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LOT 385
Highly Desirable Cadillac Gage Stoner 63 Modular Belt Fed
Machine Gun, Class III/NFA C&R Fully Transferable Machine
Gun, with Bayonet and Accessories - Serial no. 003052,
223/5.56 mm NATO cal., 20 inch round bbl., black/gray parkerized
finish, metal stock. Offered here is an iconic legend in the world
of machine guns, an immensely desirable and scarce fully
transferable Vietnam War era Stoner 63 modular machine gun,
as manufactured between September 1964-1971 at the Cadillac
Gage plant in Warren, Michigan, after production was moved
from the Costa Mesa, California facility where production of the
first batch of approximately 230 was commenced in February
1963. According to “Weapons of the Navy SEALs” by Dockery,
there were approximately 4,000 Stoner 63 and 63A machine gun
units in total manufactured by the Cadillac Gage company, with
only an extremely small percentage of those surviving today
as the majority were destroyed after military service. This lot
is accompanied by a large array of accessories that enable this
machine gun to be assembled in a wide variety of configurations.
It is currently fitted with a quick release 20 inch light machine
gun type heavy profile barrel, with 63A features including a
commando type bottom located charging handle, ejection port
dust cover, a stainless steel gas cylinder, and a two-position fire
selector with separate safety located ahead of the trigger. It also
features an elevation adjustable post front and adjustable peep
and ladder rear sight, a birdcage flash hider and bayonet lug on
the LMG barrel with adjustable gas block, synthetic commando
type forearm, ventilated receiver, right-handed “SEMI”/”AUTO”
selector markings on the 63A LMG/commando type lower trigger
housing assembly, firing from an open bolt, with a safety located
ahead of the trigger, 63A LMG/commando type left-feed top cover
fitted with a drum magazine, checkered black synthetic pistol grip
and fixed steel wire buttstock with flip-up wire shoulder rest. The
barrel, forearm, buttstock, rear sight base and trigger housing can
all be easily disassembled by hand and reassembled/reconfigured
without dedicated tools.
One of the many notable products of famed American arms
designer Eugene Stoner (of AR-10, M16/AR-15, and AR-18/180
fame, among others), the genesis of the 63 was in the early 60s,
shortly after his departure from Armalite. Working with Cadillac
Gage’s west coast establishment in Costa Mesa, California, Stoner
developed a modular weapon system, intended to be capable
of a radical degree of customization at the field armorer level,
creating a receiver that could be reconfigured rapidly for mission
and environment; while a number of modern weapons designs
have touched on this sort of flexibility, this was an exceptional
capability for the era. Developed with an eye for military sales,
the Stoner 63/63A machine guns were issued on a limited basis
in a variety of configurations to the U.S. Marine Corps and select
elements of the U.S. Navy SEALs and U.S. Army Special Forces
operating in Southeast Asia, where they found fans among the
elite units who effectively used them in the jungles, solidifying
their place in history as one of the most legendary machine
gun platforms of all time. The system was not adopted for
widespread general use; while it had many virtues, and was
considerably refined with user feedback, it was more complex and
maintenance intensive than the M16 rifle. While production ended
in 1971, the 63 and 63A were retained by the U.S. Navy SEALs well
into the 1980s, only being fully retired with the adoption of the
M249 Squad Automatic Weapon; the bulk of the Stoners still in
inventory are believed to have been destroyed. The receiver bears
the “STONER 63.223 CAL.” model and caliber markings along with
the serial number, Cadillac Gage Company manufacturer marking
and Warren, Michigan address markings.
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