#IMT

We are all familiar with the AR15 and M16 and you’re almost certainly familiar with the man behind the design, Eugene Morrison Stoner. Well,  The Institute of Military Technology has put together a fascinating documentary telling the story of the man and the guns he designed. IMT are in the unique position of having many of Stoner’s prototypes in their collection as well as archival photographs and many of his original design papers and drawings.

Last week we looked at the Stoner 86/ARES LMG-1 in depth while at the Institute of Military Technology in Florida. This week we are comparing the older design to the much more modern Knight’s Armament 5.56x45mm NATO Light Assualt Machine Gun (LAMG) that the company brought to SHOT Show last year and this year. In addition to the 5.56x45mm version, there is also a 7.62x51mm version as well. Hopefully we’ll be able to get an in-depth look at it in the future, but for the time being, we were only able to see the smaller caliber version.

The Stoner 86/ ARES LMG-1 unfortunately never received much fanfare in the time that it was produced. Originally intended as Eugene Stoner’s concept idea for the SAW trials in what would later become the FN Herstal M249, it never reached full production potential. Truly a shame considering the well thought out features of the weapon system. Essentially Stoner was really updating his Stoner 63 LMG from the Vietnam era, bringing it into the 1980s. Whereas the Stoner 63 was conceived as a modular small arm with the ability to be converted from rifle to carbine, or even to an LMG, the Stoner 86/ARES LMG-1 was produced with the sole intent of being a lightweight LMG that could either be belt fed or magazine fed.

As the late, great Hognose would say – Bottom Line Up Front: Yours truly has secured a position working at the Institute of Military Technology in Florida. I will be starting the position later this month and have been in the meantime getting ready for a move across four states (almost 1,000 miles – 1,500 km for non-USians) to my new home on the East Coast. My new job will bring me to one of the largest collections of firearms in the US, and I’ll be working in the same building with one of the biggest names in firearms – Knight’s Armament Company.

Immediately following the Winchester Arms Collectors Association Annual Show in Cody, Wyoming this weekend, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s Cody Firearms Museum will be hosting a firearms symposium that boasts an impressive cadre of presenters from the firearms collecting world. The first day (Monday, July 17th 2017) is open to the public with free admission. The second day is reserved for firearms museum professionals.