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A modular weapon system (MWS) is any
A modular weapon system (MWS) is any weapon
A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, ...
equipment which has removable core components (or " modules") that can be reconfigured/interchanged to give the weapon different capabilities to adapt to various applications. Modularity can provide several advantages to military organizations, such as the versatility of allowing units to quickly tailor their weapons to best suit the immediate tactical needs, to quickly repair/exchange malfunctioned components, and to reduce overall logistical
Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
burdens and costs. However, it also make the legal tracking and technical categorization of a weapon more complicated as it can now be easily converted into a diverse variety of different forms.*
For example, 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. ...
is a 5.56×45mm NATO
The 5.56×45mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 5.56 NATO, but often pronounced "five-five-six") is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal. It consists of the SS109, L110, and ...
-caliber modular small arm
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
system using a variety of modular components, which can be configured as a rifle, a 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 light ...
, a top-fed light machine gun
A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridges of the same caliber as the other riflemen of the ...
, a belt-fed squad automatic weapon, or a vehicle mounted weapon.
A modular firearm can also be useful for hunters, which then easily can change to a different chambering or barrel length when hunting different species.
Quick-change barrel system
Another example of a modular firearm system is the increasingly popular quick barrel change systems, which is found on some new rifles like for example theBlaser R8
The Blaser R8 is a German straight-pull rifle known for its radially locking bolt system, modularity and its barrel mounted scope mount manufactured by Blaser. The rifle also features a manual cocking system and a direct trigger. In 2015 there ...
, Roessler Titan and Sig Sauer 200 STR
The SIG Sauer 200 STR (Scandinavian Target Rifle), also known as the SIG Sauer 200 STR Match, is a bolt-action rifle mostly used as a target/competition rifle for national competitions by Norwegian, Swedish and Danish sport shooters. It is a va ...
. These systems simplify the replacement of worn barrels or caliber changes, since they often only require the use of a hex key
Hex keys of various sizes
Socket head screws of various sizes
A hex key (also, hex wrench, Allen key and Allen wrench) is a simple driver for bolts or screws that have heads with ''internal'' hexagonal recesses (sockets).
Hex keys are fo ...
, thus eliminating the need for special tools and custom fitting by a gunsmith.
See also
* Action threads *Press fit barrel
In firearms, barrel threads refer to the screw threads used to attach a barrel.
Action threads, also called receiver threads, are situated at the chamber end of the barrel, and can be used for attaching the barrel to the receiver. The receiver n ...
References