null
The Gordon Carbine: History, Hollywood, and Homegrown

The Gordon Carbine: History, Hollywood, and Homegrown

Nov 24th 2022

Collectors and shooters alike are building, buying, customizing, and shooting old school ARs of all kinds. One weapon that stands out above the increasingly crowded field is known as the Gordon Carbine. So much is contained in those two words. The story of this rifle is one of heroism and sacrifice.

Where did you first see a Gordon Carbine? For many it was in the hands of the now famous Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in his very first US role in the 2001 Ridley Scott film Black Hawk Down. Other readers might have seen one in a video game or one of the custom builds done by popular YouTubers. They are also a popular topic on the Military AR Clone and Retro AR subreddits.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Gary Gordon in Black Hawk Down. 2001

But what is a “Gordy” as it is sometimes known? The short answer is a customized Colt 723 series carbine with a red dot, flashlight, and suppressor. And while there are variations for technical, clone accuracy, or aesthetic reasons, there is more to it than that. Why does it have a name? This was the rifle used by Medal of Honor recipient MSG Gary Gordon in the Horn of Africa on October 3, 1993 during the Battle of Mogadishu.

The Gordon Carbine: Variations on a Theme

Before we discuss the historical significance, we can get into the technical details of building the Gordy. Before going further, one thing needs to be addressed. A real Gordon is what is known in the industry as a “two stamp gun.” The whole rig will require two NFA tax stamps due to the silencer and the short barrel. Make sure you find a dealer in your area who can do the proper paperwork to get you set up with your silencer and SBR.

The original Gordon Carbine as it was carried in Mogadishu was a modified Colt 723 with a 14.5” barrel, A1 rear sight on a fixed carry handle, brass deflector and forward assist, short ribbed handguards, A2 pistol grip, CAR stock, and an A2 lower. This upper is commonly called a C7 upper due to its use on the Canadian C7/C8 series rifles. This rifle was equipped with an early Aimpoint, a weaponlight (most likely a SureFire 660), and an Ops Inc. reflex silencer. Photos taken in country also show that Gary Gordon’s rifle was painted.

MSG Gary Gordon and his weapon visible in the middle. 1993

When setting out on a Gordon Carbine project, several considerations need to be made. Is the project to build one as clone correct and historically accurate as possible? “Hollywood Correct” clones are very popular due to some easier to find components as well as knowing exactly what was used in the film. Some shooters prefer to match the aesthetics and have a more multipurpose build that can share the silencer between multiple rifles such as a Mk12. The Gordon is one of the ancestors to today’s modern fighting carbines. Of interest to some would be that the prop supplier for Black Hawk Down, Bapty & Co., also supplied similar unsuppressed carbines to the 2006 film Blood Diamond.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau shown defending the Super 64 crash site in Black Hawk Down. 2001

The most important decision to make when starting the project is the barrel and suppressor combination. Without a silencer, it is not a Gordon. The historical rifle utilized a 14.5” barrel with a custom rear collar and the muzzle threads in lieu of an Ops Inc. muzzle brake to mount the suppressor. The original silencer was originally a .30 caliber model with 5.56 baffles installed. The 14.5” configuration is meant to be a dedicated suppressed unit.

Top: 14.5” barrel with suppressor. Bottom: 12.5” barrel with Ops Inc. style collar and brake.

The other option is to go with a shorter 12.5” or 12.7” barrel. While this is not historically correct, it allows the use of the popular AEM5 which maintains the look of the Gordon while not forcing the dedication of a suppressor to one build. The AEM5 is correct for Mk12 and NSW RECCE builds. Allen Engineering who manufactured the most of the suppressors for Ops Inc. continues to offer solutions for both of these to the discerning public. It is important to note that Ops Inc. style silencers have specific timing requirements. If the suppressor takes too many or too few turns to seat then problems can occur. Make sure that installation is handled by someone experienced with this type of silencer. Charlie’s offers barrel and suppressor combos that are pretimed and inspected to make your build easier.

An Allen Engineering AEM5 suppressor.

Bringing the rest together.

The rest of the build is relatively simple. Based on the level of clone correctness desired, many fixed carry handle uppers are acceptable. 100% clone correct would require a C7 upper whereas the film armorers used A2 uppers. The forward assist, charging handle, and ejection port cover will all be Mil-Spec A2 while the handguards are the six hole short ribbed style.

The lower was a Colt Mil-Spec of the period. A2 based with full receiver fencing and a regular trigger guard. Furniture consists of an A2 pistol grip and a late CAR stock on a Mil-Spec buffer tube. A standard semi-auto Mil-Spec trigger is the substitute for the Safe-Semi-Auto fire control group of the real military issue weapons.

An Aimpoint PRO in a Wilcox mount.

Next up are the accessories. Support gear in the early 1990s was still in Wild West territory. The optic used on Gordon’s actual weapon was an early Aimpoint red dot, most likely a model 3000 or 5000. These can occasionally be found on various online auction sites, or you may get lucky at a gun show. For the film adaptation, the CompM2 was used. All but the most strenuous of cloners accept some variant in the Comp series including the Aimpoint PRO. If you would like it to look more correct, Charlie’s has the Aimpoint PRO available set up to more closely resemble the M68 CCO with a Wilcox mount and new old stock caps held on the rubber strap. These were all mounted to the carry handle on the upper. The weaponlights used during the period were mostly SureFires, Gordon most likely used the model 660. Tape switches and pressure pads are acceptable if the shooter prefers. These would have been secured with zip ties and duct tape. The light was attached to the barrel in a Weaver style clamp. While these older lights do occasionally turn up like the red dots, there are other options. Some newer lights look close enough to the part that they can pass in the right mount, especially after a couple coats of spray paint. There are even some reproduction light bodies available that function with LED heads to give the retro look with modern performance. We do not know if Gary Gordon had a sling on his weapon but operators of the period used a variety of slings, often with makeshift attachments points or paracord loops. USGI aluminum magazines are correct for 1993.

