"Stoner LMG" redirects here. For other uses, see Stoner 63.
The Knight's Armament Company Light Assault Machine Gun (LAMG) is a light machine gun system developed by Eugene Stoner and manufactured by Knight's Armament Company (KAC). It was previously known as the Knight's Armament Company LMG. It is the current evolution of the Stoner Light Machine Gun concept.[3][4]
The KAC LAMG's lineage can be traced back to the Stoner 63, which was designed by Eugene Stoner. The Stoner 63 was a lightweight, highly configurable machine gun that saw heavy use by U.S. Special Forces during the Vietnam War. Though it was highly regarded by small specialized units, the Stoner 63 required a lot of maintenance to run properly; therefore, it was never adopted by standard infantry units.
In 1971, Eugene Stoner founded the firearms company, ARES Incorporated. In 1986, Stoner and ARES introduced the ARES LMG-1 (AKA Stoner 86). The LMG-1 was Stoner's concept for a Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). Like the Stoner 63, the LMG-1 was very lightweight, weighing only 12 lb (5.47 kg). It could also accept both an ammunition belt and STANAG magazines. Despite its merits, the LMG-1 was never adopted by a military unit. Instead, the FN Minimi would become the LMG of choice for many militaries around the world, including the United States military. Eugene Stoner would leave ARES Inc. in 1989.
In 1990, Eugene Stoner re-emerged on the scene with his partnership with Reed Knight Jr. and Knight's Armament Company (KAC). The two made many groundbreaking products, including the SR-25. In 1996, Stoner and Knight's Armament developed the KAC Stoner LMG (AKA Stoner 96). Unlike the Stoner 63 and LMG-1, the Stoner 96 was strictly a belt-fed weapon. The Stoner 96 LMG was extremely lightweight, weighing just under 10 lb (4.5 kg).
Following the death of Eugene Stoner in 1997, Knight's Armament Company decided to further improve upon his design. In 2017, Knight's Armament Company unveiled the KAC LMG/LAMG family of machine guns. The LMG (now named, LAMG) is chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge and the LAMG (now named, AMG) is chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO. Many features on the platform are unlike that of any other Light Machine Gun currently available. The LAMG and AMG weigh 11.4 lb (5.1 kg) and 13.9 lb (6.3 kg) respectively. In the design, Knight's Armament implemented the constant recoil system that was originally designed for the Ultimax 100. This resulted in the gun being extremely controllable, producing very little felt recoil. Knight's also implemented Magpul furniture for enhanced ergonomics. The LAMG and AMG can also be outfitted with sound suppressors.
Currently, there are few military users of the KAC LAMG/AMG system; however, it is highly regarded within the firearms industry as the latest evolution of the light machine gun. Notably, however, recent photos show the KAC LAMG has been adopted by USASOC in limited quantities, potentially for evaluation purposes.[5]
Designedit
The LAMG was intended to be lightweight but reliable. It is an open bolt, belt-fed, gas operated, air-cooled light machine gun utilizing the Constant Recoil system found on other machine guns such as Ultimax 100, designed by Stoner 63 contributor Jim Sullivan. In this system the bolt carrier group is fully decelerated by the return spring before hitting the housing to minimize felt recoil and improve controllability. For this reason, the KAC LAMG lacks a bolt buffer.
The belt feed mechanism is a lever-type one, somewhat reminiscent of the vz. 52 and the PK, but with an unusual exposed lever hinged at the side of the receiver swaying horizontally instead of vertically. The top cover above the feed tray is very short to allow for quicker reloading and the mounting a receiver-integral optics rail.[2] The KAC LMG is extremely accurate due to the secure mounting of the “quick change” hammer forged chrome lined barrel.[citation needed]
Variantsedit
ARES LMG-1edit
Introduced in 1986. Developed by Eugene Stoner and manufactured by ARES Inc.. Featured a magazine feed device, M16A2 pistol grip, and fixed tube stock.[citation needed]
KAC Stoner LMGedit
Introduced in 1996. Developed by Eugene Stoner and Reed Knight Jr.. Manufactured by Knight's Armament Company (KAC). Simplified derivative of the ARES LMG-1, lacking the magazine feed device. Has shorter barrel and M4 carbine type retractable stock for Close Quarters Battle (CQB) and Picatinny rails for sights/grips/bipods etc.[citation needed]
KAC ChainSAWedit
The Chain SAW was originally developed in 2008 as a technical exercise to test new ergonomic designs for light machine guns. The Chain SAW was designed to only be fired from the hip, with a handle along the top to hold the firearm (which is mounted instead of a stock) meaning the user would wield the Chain SAW as if they were using an actual chainsaw. As the Chain SAW is intended to be hip-fired, various targeting aids were developed alongside it to aid the aiming and accuracy, although KAC admits that more work on targeting aids will have to be made before the Chain SAW could be produced and used effectively.[citation needed]
KAC LAMG and AMGedit
Introduced in 2017 in both 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×51mm NATO. Both versions feature Magpul polymer pistol grips and butt stocks. Both are constructed of mostly aluminum and can be outfitted with Knight's Armament QDC sound suppressors. The AMG variant can be configured to fire 6.5mm Creedmoor as well as .260 Remington,[3] 6.8mm PCP Ammunition polymer case-metal cartridge or .277 True Velocity polymer cased ammo.[6]
^ abcde"LW-AMG". Knight's Armament. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
^ abF, Nathaniel (9 October 2017). "7.62mm Lightweight Machine Gun Unveiled by Knight's Armament Company [AUSA 2017] -". The Firearm Blog. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
^"Smallarms56019.JPG (693x890 pixels)". Archived from the original on 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
^ ab"R/SpecOpsArchive - KAC LAMG in USASOC Service". 6 July 2021.
