Stoner M63 Light Machine Gun

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 11:43 Written by Administrator Thursday, 02 July 2009 03:34

The Stoner M63 light machine gun is an American weapons system designed by Eugene Stoner, L. James Sullivan and Robert Fremont. It was employed in limited numbers during the Vietnam War and is also used by several law enforcement agencies in the United States today.

The first working designs of the Stoner M63 were completed in 1962. It was designed to use the 7.62x51mm NATO round and was designated as Stoner M69W. It was named so to indicate its versatility because when the name is read upside down, it still reads the same. Later the gun was modified to use the promising 5.56x45mm cartridge and this came to be known as Stoner 63. Around 200 of these guns were manufactured at the Costa Mesa facility and then production was shifted to the Cadillac gage plant in Warren, Michigan.

The initial versions were sent for field testing and the gun obtained positive reviews. However after months of field testing, the gun was found to be unreliable and unacceptable to be adopted into service. The Army submitted some suggestions which were incorporated into the design. The new version was called Stoner 63A and began production in the year 1966.

The design of the M63 was highly modular. It was chambered for the 5.56x45 mm round and could be configured as a general purpose machine gun with either a bipod or a tripod. It could be fed using 20-round magazine, belt feed or a box belt. It was capable of firing at 700 to 1000 rounds per minute and was effective up to 1000 meters.

The Stoner M63 was the basis of several other variants:

>> Stoner 63/63A Rifle: This version was designed as a standard assault rifle. It was tested by the US Military in 1967.

>> Stoner 63/63A Carbine: This version has a shorter barrel and foldable stock. It is similar to the 63/63A rifle in other regards.

>> Stoner 63/63A Automatic Rifle: This version is a closed-bolt rifle. It didn’t have a semi-automatic firing mode.

>> Stoner 63/63A Light Machine Gun: This variant fired from open-bolt and was fed using a linked ammunition belt from a 100-round polymer box.

>> Stoner 63/63A Medium Machine Gun: This is identical to the light machine gun accept that it could be mounted on tripods.

>> Stoner 63/63A Fixed Machine Gun: It was similar to the light machine gun but its trigger could be activated electrically.

>> Stoner 63/63A Commando: This was a LMG configuration with some of its weight reduced. This version was used on a limited scale in Vietnam.

>> Stoner 63 Survival Rifle: This version features a cut-down pistol grip and was primary intended for use as a self defence weapon by airmen.

The Stoner 63 is a useful weapon in any configuration. There is a possibility that in the future a modernized version of the Stoner 63 may achieve market success and lead to the creation of a new generation of modular weapons.

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