One of the lesser-known offspring of the M1 Carbine was designed by Gordon Ingram, ironically also the designer of the world-famous MAC-10 submachine gun. This was the SAM, sometimes also called the Ingram Police Rifle, a rifle designed in the mid-1970s with multiple calibers in mind. Like virtually all of its close relatives, the SAM was a very lightweight weapon, clocking in at just 6.1 pounds for the fixed stock variant, and Ingram planned for there to be versions in .223 Remington, 7.62×39, and 7.62x51mm NATO. Over at GunLab, Chuck has given us an uncommon look at Ingram’s rifle, some of the photos of which are embedded below:

The receiver out of the stock, showing the cast construction, reminiscent of the Ruger 10/22 and Mini-14. The lever-type magazine catch shows this to be a 7.62x39mm version.

The classic Williams’ simplified Garand-style rotating bolt is evident in this shot, shared with the M1 Carbine, Williams Carbine, G30R, and LMR. The hallmark of this design is the round bolt body, simplified vs. the flattened bolt body of the M1 Garand, M14, and Mini-14. Oddly, the sight on this rifle has been adjusted all the way to the left.

So far as I know, the Ingram SAM utilizes the same tappet gas system as the M1 Carbine, invented by David Marshall Williams. Here, a shot at the gas block shows the operating rod sleeved by a gas tube.

Ingram’s design was ultimately unsuccessful, having been beaten to the market by several years by the Mini-14, a rifle backed by the full industrial capacity of Sturm, Ruger & Co.