^"True Velocity Extends the Benefits of Their 'Next Gen' 6.8 TVCM Ammo to Currently Fielded Weapons -". 4 June 2021.
External linksedit
The Stoner LMG on KAC's Official Site
Stoner 86 patent
Stoner Model 86
Modern Firearms: ARES Stoner 86 and Stoner 96 / Knights LMG
KAC LMG
October 28, 2023
knight, armament, company, lamg, stoner, redirects, here, other, uses, stoner, knight, armament, company, light, assault, machine, lamg, light, machine, system, developed, eugene, stoner, manufactured, knight, armament, company, previously, known, knight, arma. Stoner LMG redirects here For other uses see Stoner 63 The Knight s Armament Company Light Assault Machine Gun LAMG is a light machine gun system developed by Eugene Stoner and manufactured by Knight s Armament Company KAC It was previously known as the Knight s Armament Company LMG It is the current evolution of the Stoner Light Machine Gun concept 3 4 Stoner Light Machine GunTypeLight machine gunPlace of originUnited StatesService historyUsed bySee UsersProduction historyDesignerEugene StonerDesigned1986ManufacturerAres Incorporated Knight s Armament CompanyProduced1986 1993 1996 2018 presentVariantsSee VariantsSpecificationsMass5 47 kilograms 12 1 lb LMG 1 4 5 kilograms 9 9 lb KAC LMG 5 1 kilograms 11 lb LAMG 1 6 31 kilograms 13 9 lb AMG 2 Length895 millimetres 35 2 in 890 millimetres 35 in LAMG 1 1 085 1 168 millimetres 42 7 46 0 in AMG 2 Barrel length381 millimetres 15 0 in LAMG 1 508 millimetres 20 0 in AMG 2 Cartridge5 56 45mm NATO LMG 1 LMG LAMG 7 62 51mm NATO AMG 6 5 Creedmoor AMG 2 Barrels1 7 Twist Hammer Forged Chrome Lined 1 ActionOpen bolt Constant Recoil Gas OperatedRate of fire550 600 rounds min LAMG 500 525 rounds min AMG 1 Feed systemM27 linked disintegrating belt LAMG SightsIron sights and Picatinny rail for various optics Contents 1 Development 2 Design 3 Variants 3 1 ARES LMG 1 3 2 KAC Stoner LMG 3 3 KAC ChainSAW 3 4 KAC LAMG and AMG 4 Users 5 References 6 External linksDevelopment editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message The KAC LAMG s lineage can be traced back to the Stoner 63 which was designed by Eugene Stoner The Stoner 63 was a lightweight highly configurable machine gun that saw heavy use by U S Special Forces during the Vietnam War Though it was highly regarded by small specialized units the Stoner 63 required a lot of maintenance to run properly therefore it was never adopted by standard infantry units In 1971 Eugene Stoner founded the firearms company ARES Incorporated In 1986 Stoner and ARES introduced the ARES LMG 1 AKA Stoner 86 The LMG 1 was Stoner s concept for a Squad Automatic Weapon SAW Like the Stoner 63 the LMG 1 was very lightweight weighing only 12 lb 5 47 kg It could also accept both an ammunition belt and STANAG magazines Despite its merits the LMG 1 was never adopted by a military unit Instead the FN Minimi would become the LMG of choice for many militaries around the world including the United States military Eugene Stoner would leave ARES Inc in 1989 In 1990 Eugene Stoner re emerged on the scene with his partnership with Reed Knight Jr and Knight s Armament Company KAC The two made many groundbreaking products including the SR 25 In 1996 Stoner and Knight s Armament developed the KAC Stoner LMG AKA Stoner 96 Unlike the Stoner 63 and LMG 1 the Stoner 96 was strictly a belt fed weapon The Stoner 96 LMG was extremely lightweight weighing just under 10 lb 4 5 kg Following the death of Eugene Stoner in 1997 Knight s Armament Company decided to further improve upon his design In 2017 Knight s Armament Company unveiled the KAC LMG LAMG family of machine guns The LMG now named LAMG is chambered in 5 56 45mm NATO cartridge and the LAMG now named AMG is chambered in 7 62 51mm NATO Many features on the platform are unlike that of any other Light Machine Gun currently available The LAMG and AMG weigh 11 4 lb 5 1 kg and 13 9 lb 6 3 kg respectively In the design Knight s Armament implemented the constant recoil system that was originally designed for the