Colt’s M5 Ambidextrous Carbine

Historically, the AR-15 hasn’t been known as the most ambidextrous rifle platform. 

While it might be easier to wish us away or hit us with kitchen utensils, us left-handed people do  exist, and we like to shoot just as much as our right-handed counterparts. However, the typical AR can get awkward in a hurry. Not to mention, It also complicates operation for right-handed shooters who have lost function on that more dexterous side. 

Time has rolled on and  many contemporary factory-configured rifles are increasingly incorporating some left-handed features, but not completely.

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Building an ambi yourself rifle is more realistic, provided you have the time and a properly milled lower receiver for the job. It’s why the Colt M5 Carbine, a factory ambi rifle from a firm better known for sticking stubbornly to existing designs, caught my attention. 

The Colt M4 Then

When it comes to its involvement with AR-15, Colt hardly needs an introduction. The Connecticut company has been in the AR game since acquiring the patent from Armalite in 1959 in order to produce “black rifles” for the US Armed Forces.

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The M16 platform defined an era that spanned from the Vietnam War to the Gulf War. During the GWOT, the M4 Carbine became an icon of that generation of American warfighters who served in countries like Iraq or Afghanistan. 

With a pedigree like this, Colt maintains a notable following on the commercial market, particularly with civilian law enforcement. But in the post-ban era, Colt did not have a monopoly and tended to play it safe with the M4. Few changes have been made through the years mainly because, mechanically, the rifle itself did not change so much as what you could add or subtract to it. The Colt M5 is not a typo, but it is a recent modest take toward modernity.

The Colt M5 Now

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Today’s Colt M5 should not be confused with the old Colt M5 submachine gun. Nor is it the same as the famed Colt M4 “+1”. The M5 is the result  of a 2017 request by Australia’s special operations command to draw up a new general-issue rifle. Although this tender did not result in a new service rifle, the request served as a catalyst for a fresh look at the old M4. In 2017, the M5 was in the rumor mill, but actual production for the civilian market finally began after 2020. 

Even with its upgrades, the Colt M5 is still a civilian version of the M4 at heart. Like its predecessor, it cycles from direct gas impingement action and remains chambered in 5.56 NATO. Its basic right-handed controls are unmistakably M4, ranging from the 90 degree safety switch to the magazine button release. But looking beyond those features, M5 ventures from the mediocre into the contemporary and beyond. 

M5s have latch-style magazine releases located underneath the traditional bolt release (ping-pong paddle). There’s also an enlarged bolt release for left-handed shooters housed just under the dust cover. In a move that makes a lot of sense, Colt went the COTS route and ships M5s with Radian’s ambidextrous Raptor charging handles. 

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Sights-wise, the Colt M5 comes with a pair of folding Troy Industries iron sights. There’s a flipping rear peep sight and a protected front post sight.

NATO STANAG 4649

The M5 also includes a flat-top rail section with the newer metric STANAG 4694 NATO rail. The STANAG 4694 rail system used on the M5 differs slightly with existing commercial models. But aside from being measured in metric units and held to tighter tolerances over the previous 1913 Picatinny rail, the dovetail and slot profiles are consistent. I tried the Vudu in an EOTech Pic mount as well as a standard Sig MSR dot. 

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When the optics are not tightened down there is slightly more back and forth movement, like a Picatinny mount would act on an old Weaver mount. This is not an issue so long as you tighten down the optic toward the rear so recoil forces will not act on it. Neither of my optics lost zero.

On the Range with the Colt M5 Carbine

When it comes to putting rounds through a semi-auto rifle, it is tempting to start fast and go fast with mag dumps and live-fire drills. That can reveal some benefits and demerits of a rifle, but so can slowing things down and hitting the sandbags. To that end,  I scoped the Colt M5 with a 2-12x EOTech Vudu riflescope and went for groups.

After getting a 100 yard zero, I fired a series of five-shot strings using different types of ammunition. 

