M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon
Official wording
U.S. M6 Survival rifle/shotgun, cal. .22/410 gauge, having 14" or 14-1/2" barrels, produced by various U.S. Government contractors.
What this entry requires
- ATF REQUIRESMade or imported as stated: “produced by various U.S. Government contractors”
- ATF REQUIRESConfigured as the ATF wording states: “having 14" or 14-1/2" barrels”
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1952–1970.
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
- Country
United StatesBasis: the ATF wording - Manufacturer
- Various U.S. Government contractorsBasis: outside reference ³
- Type
- OtherBasis: the ATF wording
- Action
- OtherBasis: no citation
- Caliber
- .22 Hornet, .410 gaugeBasis: outside reference ²
- Made
- Contract production · c. 1952–1970production; ATF states no dateBasis: outside reference ¹
- Service
- Military
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 89 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: Medium · Last revised 17 October 2026 (Data-trust review) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “M6 aircrew survival weapon” ↗, years: USAF service from 1952 into the 1970s
- 2. Wikipedia, “M6 aircrew survival weapon” ↗, calibers: .22 Hornet over .410 bore
- 3. Wikipedia, “M6 aircrew survival weapon” ↗, maker: Ithaca Gun Company among makers
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- 1 change · see below
Correction history
- Data-trust reviewEditorial confidence: Low → Medium. Re-rated after supporting references were added or re-checked.
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “M6 Survival Rifle.jpg” by Curiosandrelics, CC BY-SA 3.0. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “M6 aircrew survival weapon”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
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. Plans to replace both with the ArmaLite AR-5 never came to fruition and in 2018 was instead replaced with the GAU-5A Aircrew Self Defense Weapon in some instances.