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Shooting the Stoner: Mk23, Bren, and 63A Carbine
Forgotten Weapons ^ | 8dec18 | Ian McCollum

Posted on 12/10/2018 5:50:31 AM PST by vannrox

This article consists of a video found HERE. It's actually a pretty good video.

Some comments...

Is the Stoner 63 really as good of a gun as everyone says? Today is my first opportunity to try one out on the range, and I’m going to look at it in three different configurations: the Mk23 SEAL light machine gun, the “Bren” style automatic rifle, and the carbine. Let’s see how it handles!

I owe a tremendous thanks to Movie Armaments Group in Toronto for the opportunity to take the Stoner kit out to the range! Check them out on Instagram to see many of the guns in their extensive collection: https://instagram.com/moviearmamentsgroup

Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
PO Box 87647
Tucson, AZ 85754


Fantastic video, Ian. What were the problems with the Stoner System that caused the U.S. Military to not adopt at least the belt fed and magazine fed machine guns.

Parts breakage that got progressively worse after couple 1000s of rounds. Stoner 63 was tested in Yugoslavia in 1969. as an potential weapons for a paratroopers, but it turned out that after average 2500-3000 rounds through each weapon parts started breaking at unacceptable rate, which put an end to a tests.

The point is that the Stoner 63 system was good for specialists, but not good for ordinary grunts. This is probably the reason why the Nikonov can’t replace the AK rifles; too freakishly complicated for conscripted/emergency-drafted people. And let’s not even get into the issues of the SA-80. As Kalashnikov himself said, a standard infantry rifle must be an item that any random soldier can operate and maintain. “Evidently, British soldiers must all be geniuses.”


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ammo; chat; gun; stoner; weapon
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To: NFHale
Robinson Armaments made the M96 Expeditionary, based on the Stoner M63 rifle. Semi auto only, no Happy Switch... (sigh).... Not being produced, no parts, no service support either, unfortunately. But they’re out there if you got the $$$.

I might be induced to part with mine for the right price. The M96 was ahead of its time, although it took me a while to get them to fix the initial quality control problems. Right now though, it's an awesome rifle that shoots better than any AR platform I own.

21 posted on 12/12/2018 2:46:32 PM PST by FateAmenableToChange
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To: Bender2
Checked for any M96s for sale and could only find two but they had been sold without any mention of sales price--

Mine cost $1500 new. When RobArms stopped making them, the price dropped to about $900. I'm seeing them go for between $900 and $2500 depending on serial number, condition, and whether it's rifle or carbine. Early ones had serious quality control issues. A bunch of friends and I bought ours at the same time. My original bbl and op rod were bad, but RobArms sent me a new chrome lined bbl and upgraded op rod and it is now a very good shooter.

22 posted on 12/12/2018 2:50:21 PM PST by FateAmenableToChange
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To: FateAmenableToChange

“... to part with mine for the right price....”

It’s out of my league right now, $$$-wise.


23 posted on 12/13/2018 4:23:05 AM PST by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: vannrox

Do you just plain like firearms? Or do you support the American 2nd Amendment in principle? If so, do check out this BOLD new website before they censor it: https://GunDynamics.com


24 posted on 03/03/2019 7:36:32 PM PST by 2harddrive (Go to www.CodeIsFreeSpeech.com for 10 FREE 3D-printer gun blueprints!)
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To: 2harddrive

Thanks for the link. I will add to my blogroll. (And visit it, of course.) The ownership of firearms is a foundational principle of liberty. When anyone tries, in any way, no matter how innocuous, to restrict or impinge on that right... our liberty is at risk.


25 posted on 03/03/2019 10:03:53 PM PST by vannrox (The Preamble to the Bill of Rights - without it, our Bill of Rights is meaningless!)
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To: FateAmenableToChange

I know this is a dead thread, but what kind of price are you looking to get out of your M96 FateAmenableToChange? Does it have the 20” Barrel by chance?


26 posted on 10/31/2019 4:06:21 PM PDT by SamJay
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