I know they are about as common in the US as hen's teeth but I am hoping someone here might know of a place to look.

I’ve decided to start piecing together a clone of the Canadian Armed Forces C7A2. The process isn’t much more difficult then building a clone of a US military rifle (except for a few oddball items like the Norgom ambi mag release and a tri-rail). And I know I could use any old stripped lower but I would kinda like to lay hands on a Colt Canada / Diemaco lower even though they are nearly impossible to get in the States.

Does anyone know of a possible source?

Can they even be imported for non LEO purposes?

I don’t know, to be honest. If Zenith, IWI, and CZ can bring in complete 'pistols' I don’t know whether an importer would be prohibited from bringing stripped Colt Canada lowers into the States. Especially since those same lowers are now available to the Canadian public. Likewise, since Colt Canada is now selling complete uppers to the public it seems like someone could bring those into the US in the same way that Wolf brought in the A1 piston uppers.

But I really have no idea how the import laws work so I don’t know what restrictions would prevent someone from importing Colt Canada / Diemaco products.

Cadex (Canadian company) makes the tri rail you need. There are a few Cadex dealers south of you in Dallas I think. Cadex

Cadex also makes the folding foregrip that is issued in Canada for the C7A2. It’s ugly, but authentic. Issue one is green FYI.

No idea on lowers for you. They are sold up here for $250 Canadian and are flying off the shelves with the rumoured AR ban the government is talking about. If I understand US law, such lowers cannot be imported into the US.

The ambidextrous charging handles have been a weak part of the Canadian a2 upgrade. If your rifle is going to be a shooter get two. The hollow pivot pin on the charging handle bends due to stress regularly.

In case you haven’t seen the Colt Canada website,
Colt Canada. There are some downloadable documents on that website you may find useful.

If you’re detail oriented add the skinny front sight post which was a canadian modification on the original C7. Covered significantly less target than a four sided M16 front sight post.

I’ll assume you are going to add the C79 Elcan scope to your build. Get the latest version of that sight. Springs were beefed up on the external elevation adjustment. Keeps its zero better. Not as big an issue if you aren’t wearing a helmet while shooting with that optic......

Thank you for the information Highlander. I hadn’t even thought about the front sight and the foregrip but knowing about Cadex and the Dallas dealers will help greatly. I had been worried that I might have had to look for the out-of-production BCM tri-rail. The links you have provided will help a great deal.

This is what has me excited about a project like this, learning so much interesting little details about the rifle.

I think the C79 might be almost as hard to source as the lower. If so, I may end up with the Elcan SpecterOS 4x instead but I suspect it will be a year before I am at a point where I will need to worry about the optic.

Again, thank you.

I’m tracking this thread now, so if you have questions, post em.

I carried C7’s for 27 years. What I can’t answer, I can likely get an answer for you.

Cheers
Marty

I suppose one option would be to get a custom engraved lower like the one I found last night

https://www.atomicengraving.co...product-gallery%5D/0

I don’t know anything about the company or their products but if push came to shove and if I just had to have a Diemaco lower this might be an option. Otherwise, maybe a stripped lower with as little in the way of rollmarks as is possible.

There is nothing in U.S. law that prevents Colt Canada from shipping AR pistols to the U.S. . There may be something in Canadian law or in whatever franchise/intellectual property agreements between Colt and Colt Canada that would keep this from happening.

I have seen several Colt Canada rifles for sale at various times in the U.S. . I don't know if they were due to an unofficial migration or a law enforcement agency purchase. If they offered a pistol, I'd probably get one just for the cool factor.

I just picked up a Colt Canada Diamaco A2 pencil hammer forged upper for $399 in really nice shape. It was a police trade in and was not advertised as Canadian, but when it came in I was super happy!!

quote:

There may be something in Canadian law or in whatever franchise/intellectual property agreements between Colt and Colt Canada that would keep this from happening.

This seemed to be what came up as the answer the last time this question was discussed.

Check with Phoenix Distributors. They often have Colt AR15 rifles with Colt Canada receivers for sale.

I just took a quick look at their website (assuming I went to the right one) and they advertise themselves as a Law Enforcement dealer/outfitter. Will they sell to non-LEOs?

I think that's the only "source". Guns brought in/sold to police departments, then sold as surplus years down the line.