TRW Low Maintenance Rifle
| TRW Low Maintenance Rifle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Full-automaticfire onlyinsurgencyassault rifle |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Donald A. Stoehr (1927-2011)[1] |
| Designed | February 1971[2] |
| Manufacturer | TRWSystems Group |
| Unit cost | Specified cost of less than $130 (1971),[3] |
| Produced | 1971—1973 |
| No.built | fewer than 10. |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Unloaded:3.30kg(7.3lb)[4] Loaded:3.64kg(8.0lb)[4] |
| Length | 871 mm (34.3 in)[4] |
| Barrellength | 493 mm (19.4 in)[5] |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Action | Roller lockedopen bolt gas-operatedlong-stroke piston |
| Rate of fire | 450 RPM Cyclic[4] |
| Muzzle velocity | 3,248 ft/s (990 m/s)[4][5] |
| Effective firing range | 460 metres (1,510 ft)[4] |
| Maximum firing range | 2,425 metres (7,956 ft)[5] |
| Feed system | 20, 30-RoundSTANAG magazine[4] |
| Sights | Rear:Two-position flipaperture Front:Adjustable post |
TheTRWLow Maintenance RifleorLMRwas a proposedinsurgency weapondesigned by TRW Inc. (formerly Thompson Ramo Wooldridge) of theUnited Statesduring theVietnam War.The intent was to produce an easy-to-use and operate firearm which could be disseminated to insurgent forces supporting the United States' military interests. The design utilized the same5.56×45mm NATOammunition andSTANAGmagazinesas theM16 rifle.It would have been equipped with theM6 bayonetalong with its M8A1 scabbard.
Development began in 1971, and ceased in 1973 with the weapon never having been fielded.
See also[edit]
- FP-45 Liberator/Deer gun- insurgency handguns of similar concept.
- International Ordnance MP2- another insurgency firearm derived from theSten.
- Avenger submachine gun - improvised submachine gun made and used byUlsterLoyalistsinNorthern IrelandduringThe Troubles.
- FG 42/Sturmgewehr 52- rifles of similar external design.
- Sterling 7.62- an "emergency standby weapon" of British origin.
- MG 30- a light machine gun of similar external design.
- Knight's Armament CompanySR-47 - an assault rifle that was intended to have similarly high reliability as the LMR.
References[edit]
- Notes
- ^"The Firearm Blog ».50 BMG Flechette rifle".The Firearm Blog.24 February 2009. Archived fromthe originalon April 9, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 22,2010.
- ^"The Gun Zone -- A 5.56 X 45mm" Timeline "1970-1973".The Gun Zone.Archived fromthe originalon September 25, 2012.RetrievedSeptember 22,2010.
- ^Sellars, John R (19 September 2007)."Some Memories of My Career"(PDF).Aerospace Corporation. p. 17. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 July 2010.Retrieved11 May2013.
- ^abcdefg(Jorgensen 2003,p. 13)
- ^abc(Dockery 1983,p. 49)
- Sources
- Dockery, Kevin (1983).The Armory Volume 1: Gunpowder Era Weapons from the Fourteenth Century to the Present.Ann Arbor, Michigan: Firebird Limited.
- Jorgensen, Dana (2003).Big Bang -- The Mostly Illustrated RPG Guide to Firearms: Experimental Weapons. Vol. 3.Alternate Realities Publications.