Ultimax 100 This resulted in the gun being extremely controllable producing very little felt recoil Knight s also implemented Magpul furniture for enhanced ergonomics The LAMG and AMG can also be outfitted with sound suppressors Currently there are few military users of the KAC LAMG AMG system however it is highly regarded within the firearms industry as the latest evolution of the light machine gun Notably however recent photos show the KAC LAMG has been adopted by USASOC in limited quantities potentially for evaluation purposes 5 Design editThe LAMG was intended to be lightweight but reliable It is an open bolt belt fed gas operated air cooled light machine gun utilizing the Constant Recoil system found on other machine guns such as Ultimax 100 designed by Stoner 63 contributor Jim Sullivan In this system the bolt carrier group is fully decelerated by the return spring before hitting the housing to minimize felt recoil and improve controllability For this reason the KAC LAMG lacks a bolt buffer The belt feed mechanism is a lever type one somewhat reminiscent of the vz 52 and the PK but with an unusual exposed lever hinged at the side of the receiver swaying horizontally instead of vertically The top cover above the feed tray is very short to allow for quicker reloading and the mounting a receiver integral optics rail 2 The KAC LMG is extremely accurate due to the secure mounting of the quick change hammer forged chrome lined barrel citation needed Variants editARES LMG 1 edit Introduced in 1986 Developed by Eugene Stoner and manufactured by ARES Inc Featured a magazine feed device M16A2 pistol grip and fixed tube stock citation needed KAC Stoner LMG edit Introduced in 1996 Developed by Eugene Stoner and Reed Knight Jr Manufactured by Knight s Armament Company KAC Simplified derivative of the ARES LMG 1 lacking the magazine feed device Has shorter barrel and M4 carbine type retractable stock for Close Quarters Battle CQB and Picatinny rails for sights grips bipods etc citation needed KAC ChainSAW edit The Chain SAW was originally developed in 2008 as a technical exercise to test new ergonomic designs for light machine guns The Chain SAW was designed to only be fired from the hip with a handle along the top to hold the firearm which is mounted instead of a stock meaning the user would wield the Chain SAW as if they were using an actual chainsaw As the Chain SAW is intended to be hip fired various targeting aids were developed alongside it to aid the aiming and accuracy although KAC admits that more work on targeting aids will have to be made before the Chain SAW could be produced and used effectively citation needed KAC LAMG and AMG edit Introduced in 2017 in both 5 56 45mm NATO and 7 62 51mm NATO Both versions feature Magpul polymer pistol grips and butt stocks Both are constructed of mostly aluminum and can be outfitted with Knight s Armament QDC sound suppressors The AMG variant can be configured to fire 6 5mm Creedmoor as well as 260 Remington 3 6 8mm PCP Ammunition polymer case metal cartridge or 277 True Velocity polymer cased ammo 6 Users edit nbsp United States USASOC 5 References edit a b c d e STONER KAC ASSAULT MACHINE GUN Knight s Armamemt Knight s Armament Retrieved 14 May 2019 a b c d e LW AMG Knight s Armament Retrieved 14 May 2019 a b F Nathaniel 9 October 2017 7 62mm Lightweight Machine Gun Unveiled by Knight s Armament Company AUSA 2017 The Firearm Blog Retrieved 14 May 2019 Smallarms56019 JPG 693x890 pixels Archived from the original on 2012 07 16 Retrieved 2010 07 19 a b R SpecOpsArchive KAC LAMG in USASOC Service 6 July 2021 True Velocity Extends the Benefits of Their Next Gen 6 8 TVCM Ammo to Currently Fielded Weapons 4 June 2021 External links editThe Stoner LMG on KAC s Official Site Stoner 86 patent Stoner Model 86 Modern Firearms ARES Stoner 86 and Stoner 96 Knights LMG KAC LMG Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Knight 27s Armament Company LAMG amp oldid 1181438677, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
