Inside the Ingram SAM, at Gunlab
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:
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.
Nathaniel is a history enthusiast and firearms hobbyist whose primary interest lies in military small arms technological developments beginning with the smokeless powder era. He can be reached via email at nathaniel.f@staff.thefirearmblog.com.
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Interesting. Nice and trim.
But it looks like it acquired some dubious changes. Like a receiver gap similar to a Mini-14. And a switch to a long stroke gas piston.
Such a shame these never left the prototype stage.