The TRW Low Maintenance Rifle or LMR was a proposed insurgency weapon designed by TRW Inc. (formerly Thompson Ramo Wooldridge) of the United States during the Vietnam 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 same 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition and STANAG magazines as the M16 rifle. It would have been equipped with the M6 bayonet along with its M8A1 scabbard.
| TRW Low Maintenance Rifle | |
|---|---|
 The TRW LMR. Minor differences exist in the stock, handguard, and sights given the various prototypes made. | |
| Type | Full-automatic fire only insurgency assault rifle |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Donald A. Stoehr (1927-2011)[1] |
| Designed | February 1971[2] |
| Manufacturer | TRW Systems Group |
| Unit cost | Specified cost of less than $130 (1971),[3] |
| Produced | 1971—1973 |
| No. built | fewer than 10. |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Unloaded: 3.30 kg (7.3 lb)[4] Loaded: 3.64 kg (8.0 lb)[4] |
| Length | 871 mm (34.3 in)[4] |
| Barrel length | 493 mm (19.4 in)[5] |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Action | Roller locked open bolt gas-operated long-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-Round STANAG magazine[4] |
| Sights | Rear: Two-position flip aperture Front: Adjustable post |
Development began in 1971, and ceased in 1973 with the weapon never having been fielded.
See also
edit- Insurgency weapons and tactics
- FP-45 Liberator/Deer gun - insurgency handguns of similar concept.
- International Ordnance MP2 - another insurgency firearm derived from the Sten.
- Avenger submachine gun - improvised submachine gun made and used by Ulster Loyalists in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.
- Uru SMG - insurgency capable submachine gun.
- SACO Model 683 - insurgency capable submachine gun.
- 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 Company SR-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 from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
- ^ "The Gun Zone -- A 5.56 X 45mm "Timeline" 1970-1973". The Gun Zone. Archived from the original on September 25, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
- ^ Sellars, John R (19 September 2007). "Some Memories of My Career" (PDF). Aerospace Corporation. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g (Jorgensen 2003, p. 13)
- ^ a b c (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.