Harrington & Richardson has rolled out the 636 CLET, a contemporary pistol patterned after one of many stranger however extra fascinating corners of DEA weapons historical past.
As somebody who grew up within the 80s and 90s watching Miami Vice, motion motion pictures, and every thing else that showcased the weapons of that period, this model of firearm hits a really acquainted vibe.
I skilled on the M16A2 within the Marine Corps, full with the carry deal with and clamshell guards, so this setup instantly appears like a time capsule for anybody in Gen X who remembers when law-enforcement firearms nonetheless had some persona.
The place the Colt DEA SMG Got here From
Earlier than the M4 took over every thing, businesses experimented with compact subguns primarily based on the AR platform. Colt’s reply was a direct-blowback 9mm SMG. It appeared like an AR however ran like a pistol-caliber carbine.
The DEA finally requested their very own model—now identified in collector circles because the Colt DEA Mannequin or RO636.
The DEA’s Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Groups had been coping with meth, fentanyl, crack labs, unstable chemical substances, and cramped working areas. The thought behind the Colt DEA SMG was to chop down on flash and noise in environments the place ignitable fumes may be current, or, relying on who you ask, the place bureaucrats wanted a justification for issuing suppressed weapons to brokers who weren’t operating clandestine ops however nonetheless wanted purposeful instruments in tight quarters.
Whatever the logic, the gun existed. It labored. And it wore one of the distinctive silhouettes of any U.S. company weapon of its period: lengthy handguards hiding an integral suppressor, with that unmistakable prolonged nostril.
H&R’s 636 CLET: A Trendy Interpretation
H&R wasn’t attempting to reinvent something right here. The 636 CLET is a contemporary pistol configured to look and deal with just like the previous Colt DEA SMG—minus the NFA baggage and integral suppressor.
The fundamental format stays loyal to the unique idea:
Lengthy, modified M16A2 clamshell handguards
A barrel that runs deep beneath the forend
A entrance help cap holding every thing in place
A slickside 9mm higher, identical to the previous SMG sample
AR-style controls that anybody from the A2 era will acknowledge
As a substitute of specializing in trendy lights, rails, or equipment, H&R stored the gun visually correct to the unique.
Options and Construct
Higher
9mm NATO
13″ 4150 CMV medium-profile barrel
Nitride end
1/10 twist
5/8×24 muzzle threads
Slickside 9mm higher receiver
Modified M16A2 handguards with warmth shields
9mm blowback BCG
Black anodized end
Decrease
7075-T6 cast aluminum
Kind III hardcoat anodized
HAR-15 brace
A2 grip
Mil-spec set off
9mm carbine buffer
Six-hole receiver extension and CAR lock nut
Accepts Colt-pattern 32-round magazines
How Shut Is It to the Actual Colt DEA SMG?
Visually, extraordinarily shut. Functionally, it’s nonetheless a blowback 9mm AR, identical to the unique. The most important distinction is the shortage of an integral suppressor—comprehensible, for the reason that 636 CLET is supposed to be a non-NFA firearm.
However the lengthy handguards, barrel placement, and slickside higher instantly echo the Colt DEA SMG design. In a market stuffed with modernized PCCs and accessorized AR builds, the CLET stands out exactly as a result of it doesn’t attempt to be trendy. It retains the unusual appeal and agency-specific quirks that made the unique so recognizable.
The Colt DEA setup was a type of “solely the federal government would order this” weapons. It didn’t turn out to be well-known. It didn’t turn out to be widespread. However for the shooters who take note of oddball LE variants, it’s an enchanting piece of American SMG historical past.
The H&R 636 CLET brings that historical past again to common shooters with out requiring a tax stamp, company credentials, or entry to a museum assortment. It fills a spot that no mainstream producer has bothered with—and that alone will appeal to collectors, retro AR followers, and anybody who remembers when subguns nonetheless had character.
Closing
The H&R 636 CLET isn’t attempting to compete with at this time’s PCCs. It’s a respectful homage to the Colt DEA SMG, constructed for shooters who keep in mind the period it got here from or who merely respect distinctive agency-driven designs.
It brings again a bit of DEA historical past that by no means acquired the highlight it deserved, and H&R recreated it with sufficient accuracy for fans to lastly personal a model of a gun most might beforehand solely examine.
If you need one thing completely different—one thing with roots in a really particular slice of American law-enforcement historical past—the 636 CLET is among the most fascinating current retro releases.
The place To Purchase
