M6 aircrew survival weapon

The Ithaca M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon, listed by its maker's page as the M6 Aircrew Survival Rifle, was a folding combination gun issued to United States Air Force airmen who might be downed behind enemy lines. It succeeded the earlier M4 survival rifle of 1949 and gave a downed crew member a light way to hunt small game while waiting for rescue. Ithaca Gun Company built it as an over-under, break-action arm, with a .22 Hornet rifle barrel above a .410 shotgun barrel and a firing pin selector to choose between them. It was made largely of stamped sheet steel with rubber on the butt plate and cheekpiece, weighed about 4.5 pounds and measured about 28 inches, or 15 inches when folded. The hollow stock held nine .22 Hornet cartridges and four .410 shells. Development began in 1946 under the Army Air Forces, and the weapon served from 1952 until it was given up in the 1970s.