The Commando Retro XM177 Flash Moderator is a period-correct extended flash hider for Vietnam-era CAR-15 and XM177 clone builds, manufactured by KAK Industries in the 4" length that pins-and-welds an unregulated 12.5" barrel to the 16" OAL minimum.
Colt tested a series of muzzle devices on the 10"–11" CAR-15 carbines during early Vietnam-era development. The "Duck Bill" and first-generation three-prong flash hiders did not adequately manage muzzle blast, so Colt developed a longer extended flash hider called the Moderator. The early Moderators were 3.5" long with no slots. By the mid-1960s, a 4.3" slotted version was introduced on the XM177 Commando. By 1967, the XM177E2 continued the slotted 4.3" moderator configuration with a grenade ring.
Colt eventually stopped producing the moderator after ATF testing. The KAK reproduction is dimensioned to pin-and-weld legally to a 12.5" barrel — reaching the 16" OAL threshold — while remaining a flash hider, not a suppressor.
Note: A moderator is not a suppressor. The original 1960s moderator was an extended flash hider designed to reduce visible signature, not sound. This reproduction inherits the same purpose.
We build retro Colts here, and the moderator is the single most-asked-about part on every XM177 project. Grab one while they're in stock.
Potomac Armory
