{{infobox weapon , name = Robinson Armament M96 Expeditionary , image = , caption = M96 Expeditionary Rifle , origin = United States , type =

semi-automatic rifle A semi-automatic rifle is an autoloading rifle that fires a single cartridge with each pull of the trigger, and uses part of the fired cartridge's energy to eject the case and load another cartridge into the chamber. For comparison, a bolt-act ...

, is_ranged = yes , service = , used_by = , wars = , designer = , design_date = , manufacturer =

Robinson Armament Co. Robinson Armament Co. is a firearms manufacturer based in North Salt Lake, Utah, United States.Tom WhartonAt sprawling Vegas gun show, firearms and fiery talk mix ''Salt Lake Tribune'' (January 18, 2013). As of 2009, it employed 15 people.Brandon ...

, unit_cost = , production_date = 1999-2011 , number = , variants = Expeditionary Rifle
carbine
Recon Carbine
top-feed carbine ("Bren" configuration). , spec_label = , weight = , length = , part_length = 20" "Expeditionary Rifle"
17.5" carbine
16" "Recon Carbine"
17.5" barreled top-feed carbine ("Bren" configuration) , cartridge = 5.56 x 45mm NATO , cartridge_weight = , caliber = .223 , barrels = , action = gas operated, rotating bolt, long stroke piston , rate = , velocity = 3,150 ft/s (960 m/s) (M855A1 round) , range = 500 meters , max_range = , feed = STANAG magazine , sights = adjustable rear aperture and front protected post The Robinson M96 is a 5.56 x 45mm NATO,

based on the Stoner 63 Modular Weapon System. Made by the

, the M96 can be arranged in a variety configurations from a standard rifle with a 20' barrel, to a carbine with a 16" barrel or even a top-fed carbine with a 17.5" barrel.

Description

The Robinson M96 is based on the

Stoner 63 The Stoner 63 is a 5.56×45mm NATO modular weapon system. Using a variety of modular components, it can be configured as an assault rifle, carbine, top-fed light machine gun, belt-fed squad automatic weapon, or as a vehicle mounted weapon. Also ...

modular weapon system. It's chambered for the

.223 Remington The .223 Remington (designated as the 223 Remington by the SAAMI and 223 Rem by the CIP) is a rimless, bottlenecked rifle cartridge. It was developed in 1957 by Remington Arms and Fairchild Industries for the U.S. Continental Army Command ...

/ 5.56 mm NATO cartridge, and uses

STANAG 4179 In NATO, a standardization agreement (STANAG, redundantly: STANAG agreement) defines processes, procedures, terms, and conditions for common military or technical procedures or equipment between the member countries of the alliance. Each NATO st ...

AR-15 An AR-15-style rifle is any lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR-15 design. The original ArmaLite AR-15 is a scaled-down derivative of Eugene Stoner's ArmaLite AR-10 design. The then Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation d ...

magazines. Barrels have 1-in-9 twist ratio as is common for .223 Remington semiautomatic rifles. The M96 is

gas operated Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate locked breech, autoloading firearms. In gas-operation, a portion of high-pressure gas from the cartridge being fired is used to power a mechanism to dispose of the spent ...

, with a fixed gas cylinder and moving piston connected to the operating rod and bolt carrier. All variants are equipped with a gas regulator, which allows fine-tuning for low or high powered cartridges, outside temperature, etc. and is probably unique for a civilian rifle in this caliber. The bolt carrier has been specially designed for strength and slow cyclic rate for improved reliability. The M96 bolt is a six-lug design somewhat similar to an AR-15 bolt but with larger, stronger lugs. The M96 receiver is stamped stainless steel with a special blackening treatment. The barrel is

parkerized Phosphate conversion coating is a chemical treatment applied to steel parts that creates a thin adhering layer of iron, zinc, or manganese phosphates, to achieve corrosion resistance, lubrication, or as a foundation for subsequent coatings or pai ...

chromoly 41xx steel is a family of SAE steel grades, as specified by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Alloying elements include chromium and molybdenum, and as a result these materials are often informally referred to as chromoly steel (common va ...

steel and the stocks are molded plastic. Incidentally, the buttstock is the one part of the M96 that is interchangeable with the Stoner 63. The M96 has adjustable military-type sights (rear aperture and front protected post) and does not have a standard

scope mount Scope mounts are used to attach telescopic sights or other types of sights to firearms. The scope sight itself is usually made for only one of two main types of mounts, which can be classified as ''scopes for ring mounts'' (for example a 30 ...

Picatinny rail The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was o ...

Variants

The M96 has been offered in a 20" barrel rifle version (the "Expeditionary Rifle"), a 17.5" barreled

carbine A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and lighter ...

(no special name), a 16" barreled carbine (the "Recon Carbine"), and a 17.5" barreled top-feed carbine ("

Bren The Bren gun was a series of light machine guns (LMG) made by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1992. While best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces' primary infantry LMG in World War II, it was also used ...

" configuration). The M96 is nearly identical in external appearance to the

rifle/light machine gun, and was designed to be modular and configurable like the Stoner. However, the M96 has a somewhat different internal mechanism and is semi-auto only. No internal parts exchange between the M96 and the Stoner 63. In the mid-1990s a US-based Class-III manufacturer (Arms-Tech Ltd. located in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

) offered the "Revere" M96-A1 weapon system on the Law Enforcement market. It was basically a

selective-fire Selective fire is the capability of a weapon to be adjusted to fire in semi-automatic, fully automatic, and/or burst mode. The modes are chosen by means of a selector switch, which varies depending on the weapon's design. Some selective-fire we ...

conversion system that turned the standard M96 rifle in either a "Commando" 16" barreled STANAG magazine-fed carbine or a 20" barreled belt-fed

Squad Automatic Weapon A squad automatic weapon (SAW), also known as a section automatic weapon or light support weapon (LSW), is a man-portable automatic firearm attached to infantry squads or sections as a source of rapid direct firepower. Weapons fulfilling this ...

. It was never put into regular production because the Robinson M96 was discontinued. The M96 has a relatively small following, probably due in large part to its high price and new manufacturer. There do not appear to have been any military or law enforcement sales of the M96, probably for the same reasons. As of 2012, the rifle is no longer in production and spare parts are very difficult to find.

External links

Modern Firearms Page

M96 scope mounts, handguard rails and stock adapters

Robinson Armament official website
5.56×45mm NATO semi-automatic rifles Semi-automatic rifles of the United States Trial and research firearms of the United States

Description

Variants

See also

External links