The final step in building a Gordon Carbine is the finish. No Gordon is complete without some time with the rattle can. Both the real rifle and the prop used in the film were spray painted. To match the look a large base coat of desert tan is broken up with darker colors on subsequent passes. Make sure to mask off critical parts, optic and light lenses, threads, and anything else you don’t want paint on. There are several good tutorials online showing the proper way to prep and paint your rifle.

Henry from 9 Hole Reviews shows the proper way to paint a rifle using his Gordon Carbine.

Somalia: Restore Hope, Gothic Serpent, and the Battle of Mogadishu

Somalia lies in the Horn of Africa. A former colony of both England and Italy, it is bordered by Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya and has the longest coastline of the entire African continent. By the early 1990s the Siad Barre government had collapsed and Somalia had become a failed state with no rule of law or central authority. Seeing famine and violence as the daily norm, the world agreed to step in and help the Somali people. In December 1992, President George H.W. Bush deployed 25,000 US personnel at the head of the Unified Task Force to lead Operation Restore Hope. The goal was to restore order and ensure food supplies could reach the starving people instead of warlord controlled militias. As the situation on the ground degraded due to the civil war, the mission changed to using "all necessary means to establish as soon as possible a secure environment for humanitarian relief operations in Somalia."

Super 64 over the coast of Mogadishu, Somalia. 1993

Following the killing of 24 Pakistani peacekeepers in June of 1993 by forces of the warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, the United States sent in Task Force Ranger consisting of members of the 75th Ranger Regiment, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), and 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force). Operation Gothic Serpent set Task Force Ranger to the mission of capturing Aidid. Things took a tragic turn on October 3rd of 1993.

Aidid was a graduate of the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow. He studied the Soviet war in Afghanistan, particularly the use of shoulder fired weapons to down helicopters. This strategy was used to devastating effect during the Battle of Mogadishu. What was supposed to be a thirty minute daylight raid into the Bakaara Market neighborhood of Mogadishu became an eighteen hour overnight firefight, the worst sustained battle by US troops since Vietnam. Using RPG-7s Aidid militia shot down a Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk, Super 61, which changed the mission and drew forces away from the target building to rescue the wounded men at the crash site. While deploying a combat search and rescue team Super 68 would sustain damage but was able to limp back to the airfield. A second Blackhawk, Super 64, would crash after being hit by another RPG team while orbiting the first crash site. Ground elements were unable to immediately reach the second crash due to increasing ground fighting and road blocks. This is where the actions of MSG Gary Gordon and SFC Randall Shughart were etched into history.

Born August 30, 1960, Gary Ivan Gordon would join the US Army at 18 and work his way up through the special forces, finally earning a place on Delta Force. His service included Operation Just Cause and the Gulf War. After the crash of Super 64, Gordon and Shughart were able to get permission to attempt a defense of the crash site despite initial refusals from command. Against greatly overwhelming force, the two were able to get the surviving pilot Mike Durant out of the Blackhawk and defended the crash site for as long as they could. After Gary Gordon was killed and his rifle was brought to Durant by Shughart. Shughart continued fighting until he too was killed by militia fire. Mike Durant was captured alive. For their actions above and beyond the call of duty, Gordon and Shughart were each posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Rangers fighting in Mogadishu, Somalia. 10/3/1993

Eventually, rescue elements of a joint Quick Reaction Force consisting of American, Malaysian, and Pakistani troops were able to rescue surviving members of Task Force Ranger trapped in the city. In total, eighteen Americans along with one Malaysian and one Pakistani were killed. 73 Americans, seven Malaysians, and two Pakistanis were wounded. On the Somali side, casualty estimates range greatly depending on the source. Captured pilot Mike Durant would be released 11 days later. US troops would leave Somalia early in 1994. The condition of Somalia remains tumultuous to this day, though things appear to be on an upward trajectory with continued cooperation of neighboring countries and the international community. US military actions would return to Somalia to combat piracy and the Al-Shabaab military group.

In addition to the Medal of Honor, Gordon and Shughart would be the namesakes for Gordon and Shughart class roll-on/roll-off transports with the US Navy and also Shughart-Gordon, the main mock city for the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, LA. Gordon Elementary School in Linden Oaks, North Carolina near Fort Bragg also bears Gordon’s name.

Today, the remains of Super 61 are found at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum at Fort Bragg, Fayetteville, North Carolina. The Army Aviation Museum in Fort Rucker, Alabama has the restored Super 68 from that mission in their collection.

MSG Gary Gordon

Build List

Upper

Lower

Accessories

"Gordy's gone man. I'll be outside. Good luck."

All photographs and videos are owned by their respective rights holders including but not limited to, the US DoD, Sony, Columbia pictures, 9 Hole Reviews. No endorsement is made by these parties to this writing or the products shown within.