Colt Canada C7A2
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Barrel
- 508 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.90 kg
- Introduced
- 2000
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Colt Canada C7A2 is a Canadian-made select-fire assault rifle chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, an upgraded development of the C7 family derived from the Diemaco-built AR-15/M16 pattern. It pairs a flat-top Picatinny-railed upper, a 20-inch cold hammer-forged barrel, a four-position collapsible TeleStock, and ambidextrous fire-control and magazine-release furniture, and serves as the standard infantry rifle of the Canadian Armed Forces alongside the C8 carbine.
The C7 lineage began when Diemaco of Kitchener, Ontario, won the contract to produce a Canadianised M16A2 for the Canadian Forces in the 1980s. The A2 upgrade, fielded from around 2000, added a collapsible stock and ambidextrous controls so that the rifle could be tailored to body armour, optics and individual shooters, lessons sharpened by Canadian deployments to Afghanistan. Diemaco's small-arms division was acquired by Colt's Manufacturing in 2005 and renamed Colt Canada.
The C7A2 introduced a collapsible buttstock, ambidextrous controls, and green or coyote-tan furniture over the earlier fixed-stock C7A1. It feeds from STANAG magazines and is typically issued with an optical sight on its flat-top rail.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Colt Canada Corporation
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Country
- Canada
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 2000
- Variant of
- Upgraded service variant with collapsible stock and ambidextrous controls
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 508 mm
- Overall length
- 1020 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.90 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 4.30 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated direct impingement
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Aluminum alloy
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 945 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1786 J
- Effective range
- 500 m
- Maximum range
- 2700 m
- Rate of fire
- 750 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Flat top picatinny rail
Collapsible stock
Ambidextrous controls
Cold hammer forged barrel
Carrying handle optic mount
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 3.90 kg | 3.60 kg | Heavier than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 156 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 1020 mm | 920 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 157 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 508 mm | 449 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 30 | 30 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Colt Canada C7A2
How much does the Colt Canada C7A2 weigh?
The Colt Canada C7A2 weighs 3.90 kg (8.60 lb) empty and 4.30 kg (9.48 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Colt Canada C7A2?
The Colt Canada C7A2 is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO.
How many rounds does the Colt Canada C7A2 hold?
The Colt Canada C7A2 holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Colt Canada C7A2?
The Colt Canada C7A2 is 1020 mm (40.2 in) long overall, with a 508 mm (20.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Colt Canada C7A2?
The Colt Canada C7A2 is made by Colt Canada Corporation (Canada). It was designed by Diemaco (Colt Canada).
When was the Colt Canada C7A2 introduced?
The Colt Canada C7A2 was introduced in 2000.
How does the Colt Canada C7A2 operate?
The Colt Canada C7A2 uses a gas operated direct impingement action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
72%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/colt-canada-c7a2' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "colt-canada-c7a2", "name": "Colt Canada C7A2", "manufacturer": { "id": "colt-canada", "name": "Colt Canada Corporation", "countryCode": "CA", "foundedYear": 2005, "website": "https://www.coltcanada.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": "active", "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:46", "version": "90455fe86a2368df0893edde7b6c253f95946441351de9e84dbda9781abf0048" }, "category": { "id": "assault-rifle", "name": "Assault Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in intermediate cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "CA", "year_introduced": 2000, "barrel_length_mm": 508, "weight_empty_g": 3900, "action_type": "gas_operated_direct_impingement"}