Test and Evaluation of UDMC’s Carbine
by the Philippine Army Shooting Contingent
Model : F5 and S5-DGIS
Barrel : 16 inches, SS-416 Premium
Caliber : 5.56 NATO
Manufacturer : United Defense Mfg Corp (UDMC)
Address : Parañaque City, Philippines
Distance : 100 meters
Shots Fired : 10 rounds
Time : 10 seconds
Sights : Scoped
Position : Prone
Shooter : Commander, Phil Army Shooting Contingent
Date : May 30, 2016
Place : Camp O’Donnell, Capas, Tarlac
SPECIFICATIONS :
United Defense Mfg Corp’s F5-DGIS and S5-DGIS rifles are variants of the M16 and M4 rifles and come in two types: The “F-series” are the full automatic models for military, police and law enforcement use, and the “S-series” are the semi-automatic models for commercial, individual and security agency use. These rifles are chambered in the time-tested 5.56 NATO round (5.56 x 45mm) and designed to hit point targets up to 500 meters (MER). The F5 and S5 series take after the M4 and M16 battle rifle designed by Eugene Stoner. The DGIS uses a lightweight thermoplastic handguard or, as an option, a one piece Key-Mod rail handguard with a military standard 1913 Picatinny top rail held securely only at the barrel extension which allows the barrel to “float” and reduce barrel vibration while in battery. This allows for greater accuracy and consistency. As designed, the barrel does not touch any part of the entire length of the handguard except at the barrel extension.
Classification
- Military Assault Rifle (F-series), Commercial Sporting Rifle (S-series)
Manufacturer
- United Defense Mfg Corp, Philippines
Operating System
- Rotating bolt head, conventional direct gas impingement system
Cartridge
- 5.56 NATO (5.56 x 45mm)
Barrel Type
- Non-Glare, matte stainless steel bull or semi-bull barrel, AISI-416 Premium or the black parkerized carbon steel. Both ordnance grade.
Barrel Length
- Choice of 10.5, 11.5, 14.5, 16, 18, 20 and 22 inches
Rifling
- 1 x 8 twist
Muzzle Velocity
- Approximately 3,100 ft/sec (M855), it may vary depending on barrel length
Maximum Effective Range
- 500 meters (point target) and 600 meters (area target), it may vary depending on barrel length
Accuracy
- One (1) MOA using a match grade ammunition at 100 meters, at bench rest.
Trigger
- Single stage, with option for two-stage for semi-auto precision use.
Flash Hider
- Choice of SHURIKEN flash hider (Letter of Patent No. 1-2013-000230, Philippines) or any type of tactical compensator or flash hider.
Weight
- 4.5 kg more or less depending on barrel length and model
Overall Length
- Depends on buttstock and barrel length
Firing Selector
- Semi/Full-automatic (F-series) and Semi-automatic only (S-series)
Feed System
- 30-round detachable magazine
We use only barrel raw materials from Bergara, Spain that are made of stainless steel 416 Premium or carbon steel in ordnance grade and duly certified from source of the raw materials. UDMC is the Exclusive Distributor of Dikar Bergara for all their products, barrel raw materials (blanks) including their bolt-action rifles in the entire Asia-Pacific region.
The UDMC-Bergara finished barrels are made from the finest carbon steel and 416 Premium stainless steel, used in the ordnance, aerospace and defence industries. If other suppliers or manufacturers will claim that their barrels are SS-416 Premium, only a Certificate of Chemical and Mechanical Analyses can determine its quality. UDMC-Bergara AISI 416 Stainless Steel PREMIUM ordnance grade barrel has contents of Vanadium, Nickel and Molybdenum which are not found on a standard AISI 416 stainless steel barrel. The net effect is that these barrels have a yield strength of 780 MPa (versus 275 MPa of std AISI-416 SS) and a tensile strength of 920 MPa (versus 517 MPa of std AISI-416 SS). In terms of toughness, UDMC-Bergara barrel is 73 Joules versus 34 Joules of the std AISI-416 SS. If required by the customer, we can issue a certification that the barrel installed on his or her UDMC rifle is a UDMC-Bergara PREMIUM Ordnance Grade barrel.
The optimum combination of high hardness, yield strength, and tensile strength, along with the correct toughness, allow UDMC-Bergara barrels to withstand the generated pressures when the rifle is in battery, even with powerful rounds such as the .30 caliber or the .50 caliber precision rifles. UDMC-Bergara barrels, compared with other stainless steel barrels in the firearms industry, are very hard steel which increases the mechanical properties of the barrels and it is fair to say that this is one of the best insurance from the safety point of view of a barrel. In addition to this, one of the differences of UDMC-Bergara barrels is the small grain size of its molecular structure thus guaranteeing excellent toughness. The homogenous microstructure during hardening and tempering provides a uniform hardness along the bar, producing a very uniform rifled bore, which is the key to accuracy of a barrel. The heat treatment, in combination with the precise deep hole drilling, honing and button rifling process results in a uniform finish of the bore under 0.0008 inches. The stress relieving heat treatment on the other hand, after the button rifling process, protects the bore from inside deformation after the tapering of the barrel. It also helps protect the barrel from heat generated after continuously firing several hundreds of rounds. The same level of quality speaks of the UDMC-Bergara carbon steel barrels in durability, safety and accuracy. Finally, the high chromium content of UDMC-Bergara barrels provides a good corrosion resistance to it.