Ithaca M6

Aircrew Survival Rifle

United States | 1952

"The M6 Aircrew Survival Rifle succeeded the M4 weapon in same battlefield role for the United States Air Force during the Cold War period."

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Performance
Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Ithaca M6. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

330 ft
100.6 m | 110.0 yds
Max.Eff.Range

2,735 ft/sec
834 m/sec
Muzzle Velocity

Physical
The physical qualities of the Ithaca M6. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

718 mm
28.27 in
O/A Length

381 mm
15.00 in
Barrel Length

4.54 lb
2.06 kg
Weight

Manual Firing Pin Selector Lever; Dual-Shot.
Action

.22 Hornet / .410
Caliber(s)

9 x .22 Hornet / 4 x .410 shells.
Feed

Iron Front and Rear.
Sights

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Ithaca M6 Aircrew Survival Rifle family line.

M6 Aircraft Survival Rifle - Base Series Designation.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/10/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The M6 "Aircrew Survival Rifle" was the official successor to the earlier M4 design of 1949 (detailed elsewhere on this site), made specifically to arm United States Air Force (USAF) airmen unfortunate enough to be downed behind enemy lines. The idea behind the original approach was to provide these survivors with a small-caliber, lightweight weapon to hunt and kill small game for sustenance should a rescue effort be prolonged. While the original M4 was a bolt-action weapon developed by Harrington and Richardson Arms from their civilian-minded sport shooter, the follow-up M6 offering arrived from guns-maker Ithaca and had a "break-action", over-under barrel arrangement supporting two calibers. Like the M4 before it, the M6 still chambered the .22 Hornet cartridge but also introduced the underslung barrel for firing a heftier .410 shotgun shell.

Design roots of the M6 actually place it back at the close of World War 2 (1939-1945) in 1946 where it saw development under the former United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). The program delivered a combination weapon seating a small-caliber .22 weapon over a shotgun, allowing various types of game to be hunted with success. In its original form, this weapon was known as the "Rifle-Shotgun, Survival, Caliber .22/.410". It would not be until the 1950s that the design was officially finalized and formally realized for service.

The M6 retained a rifle-like configuration with a hollowed out shoulder stock frame, centralized receiver, and barrel assemblies protruding ahead. Iron sights were affixed fore and aft along the dorsal line of the gun for some inherent accuracy when firing. The hammer protruded from the rear of the receiver in traditional fashion and a trigger "bar" system was seated under the rifle-style grip/stock handle to better work with a gloved primary hand. Construction involved stamped sheet steel to keep weight and costs in check while rubber was used at the butt plate and cheekpiece for some operator comfort when firing.

With an overall weight of 4.5lb and overall length of 28.27 inches, the gun could be toted easily enough during marches. Length was reduced to a more manageable 15 inches when the gun was folded down. The removable barrel assembly made up 14 inches of the gun's total length. Maximum range of the weapon was out to 100 meters in .22 Hornet and reduced to 25 meters with the .410 shell. Muzzle velocity was 834 meters-per-second and 345 meters-per-second, respectively. The operator could select which weapon he fired by management of a firing pin selector.

The gun carried up to nine .22 Hornet cartridges long with four .410 shells in the hollowed-out stock. The break-action design allowed access to the chamber for loading/reloading in the traditional shotgun fashion. As such, the weapon was more-or-less a single-/dual-shot, reusable firearm.

Ithaca Gun Company managed production of the firearm exclusively for the USAF. The M6 saw service from 1952 until given up in the 1970s.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Ithaca M6. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national small arms listing.

Contractor(s): Ithaca Gun Company - USA

[ United States ]

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HR M4 Survival Rifle

Going Further...
The Ithaca M6 Aircrew Survival Rifle appears in the following collections:

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