peons in the green army have only ever adopted the Triad rail.
8/6/2024 9:01:15 AM EDT
[#21]
Attached File
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I killed a bacon puppy. :(

This post is brought to you by The Pogues, the official punk band of the .mil forums.
8/6/2024 9:20:05 AM EDT
[#22]
There's an awesome C7 post a little ways down in the forum here with tons of pics and details:

https://www.ar15.com/forums/AR-15/Canadian-Forces-C7-C8-Series-Reference-Thread-PLEASE-TACK-THIS-MODS-/127-785829/
8/6/2024 4:56:40 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote History
Originally Posted By tiger222:


Hi Jeff
Thanks!

The Buis is a Diemaco unit, impossible to find, however you can 3D print one, someone uploaded the file for free on the net.

My rifle has a 20” pencil 1/7 with and extended A2. I prefer the pencil with a RAS to offset the weight. Issued rifles use the A2 government profile.

Let me know if you need close ups of anything.

It’s a real Elcan bought it new in the late 90’s / early 2000. Love the scope. There are air soft replicas that are pretty close, but super short eye relief and a the mount wiggles, but looks 90% correct.

Oh and the magazine is a maple leaf 🍁 marked Themold, though I think that CF have moved on from these.
View Quote


For what its worth the Diemaco BUIS are on ebay pretty regularly. There are quite a few for sale right now.
8/7/2024 10:42:57 AM EDT
[#24]
https://badattitudedept.com/clone-ar15-lower-receiver-canadian-c7/
Can't never could 'til try came along.

"All welchers should be removed from the EE".-Aimless

R.I.P. to the EE
8/7/2024 6:14:54 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote History


That's what I used for my kinda sorta C7-ish build

Attached File
1/31/2025 11:49:34 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote History

Nice rifle. Thermold magazines were removed from the system in the mid 90s. Legend has it that the Cdn Thermolds suffered from fragile feed lips as someone involved in the procurement changed the spec of the composite. I hear that regular Thermolds aren’t nearly as fragile, but this is purely anecdotal.

D&H black Teflon mags have been used since the mid 90s, complete with black “titling” follower. I keep meaning to take photos for you guys, but I’m a pretty good procrastinator . Unmarked floor plates, just D&H Cage code Q4TQ4 stamped on the magazine body and I believe some have export only stamps depending on when they were purchased.
2/5/2025 2:31:31 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Leg:

Nice rifle. Thermold magazines were removed from the system in the mid 90s. Legend has it that the Cdn Thermolds suffered from fragile feed lips as someone involved in the procurement changed the spec of the composite. I hear that regular Thermolds aren’t nearly as fragile, but this is purely anecdotal.

D&H black Teflon mags have been used since the mid 90s, complete with black “titling” follower. I keep meaning to take photos for you guys, but I’m a pretty good procrastinator . Unmarked floor plates, just D&H Cage code Q4TQ4 stamped on the magazine body and I believe some have export only stamps depending on when they were purchased.
View Quote


Wow they have been out of inventory for that long? Considering how many photos of the C7s have them youd think it would have been more recent.
2/5/2025 2:35:31 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote History
Originally Posted By tiger222:
C7A1 is the one I needed up with after trying all of the other types. Not a 100% correct but exactly the way I like it.

https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/61015/179E90E4-5D26-4BE9-8DFB-57F34062B688_jpe-3154590.JPG
View Quote

I wanted to do a C7 but ended up going for a C7A1 as well. I also was originally looking at getting a Canadian rear sight but cant justify the price. I think im gunna get a DD A1 rear and call it good. Fits the bill and is squint your eyes close enough.
2/5/2025 6:05:39 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Ovewatch3985:


Wow they have been out of inventory for that long? Considering how many photos of the C7s have them youd think it would have been more recent.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Quote History
Originally Posted By Ovewatch3985:
Originally Posted By Leg:

Nice rifle. Thermold magazines were removed from the system in the mid 90s. Legend has it that the Cdn Thermolds suffered from fragile feed lips as someone involved in the procurement changed the spec of the composite. I hear that regular Thermolds aren’t nearly as fragile, but this is purely anecdotal.

