Stoner 63
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Stoner 63 light machine gun |
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Stoner 63 automatic rifle |
The
Stoner 63 is a modular weapon system designed by
Eugene Stoner.
The system was introduced in 1963 during Stoner's time at
Cadillac Gage, which manufactured the weapon until 1971.
The Stoner 63 was produced in several configurations, which had limited parts commonality. These variants included a
carbine, an
assault rifle, and various
light machine guns feeding
linked ammunition from the left or right. The gas system was mounted in different positions depending on the weapon's configuration. The guns were complex and required high levels of maintenance to operate reliably, especially in the humid jungles of
Vietnam where they made their debut. However, the
Navy SEALs who carried them into combat did their part, and showed that the Stoner 63 could be a very effective weapon.
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.
During 1967, the Stoner 63A system was field tested by Company L (Lima Company),
3rd Battalion,
1st Marine Regiment,
1st Marine Division. Riflemen were issued the weapon in the Rifle configuration, while officers and certain other personnel received the Carbine. The Automatic Rifle configuration was deployed on a limited basis in the
squad automatic role, while Lima's weapons platoon received both the LMG and MMG configurations.
In 1970, the
US Army designated the Commando 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. However, by the late 1980s the Stoner 63 was completely phased out in favor of the new
M249 SAW, and most of the remaining guns were destroyed. Today, surviving models number in the dozens.
A lasting contribution of the 63 project is the ammunition link used in the belt-fed variants - it was later modified to become the M27 link used in modern
5.56 mm machine guns like the M249.
Robinson Armament Co. also produces the
semi-automatic M96 Expeditionary Weapon System which, though technically different, was based on the Stoner 63 design, and thus has some of its features and configurations.
Stoner 63/63A Rifle:A standard assault rifle fed from below by a 30-round box magazine. Spent shells are ejected to the right. The cocking handle and gas system are mounted above the barrel. Unlike the belt-fed configurations, the Rifle fires from
closed bolt. The rifle configuration was field tested by the USMC for a short period during 1967.
Stoner 63/63A Carbine:The Carbine is similar to the Rifle configuration, but with a shorter barrel and a folding
stock. The carbine configuration was field tested by the USMC for a short period during 1967.
Stoner 63/63A Automatic Rifle:The AR is a closed-bolt rifle feeding ammunition from a top-mounted, 30-round magazine. The front and rear sights are offset to the left to compensate for the magazine's position. The AR does not have a semi-automatic mode. The automatic rifle configuration was field tested by the USMC for a short period during 1967.
Stoner 63/63A Light Machine Gun:The LMG configuration fires from an
open bolt and is fed from the right by linked ammunition kept in a 100-round plastic box. The receiver is identical to the Rifle variants, but inverted, so that spent shells and links are ejected to the left. The LMG has a quick-change barrel and a bottom-mounted gas tube. The LMG configuration was field tested by the USMC for a short period during 1967.
Stoner 63/63A Medium Machine Gun:Identical to the LMG configuration. The difference is that the MMG comes with a separate adaptor than can be used to attach the weapon to an
M2 tripod. The MMG configuration was field tested by the USMC for a short period during 1967.
Stoner 63/63A Fixed Machine Gun:Internally identical to the LMG configuration. Externally, the front sights, rear sights, foregrip and pistol grip are all removed. The trigger is activated remotely by a 24V
solenoid. The FMG was designed for use with the
V-100 APC, but was never officially adopted.
Stoner 63/63A Commando:The Commando is a derivative of the LMG configuration. It is fed from the right by a 100-round drum magazine clipped below the receiver. The cocking handle is mounted underneath the foregrip for easier access. To save weight, the Commando eschews the quick-change barrel found on the other belt-fed configurations. This variant was used by some
US Navy SEAL units in Vietnam.
Stoner 63 Survival Rifle:The Survival Rifle was designed in 1964 to compete with the
Colt Model 608 (Colt Commando) as an airman self-defense weapon. It is mechanically similar to the Rifle configuration, but has several external modifications made to fit into
Air Force size constraints. These include a shortened receiver, an absent foregrip, and a top-mounted cocking handle. The Survival Rifle does not incorporate the 63A upgrades. Only one prototype was ever produced.
The rifle, carbine, and Commando LMG variants were all given designations by the US Military. They are as follows:
| US Army Designation | US Navy Designation! Description | | XM22 | N/A | Stoner 63, Rifle configuration |
| XM22E1 | N/A | Stoner 63A, Rifle configuration |
| XM23 | N/A | Stoner 63, Carbine configuration |
| XM207 | N/A | Stoner 63, Commando configuration |
| XM207E1 | Mk 23 Mod 0 | Stoner 63A, Commando configuration |
*
Modern Firearms*
Mongo's Stoner 63A Page*
Robinson Arms page on M96 rifles
