63'' Length

The Stoner 63 is a modular firearm system produced by Cadillac Gage and designed primarily by Eugene Stoner of the 1960s. It is often known by its US military designation Mk 23 Mod 0. more...

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Overview

The system was introduced in 1963 during Stoner's time at Cadillac Gage, which manufactured the weapon until 1971. It is covered under U.S. Patent 3,198,076 .

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.

Read more at Wikipedia.org