D&H black Teflon mags have been used since the mid 90s, complete with black “titling” follower. I keep meaning to take photos for you guys, but I’m a pretty good procrastinator . Unmarked floor plates, just D&H Cage code Q4TQ4 stamped on the magazine body and I believe some have export only stamps depending on when they were purchased.


Wow they have been out of inventory for that long? Considering how many photos of the C7s have them youd think it would have been more recent.


Yup.  I was in the reserves when we had to hand them in for the new aluminum ones, so probably 1996.  Regular force likely got theirs much sooner.  I believe that Diemaco continued to use Thermolds in a lot of their promotional handouts for years after the forces no longer used them.
2/5/2025 7:05:23 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Leg:


Yup.  I was in the reserves when we had to hand them in for the new aluminum ones, so probably 1996.  Regular force likely got theirs much sooner.  I believe that Diemaco continued to use Thermolds in a lot of their promotional handouts for years after the forces no longer used them.
View Quote



Wow thats honest to goodness extremely surprising. I associate the C7 with the Thermold Mags so much I think they look strange without them. Wonder Diemaco kept using them?
2/11/2025 7:05:47 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Leg][Edited] [#31]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Ovewatch3985:



Wow thats honest to goodness extremely surprising. I associate the C7 with the Thermold Mags so much I think they look strange without them. Wonder Diemaco kept using them?
View Quote


This is purely speculative, but they may have been left with a bunch after the Forces stopped buying them.  They may have continued marketing in the hopes someone would buy them. It also seems to be pretty standard for firearm companies to not update photos and specs when they make changes, sometimes for years, don’t ask me why.
3/4/2025 11:07:28 PM EDT
[#32]
I brought a thermold home from AFG in 2010 given to me by a Canadian Soldier!
3/5/2025 5:08:24 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote History
Originally Posted By tiger222:
C7A1 is the one I needed up with after trying all of the other types. Not a 100% correct but exactly the way I like it.

https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/61015/179E90E4-5D26-4BE9-8DFB-57F34062B688_jpe-3154590.JPG
View Quote

Just missing the C7A1 tri-ad!
3/21/2025 6:42:19 AM EDT
[#34]
While we're talking C7's does anyone know if there's a spray paint available that approximates the "Canadian Army Green" used on the Diemaco stocks?
3/30/2025 10:05:55 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote History
Originally Posted By ROTCatCU:
I brought a thermold home from AFG in 2010 given to me by a Canadian Soldier!
View Quote

Interesting, I’ve been on various deployments with the CAF from ‘98 and not once did we have Thermolds. Maybe something they squirrelled away and brought with them, worried they’d be caught bringing it back to Canada where full capacity magazines are prohibited.

Does it have the Maple Leaf on it?
4/4/2025 8:18:39 PM EDT
[Last Edit: ROTCatCU][Edited] [#36]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Leg:

Interesting, I’ve been on various deployments with the CAF from ‘98 and not once did we have Thermolds. Maybe something they squirrelled away and brought with them, worried they’d be caught bringing it back to Canada where full capacity magazines are prohibited.

Does it have the Maple Leaf on it?
View Quote


It sure does. It was either In Tarinkot or shawalikot in RC south. I'm guessing it found it's was to AFG with some of the first Canadian forces, unsure when that might have been, and was stored in a arms room at the little fob we were at for a number of years.
12/9/2025 3:14:47 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Leg][Edited] [#37]
It’s unlikely. First deployment was in ‘02 with the PPCLI, long after they’d all been replaced with aluminum.

Apparently aluminum magazines have been made in Canada since 2010. I had no idea and only learned this today. I’ve only ever seen D&H Cage codes on our mags so I’ll have to take a closer look when I get a chance.

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