Colt SCAMP
Encyclopedia
The Colt SCAMP was conceived in 1969 as a replacement to the aging Colt
M1911A1
pistol. The resulting weapon, embodied in a single SCAMP prototype built in 1971, was designed to give an individual operator a huge increase in firepower, with only a slight bump in weight and bulk. Both the pistol, and the unique ammunition developed for the pistol, were shopped unsuccessfully around to the military through 1974. Though people who tested the SCAMP were impressed, no official interest developed. An article in Small Arms Review magazine reports the prototype remains in the Colt archival vault.
Colt design engineer Henry A. Into recalled they knew they wanted a selective-fire weapon as the basis of their replacement for the M1911A1. Colt designers looked at smallest submachine guns of the day (including the Czech Škorpion vz. 61, and Uzi
) and tinkered with making full-auto versions of high-magazine-capacity pistols (such as the Browning Hi-Power
). They eventually settled on an in-house design, Into recalled, which was a gas-operated, locked-breech weapon with select-fire capability, including three-shot burst. The SCAMP's magazine had a similar capacity to a submachine gun, of 27 rounds.
SCAMP was designed to be controllable and accurate to fire. As such, it featured grips patterned after those found on target pistols, a bore set low over the hand to lower the center of gravity, and a burst-fire mode to allow multiple shots without the problem of prolonged recoil. There was also a recoil compensator built into the muzzle.
The requirement for accuracy led to the design of an original cartridge for the SCAMP. The .223-caliber rifle round
was first suggested, but was found to be too hot for a handgun. The 9-mm. Parabellum
round was also rejected for having a relatively heavy recoil, Into said in an interview. Into also rejected the .22 Winchester Magnum
, 5-mm. Remington, and .22 Hornet
.
The design team eventually settled on the .221 Remington Fireball
as the basis of their new cartridge, leading to the design of a .224-caliber centerfire cartridge known as the .22 SCAMP. This round was somewhat shorter and narrower than the Fireball. (For the dimensions of the .22 SCAMP, again see the Small Arms Review article, ibid.)
Unfortunately, despite positive reviews by the few military personnel who got to test the SCAMP, the ultimate response was the military was not looking to replace the M1911A1 pistol at the time. Another source states the Army rejected the SCAMP in 1971 because it was already working on a parallel development, the 'Personal Defense Weapon'. The Colt .45 ACP
would not be replaced until 1985.
The SCAMP's cartridge was later rimmed so it could be used in revolvers, intended as a weapon for security forces. This also didn't sell.
Colt's Manufacturing Company
Colt's Manufacturing Company is a United States firearms manufacturer, whose first predecessor corporation was founded in 1836 by Sam Colt. Colt is best known for the engineering, production, and marketing of firearms over the later half of the 19th and the 20th century...
M1911A1
M1911
The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, and recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. John M. Browning designed the firearm which was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985. The M1911 is still carried by some U.S....
pistol. The resulting weapon, embodied in a single SCAMP prototype built in 1971, was designed to give an individual operator a huge increase in firepower, with only a slight bump in weight and bulk. Both the pistol, and the unique ammunition developed for the pistol, were shopped unsuccessfully around to the military through 1974. Though people who tested the SCAMP were impressed, no official interest developed. An article in Small Arms Review magazine reports the prototype remains in the Colt archival vault.
Colt design engineer Henry A. Into recalled they knew they wanted a selective-fire weapon as the basis of their replacement for the M1911A1. Colt designers looked at smallest submachine guns of the day (including the Czech Škorpion vz. 61, and Uzi
Uzi submachine gun
The Uzi is a family of Israeli open bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns. Smaller variants are considered to be machine pistols. The Uzi was one of the first weapons to use a telescoping bolt design which allows for the magazine to be housed in the pistol grip for a shorter weapon.The first Uzi...
) and tinkered with making full-auto versions of high-magazine-capacity pistols (such as the Browning Hi-Power
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...
). They eventually settled on an in-house design, Into recalled, which was a gas-operated, locked-breech weapon with select-fire capability, including three-shot burst. The SCAMP's magazine had a similar capacity to a submachine gun, of 27 rounds.
SCAMP was designed to be controllable and accurate to fire. As such, it featured grips patterned after those found on target pistols, a bore set low over the hand to lower the center of gravity, and a burst-fire mode to allow multiple shots without the problem of prolonged recoil. There was also a recoil compensator built into the muzzle.
The requirement for accuracy led to the design of an original cartridge for the SCAMP. The .223-caliber rifle round
5.56 x 45 mm NATO
5.56×45mm NATO is a rifle cartridge developed in the United States and originally chambered in the M16 rifle. Under STANAG 4172, it is a standard cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-NATO countries. It is derived from, but not identical to, the .223 Remington cartridge...
was first suggested, but was found to be too hot for a handgun. The 9-mm. Parabellum
9 mm Luger Parabellum
The 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge was designed by Georg Luger and introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken for their Luger semi-automatic pistol...
round was also rejected for having a relatively heavy recoil, Into said in an interview. Into also rejected the .22 Winchester Magnum
.22 WMR
The .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, more commonly called .22 WMR, .22 Magnum, or simply .22 Mag, is a rimfire rifle cartridge...
, 5-mm. Remington, and .22 Hornet
.22 Hornet
The .22 Hornet is a low-end vermin, small-game and predator centerfire rifle cartridge. It is considerably more powerful than the .22 WMR and the .17 HMR, achieving higher velocity with a bullet twice the weight. The Hornet also differs very significantly from these in that it is not a rimfire...
.
The design team eventually settled on the .221 Remington Fireball
.221 Remington Fireball
The .221 Remington Fireball was created by Remington Arms Company in 1963 for use in their single-shot bolt-action pistol called the XP-100. This was a special round designed for an experimental pistol, and has the highest velocity of any commercial pistol cartridge.-History:In the early 1960s...
as the basis of their new cartridge, leading to the design of a .224-caliber centerfire cartridge known as the .22 SCAMP. This round was somewhat shorter and narrower than the Fireball. (For the dimensions of the .22 SCAMP, again see the Small Arms Review article, ibid.)
Unfortunately, despite positive reviews by the few military personnel who got to test the SCAMP, the ultimate response was the military was not looking to replace the M1911A1 pistol at the time. Another source states the Army rejected the SCAMP in 1971 because it was already working on a parallel development, the 'Personal Defense Weapon'. The Colt .45 ACP
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
would not be replaced until 1985.
The SCAMP's cartridge was later rimmed so it could be used in revolvers, intended as a weapon for security forces. This also didn't sell.