One of the odder, but more interesting early M16 variations was the Colt Model 608. The 608 was a chopped M16 built to be an aircrew survival rifle. It used a 10-inch barrel with a conical flash hider and a simple fixed tubular stock. It was designed to be stored disassembled with the upper and lower separated, so the total length stored was only 17.6 inches long. They even chopped the pistol grip to keep the size down.
While it’s an intriguing piece of M16 history, only 10 or so were made so your chances of owning one are somewhere between slim to none. Thanks to American Icon however, you can soon build a clone with their upcoming 608 Retro Mod Build Kit.
The 608 Retro Mod Build Kit
American Icon has been working on these kits for a while now and I’ve been anxiously awaiting their arrival. I love retro AR builds, especially the oddball stuff. The 608 fits both of those categories.
The kit includes a cone-shaped muzzle device, a pre-assembled drilled and tapped non-F-marked front sight base with set screws, an end plate, a carbine length carbon fiber tube handguard, a barrel nut, a chopped stubby grip and grip screw, and a fixed stock with locking ring.
To finish the kit you’ll need a complete lower receiver, a slick-side carry handle upper, a charging handle and bolt carrier group, a buffer and buffer spring, and a 10-inch 5.56mm barrel. Being that this is a fixed stock and the kit is made for a 10-inch barrel like the original 608’s the finished product will need to be Form 1’d as an SBR. Luckily wait times on Form 1 approvals are way down.
The 608 Kit has an MSRP is $499.99 and there’s currently a 4 to 8-week lead time on them. I’ve seen a few 608 clone builds over the years, but they aren’t very common. Guys have either had to basically custom make the parts or there were apparently a very small number of kits sold years ago by small shops or other custom builders, but I’ve never seen one available. The American Icon kit gives you all of the hard or impossible-to-find-parts in one spot.
I’ll admit this isn’t going to be a build for everyone, but if you’re into esoteric retro history and you’ve built everything else already, a 608 is a nice addition to your collection.
The initial batch of kits is only a run of 50, so if you’re interested you may want to move on ordering one now. I’m going to jump on one from this batch and am hoping that Bad Attitude Department gets their A1 forgings in soon so I can get a lower properly marked to do the build.
For more information on the American Icon 608 Retro Mod Build Kit, check out their website for details.