Stoner 63/63A
Technical Summary

Caliber:	5.56 x 45 mm NATO
Action:	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Mass:	6.9 kg (15 lbs)
Length:	1022 mm (40.25 in)
Barrel length:	508 mm (20 in)
Rate of fire:	700-1000 rpm
Ammunition feed:	Linked rounds 30-round box magazine
Effective range:	1100 m

The Stoner 63 is a modular assault rifle/LMG designed by Dr. Eugene Stoner. Image File history File links Stoner 63 light machine gun (file name is a misnomer) Taken from http://www. ... Image File history File links Stoner 63 assault rifle (file name is a misnomer) Taken from http://www. ... The word calibre (British English) or caliber (American English) designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. ... U.S. Military 5. ... In firearms terminology, an action is the system of operation that the firearm employs to seal the breech (in a breech-loading firearm), and to load consecutive rounds. ... The gas-operated system for implementing automatic reloading of a firearm is one of five such systems, the others being recoil-operated, gatling, chain, and blowback. ... Rotating bolt of a Sig 550 rifle. ... An M16 Magazine Various Mags A magazine (also called a mag) is an ammunition storage device within or attached to a firearm. ... M16A2 (US). ... A Home Army (Polish resistance) soldier equipped with an Brno ZB26 LMG during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with M16_(rifle)#Eugene_Stoner. ...

Overview

The system was first introduced in 1963 during Dr. Stoner's time at Cadillac Gage, which manufactured the weapon until 1971. The Cadillac Gage company is a military contractor that manufactures small arms, cannons and other weapon systems. ...

The concept behind the Stoner 63 was that of a weapon that could be easily reconfigured as a carbine, a rifle, or a light machine gun feeding linked ammunition from the left, right or top. The gas system was mounted in different positions depending on the weapon's configuration. The gun was complex and required high levels of maintenance to operate reliably, especially in the humid jungles of Vietnam where it made its debut. However, the SEALs who employed it did their part and showed that the Stoner 63 could be a very effective weapon. A carbine is a firearm similar to, but generally shorter and less powerful than a rifle or musket of a given period. ... A rifle is a firearm that uses a spiral groove cut into the barrel to spin a projectile (usually a bullet), thus improving accuracy and range of the projectile. ... A Home Army (Polish resistance) soldier equipped with an Brno ZB26 LMG during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. ... A belt feeding into an M249 machine gun, from an Army training manual A belt feeding into a M1919A4 from a wooden ammo box A belt is an ammunition feeding device for a firearm. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In 1963, the Stoner 63 was sent to the US Marines for evaluation, where it made a positive impression with its light weight and high ammunition capacity. The Marines tested the gun for six months and submitted recommendations for improvements to the design—these included a stainless steel gas tube, a two-position fire selector with separate safety, ejection port dust covers and modifications to the belt feed mechanism. The upgrades were built into the Stoner 63A, which began production in 1966. United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military. ... In metallurgy, stainless steel (inox) is defined as a ferrous alloy with a minimum of 10. ...

In 1970 the US Army designated the LMG configuration XM207 and deployed it to select Army Special Forces units for evaluation. However, due to its complexity and high maintenance requirements (especially when compared to the new Colt M16), the design was rejected, and the project was dropped in 1971. Around 4,000 63 and 63A units were built in total. Most of them continued to see use aboard US Navy ships, under the designation Mk 23 Mod 0. By the late 1980s, the Stoner 63 was completely phased out in favor of the new M249 SAW, and most of remaining guns were destroyed. Today, surviving models number in the dozens. US Army Seal HHC, US Army Distinctive Unit Insignia The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army Special Forces, the Green Berets. ... M16 is the U.S. Military designation for a family of rifles derived from the ArmaLite AR-15. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... For the religious order known as the Minimi (Minims, Order of the Minims), see Minim (religious order). ... A squad automatic weapon (SAW) is a light or general-purpose machine gun, usually equipped with a bipod and firing a 7. ...

However, the ammunition links used in the Stoner 63 were later modified to become the M27 links used in modern 5.56 mm machine guns like the M249. Robinson Armament Co. also produces the M96 Expeditionary Weapon System, which is technically different, but looks like and has some of the features and configurations of the Stoner system. The rifles are mainly semi-automatic civilian firearms. U.S. Military 5. ... History Products Robinson Armament is known for producing the M96 Carbine, the Robinson Arms XCR and selling the VEPR series of semi-automatic Kalashnikov clones. ... The M96 is a semi-automatic rifle made by the Robinson Armaments Company of Salt Lake City, Utah. ...

Variants

The Stoner 63 design could be rapidly reconfigured into the following weapons:

• Stoner 63/63A Rifle
• Stoner 63/63A Carbine
• Stoner 63/63A Commando
• Stoner 63/63A LMG
• Stoner 63/63A MMG
• Stoner 63/63A Fixed Machine Gun

The rifle, carbine, and Commando LMG variants were all given designations by the US Military. They are as follows.

In Fiction

• Ironarm uses this weapon to take out Werejaguar beasts in Spriggan.
• Was used by the T-800 during the police station rampage in film The Terminator.

Spriggan is a manga comic series, which was created by Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa during the early 90s. ... The T-800 (full designation: Cyberdyne Systems Series 800-850 Model 101) is an android, programmed to kill, in the fictional universe of the Terminator movies. ... The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction-action film which became the break-through role for former body-builder Arnold Schwarzenegger. ...

External links

• Mongo's Stoner 63A Page
• Robinson Arms page on M96 rifles