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• PMC 5.56 NATO TAC-XPD 55 grain FMJ
• TulAmmo .223 Remington 55 grain FMJ Steel Case
• Winchester .223 55 grain M193 FMJ
• Barnes .223 55 grain JHP
• ADI .223 69 grain Sierra Blitzking
• Hornady Frontier 5.56 NATO 75 grain HP Match

Accuracy is equal parts shooter and gear. As a thoroughly average shooter, I relied on the rifle, the optic and the ammunition to give me the tale of the tape. At 100 yards, the Vudu 2-12 gave me plenty of magnification to see my hits and diagnose my trigger pull mid-stroke. The GI trigger has two distinctive lengths of mush before the final break of 5 ¼ lbs. Even so, the worst I could get out of a five-shot group was 4 inches using TulAmmo .223 steel cased ammunition. All other cartridges in the sub 2-inch category, while Global Ordnance’s ADI .223 69 grain Blitzkings took the prize with consistent 1-inch groups. The use of a fast 1:7 inch twist barrel paid dividends with this heavy pill.

Irons Only

I later benched the M5 at the same distance but used the folding Troy Industries iron sights. The rear sight is adjustable for windage and has two peep sights to pick. The front sight is adjustable for elevation. Neither needed messing with out of the box, but with these sights and my eyes, the Colt M5 is a reliably 4-inch gun with all the brass-cased loads.

Driving The Colt M5 

The Colt M5 has plenty to offer in the accuracy department. Moving on to its ergonomics is equal parts modest and exceptional. On the one hand, the use of an A2 flash hider, a carbine length gas system, dust cover and forward assist are par for the course for a typical factory-built AR. All these parts work in harmony. Though standard, A2 pistol grip and GI trigger also make an appearance and both would do well in a rifle intended for general military applications, but are wanting as commercial options go. 

The Magpul CTR stock is a welcome addition. The adjustment release for the stock is blind to the bottom of the stock, which guards well against accidentally depressing the release and collapsing the stock under recoil. The free-floated handguard is smoothly finished and does its job well. Despite “going metric”, the M5’s handguard had no issues with commercial M-LOK rail attachments.

Ambidextrous Functionality

But far and away, the standout feature are the ambidextrous controls. The safety selector is ambidextrous to both sides of the receiver and has a conventional ninety-degree throw. The standard button magazine release and bolt release are in their usual places on the left and right side of the rifle, respectively. Below the bolt release on the left side is a knurled paddle that serves as a magazine release. Likewise, an extended rear-facing lever below the dustcover is the secondary bolt release. For charging the rifle, Colt is using the proven Radian Raptor, which is both big and easy to grab, and workable from both sides. 

Aesthetically, the ambi controls are perfectly matched save for the right-side bolt release, which protrudes somewhat on an empty magazine. It looks almost like an afterthought but it is perfectly placed. Like the other controls, it works smoothly with only a moderate force needed. 

Although I can shoot from the right shoulder and the right eye, I am a bit faster as a natural left-handed shooter with a left eye dominance. I have worked my way around stock ARs and always found them to be a tad awkward. With the M5, it was nice to have all the controls set up for my faster side and I did not waste any time on the bench or working around barricades while performing closer-range drills. 

Colt Reliability 

Three hundred rounds of 5.56 and .223 Remington cartridges through any AR is not much of a test for anything but the cheapest builds. But whether it was steel-cased TulAmmo or premium hunting loads, the M5 digested them without issue.

Colt M4 “+1”: The Bottom Line

The AR-15 has come a long way since Colt’s monopoly on the design came to an end. Frankly, there are now too many makers out there to count. Some are good, some atrocious, others boringly average. Some go barebones, while others offer all the customization you could ask for. Colt generally does not mess with success, as in its existing designs. They might have simply stuck with the M4 design into perpetuity. After all, Colt still makes GI 1911s because it is a reliable design that continues to sell. The M5 Carbine plays it safe by sticking with some M4 features, while giving the user who might want a bit more than the USGI design. The field of ambi-ready AR-15s right from the factory is small, but growing, and the Colt M5 is a solid offering worth considering. 

Colt M5 Shooting Results

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