Redhawk Firearms M-3 Carbine
| Redhawk Firearms M-3 Carine | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Carbine |
| Place of origin |  Shenandoah |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1994 – present |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1983 - 1991 |
| Manufacturer | Redhawk Firearms |
| Produced |
|
| Variants | See Varaints |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 6.43 lb (2.92 kg) |
| Length | 33 in (838 mm) |
| Barrel length | 14.5 in (368 mm) |
| Cartridge | .243 Grady |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 700-900 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,970 ft/s (910 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 500 m (550 yd) |
| Feed system |
|
The Redhawk Firearms M-3 Carbine is a selective fire assault rifle chambered in .243 Grady. Currently produced by Redhawk Firearms, it is primarily in service with the Shenandoahan Army National Guard, with some examples being used by the other brahcnes of the Shenandoahan National Guard, as well as various law enforcement agencies across the nation. The M-3 Carbine serves alongside the Redhawk Firearms M-3 Rifle, though it has all but replaced the M-3 Rifle in Army National Guard service. The M-3 Carbine is essentially a lighter and shorter variant of the M-3 Rifle, incorporating features such as a telescoping stock and accssory rails for mounting various accessories to the rifle. Many of these features have since been adopted into the M-3 Assault Rifle, notably on the M-3A3 variant.
Development and design
Operational history
Although considered to be a successful firearm overall, consistent complaints about the reliability of the weapon's direct impingement system has led Redhawk Firearms to continue to develop the weapon to address these concerns. In 2012, Redhawk presented a new weapon to the Shenandoahan National Guard for consideration as a replacement to the M-3 Carbine and M-3A3 Assault Rifle. This new rifle, internal designated by Redhawk as the AR-2012, is similar to the existing M-3 series rifle, but utilizes a short-stroke, gas piston system design which is considered to offer substantial reliability increases over the current direct impingement system. In 2016, the Shenandoahan Army National Guard announced it was examining the idea of replacing the M-3 Assault Rifle and the M-3 Carbine with the M-4 Carbine, also designed by Redhawk Firearms. A version of the Redhawk M-4, designated the M-2 Automatic Rifle, was accepted into service in 2019 as a infantry automatic rifle, a weapon niche that had not been filled in Shenandoahan service since the retirement of the Grady Automatic Rifle in 1955.
