Knight's Armament LAMG
Knight's Armament Company · Machine Gun · In Production · 2017
Also known as: Stoner 96, KAC LMG, Stoner LMG
Overview
The Knight's Armament LAMG (Light Assault Machine Gun), formerly marketed as the Stoner 96 / KAC LMG, is a belt-fed 5.56x45mm NATO light machine gun. It is gas operated by a long-stroke piston below the barrel driving a multi-lug rotary bolt, and fires from an open bolt in full-automatic only. Its defining feature is a constant-recoil operating system in which the bolt is decelerated over its full travel by the main spring rather than slamming into the receiver, dramatically reducing felt recoil and keeping the weapon on target during sustained fire. Weighing roughly 5.1 kg (about 11 lb) empty - far lighter than most belt-fed LMGs - and feeding from M27 disintegrating links via the left side, with optional 100/150/200-round magazine containers, it is among the lightest and most controllable machine guns in its class.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 5100 g (179.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 900 mm (35.43") |
| Barrel Length | 381 mm (15.00") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Magazine Capacity | 200 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Belt |
| Muzzle Velocity | 940 m/s (3084 fps) |
| Effective Range | 800 m (875 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 575 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 178 mm (7.01") |
| Frame Material | Aluminum Alloy |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Anodized |
Calibers
- 5.56x45mm NATO · primary · 5.56mm NATO — also known as 5.56 NATO, 5.56x45mm, .223 Remington (parent)
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Disintegrating Belt, M27 Linked, Magazine Container
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Constant Recoil System, Long Stroke Gas Piston, Rotary Bolt, Quick Change Barrel, Cold Hammer Forged Barrel, Chrome Lined Barrel, Integral Optic Rail, Ambidextrous Controls, Picatinny Rails, Left Side Belt Feed, Magazine Container Compatible
Variants
- Knight's Armament AMG — Caliber Conversion
Production
Production years: 2017-present
Entered limited production around 2016-2017; no large-scale military adoption confirmed
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Eugene Stoner
Notes
Cyclic rate is a deliberately low 550-600 rpm to aid controllability. An integral optic rail is machined into the receiver rather than the feed-tray cover for repeatable zero. The 7.62x51mm AMG (Assault Machine Gun) is the scaled-up sibling. As of the mid-2020s no major military had formally adopted the LAMG, though it has been evaluated by US special operations units.
Background
The LAMG descends from Eugene Stoner's later work - the modular Stoner 63 and the Stoner 96 light machine gun developed after Stoner partnered with Reed Knight Jr. in 1990. Its constant-recoil operating principle traces to the system Stoner devised for the Ultimax 100, which lets a roughly 9-11 lb belt-fed gun produce so little felt recoil that it can be fired controllably one-handed or from the shoulder like a rifle, rivalling weapons nearly twice its weight.