Im normally pretty good with guns..

[Hudson]

but this has eluded me for some time. I reconise an M16 stock, and reciver, a standard drum magazine, but the barrel has me confused. can anyone shed some light on it?

[immhotep]

its the carter special, its not an m16, it a whole new gun, noone really knows the name, cept its known as carter special.

[sarge]

It's not a standard production weapon, must be a custom. Just for TV, maybe.

[Skydiver]

from what i understand, due to a shortage of P-90 ammunition(or what's used in them) becaue of the military action in iraq (the munitons plants were so busy making real bullets that they could not manufacture the blanks needed by teh show) the props guys came up with this to temporarily replace sam's p-90 so that she could fire it without using up the precious bullets

[Hudson]

Oooooooh

cheers

[_Owen_]

I think that I heard that somewhere, I just can't remember where.

Owen Macri

[sarge]

I think that I heard that somewhere, I just can't remember where.

Owen Macri

yeah, but i still don't think it's true. I mean we really don't use P90's that much.

[_Owen_]

I am not sure if I heard it from a reliable source, but then again I can't remember. Even without the ammunition they could add in sounds on the computer, and they could hook up a device inside the barrel that mimicks the apearance of firing.

Owen Macri

[Smilodon]

According to the following interview a lack of P90 blanks led to the creation of the "Carter Special":

http://tv.zap2it.com/custom/oat/oat_article/1,1204,274|83204|1|,00.html

"Tapping says that because of the war in Iraq, it became harder to get P90 shells to convert into blanks, so Anderson's character kept his P90, while Tapping's got a new gun."

[_Owen_]

That is interesting explain it, it was also a good oportunity to create a new weapon.

Owen Macri

[Smilodon]

but this has eluded me for some time. I reconise an M16 stock, and reciver, a standard drum magazine, but the barrel has me confused. can anyone shed some light on it?

It looks like the armorer that assembled the weapon installed a barrel assembly that is different from that used on the regular issued versions of the M4 or M16. Several different companies manufacture barrel assemblies in a variety of lengths and all are compatable with the M16/M4 receiver. For example http://www.bushmaster.com/shopping/barrel-assemblies/

[_Owen_]

Yes, I agree. It does seem strange that they would not mention in the show that they designed some new weapon.

Owen Macri

[Skydiver]

it's not odd that they don't mention it. they changed from mp5 to p90 without so much as a mention

i htink their ratinale is, if they mention it, people will pay attention to it

[_Owen_]

With fans like us people will notice it anyways. The reason that they didn't make much of a mention of the P90 was because it was a standard weapon that is used around the world, nothing special, you know excluding that it is the best weapon ever made, I mean that it was already known around the world. With the Carter Special it was a weapon that was custom made and is not used anywhere around the world.

Owen Macri

[Panther]

The barrel on that thing however looks to be very much shorter than 11.5in. It looks more like a barrel from a Bushmaster Carbon 15 pistol.

Question, Owen. What do you mean by standard?