Original Item: Only One Available. The M6 aircrew survival weapon was a specially-made .22 Hornet over .410 bore combination gun issued to United States Air Force aircrews to help forage for food in the event of a plane crash. It was issued from 1952 until the early 1970s, in conjunction with the M4 Survival Rifle.

This is a very nice M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon parts set, demilitarized to BATF specifications with flame and saw cuts through both parts of the receiver, as well as through the barrel. Prior to that it was out of service for some time, and had rusted considerably. Still, the original markings on the right side can still be read:

U.S.A.F. PROPERTY
103705

RIFLE-SHOTGUN, SURVIVAL,
CAL. .22 / .410 M6

The other side is marked by the ITHACA GUN CO. INC. and also has the ordnance "Crossed Cannons" proof. As it is the gun is completely non-functional, and is sold for display purposes only. Ready to add to your Cold War / Vietnam war collection!

More on the M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon
The M6 was originally developed in 1946 for the Air Materiel Command of what was then still the United States Army Air Forces by the United States Army Ordnance Corps. Its official designation was Rifle-Shotgun, Survival, Caliber .22/.410. It was designed to fit into the standard USAAF (later USAF) survival kit issued to all pilots flying over the Arctic and other uninhabited regions. The weapon is made of stamped sheet steel, with a forged steel removable barrel assembly. The barrel assembly is connected to the stock/action group by means of a removable hinge pin. Unlike nearly all other firearms, there is no "furniture" on the M6 like a butt stock or a forearm, the only parts which are not steel are the rubber butt plate and cheek rest. Aircrew were instructed to wrap the barrels with parachute cord as a field expedient fore-stock.

The M6 was a superposed ("over-under") combination gun, with a .22 Hornet rifle barrel located above the .410 bore shotgun barrel. It has 14-inch barrels and folds in half to a minimum size of 15 inches.[5] A storage compartment in the stock held nine rounds of .22 Hornet ammunition with four shotgun shells. A firing pin selector allowed the shooter to choose which barrel would be fired. Because most bomber crews operated in the Arctic region during the Cold War, a trigger bar was used that could be depressed while wearing mittens as opposed to a conventional trigger. The M6 was never intended as a weapon with which to engage hostile troops. Instead it was designed so that a downed aircrew could forage for wild game, as well as defend themselves from more hostile wildlife. Its rifle element was considered to be accurate up to 200 yards. Overall weight of the initial version, including stored ammunition, was around 3 pounds.

Totally inert, cannot be converted to an explosive device, not available for export. This item is completely legal within the USA. International Military Antiques, Inc observes all Federal, State and Local laws. Everything for sale on ima-usa.com is completely legal to own, trade, transport and sell within the United States of America.

All deactivated ordnance sold by IMA, Inc is engineered to be inoperable according to guidelines provided by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF).