The good news is that Harrington and Richardson just dropped the long-awaited retro DOE 9mm pistol. The DOE is a clone of the Colt 633 submachine gun used by the Department of Energy to protect nuclear plants back in the 1980’s. The bad news is that both complete guns and uppers sold out in mere minutes.
The H&R DOE 9mm
H&R launched their 9mm Model 635 last year at SHOT. This is a semi auto clone of the Colt 635 SMG. They also teased a possible 633 DOE model at the show. The 635 was delayed a bit while the courts fought out the ATF’s much, and justly, maligned brace rule. When they launched, though, they were extremely popular. I grabbed a lower right away and then ended up building my upper half while I waited for the full launch to happen. It’s one of my favorite retro builds.
The gun community being the gun community, they weren’t happy with just just the 635 clones. They started clamoring for the stubbier DOE version of the Colt SMG as well, with its distinctive handguard and folding front sight. H&R had it in the works, and its progress has been closely followed by folks in the retro AR community, myself included. I plan on getting a DOE upper to use on my SBR’d 635 lower as soon as I can.
Well that might have been today (01/17) since the DOE just dropped, but man did they sell out fast! I saw a forum post and jumped to H&R’s website and the guns and uppers literally disappeared before my eyes. My email from PSA announcing them came a few minutes after that. Folks must have been refreshing the site all day waiting for the drop. I’m not sure how many were in this first drop, but folks weren’t kidding that they wanted them.
Prices looked to have ranged from $649 for a blem complete upper to $1,199.99 for regular DOE pistol. They’ll make more, though, so I added my name to the list to be notified when they’re back in stock.
The DOE is built on H&R’s 635 lower and fitted with their CAR style HAR-15 brace and standard A2 grip. The guns are chambered in 9mm and feed from Colt SMG mags. They come with one H&R branded 32 round magazine. They have a 7.5 inch barrel with the noted DOE foreend (which was also used on the M231 Port Firing Weapon), and folding front sight. H&R’s DOEs come with threaded barrels, which folks seem to have mixed opinions about. Obviously that’s a good thing for folks wanting to run a suppressor, but the basic 80’s era DOEs were not threaded, so some folks are grumbling about that. You cannot please everyone though. Personally, I like that it’s threaded because I have a couple of cans I can run on it.
While I’m a little disappointed I missed the first drop, I will get to take a look at them at SHOT next week. WHo knows, maybe I should just get a whole sperate DOE and leave it as a pistol, and keep my 635 as an SBR. The HAR-15 brace is very well done and it makes packing a DOE easier either on a CCW license in a pack or bag, and for traveling across state lines without extra ATF paperwork. Keep an out here on SNW, I suspect you’ll be seeing more of teh DOE from the show or when I get one in hand.
In the meantime, check out Harrington and Richardson for more information and to track when the next drop hit.
H&R DOE Specs:
Brand: Harrington and Richardson
Model: DOE
Caliber: 9mm NATO
Barrel Length: 7.5”
Barrel Profile: Lightweight
Barrel Steel: 4150 Chrome Moly Vanadium
Barrel Finish: Nitride
Chrome Lining: No
Muzzle Thread Pattern: 5/8” x 24
Twist Rate: 1/10
Muzzle Device: Thread Protector
Pistol Brace: H&R “HAR-15” Adjustable Pistol Brace
Upper Receiver Type: Slickside 9mm
Handguard Type: DOE / M231 with heat shields
Bolt Carrier Profile: 9mm Blowback
Grip: A2 Style
Finish: Black Anodized
Trigger: Mil-spec
MSRP: $649.00 $1,199.99
what is the plate on the muzzle near the front sight? to deflect muzzle blast? looks cool
You need a spell check if you don’t want to look like 6th grade son’s homework.