Robinson Armaments M96 Expeditionary
Encyclopedia
The M96 is a semi-automatic rifle
made by the Robinson Armament Co.
of Salt Lake City, Utah
, USA.
/5.56 mm NATO cartridge, and uses STANAG 4179 AR-15
magazines. Barrels have 1-in-9 twist ratio as is common for .223 Remington semiautomatic rifles. The M96 is gas operated, 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 chromoly 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 or Picatinny rail
.
(no special name), a 16" barreled carbine (the "Recon Carbine"), and a 17.5" barreled top-feed carbine ("Bren
" configuration). The M96 is nearly identical in external appearance to the Stoner 63
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 an US
-based Class-III manufacturer (Arms-Tech Ltd. located in Phoenix, Arizona
) offered the "Revere" M96-A1 weapon system on the Law Enforcement market. It was basically a selective-fire conversion system that turned the standard M96 rifle in either a "Commando" 16" barreled STANAG magazine
-fed carbine or a 20" barreledSquad Automatic Weapon
.
The M96 has a relatively small following, probably due in large part to its high price, new manufacturer, and no relationship to any military weapon. There do not appear to have been any military or law enforcement sales of the M96, probably for the same reasons.
Semi-automatic rifle
A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent cartridge, chambers a fresh cartridge from its magazine, and is immediately ready to fire another shot...
made by the Robinson Armament Co.
Robinson Armament Co.
Robinson Armament Co. is a firearms manufacturer founded in 1996 which is based Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. It produces and markets many different civilian and military oriented designs in the United States....
of Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA.
Description
The M96 is chambered for the .223 Remington.223 Remington
The .223 Remington is a sporting cartridge with almost the same external dimensions as the 5.56×45mm NATO military cartridge. The name is commonly pronounced either two-two-three or two-twenty-three. It is loaded with a diameter, jacketed bullet, with weights ranging from , though the most common...
/5.56 mm NATO cartridge, and uses STANAG 4179 AR-15
AR-15
The AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle, with a rotating-lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation. It is manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials....
magazines. Barrels have 1-in-9 twist ratio as is common for .223 Remington semiautomatic rifles. The M96 is gas operated, 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 chromoly 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 or Picatinny rail
Picatinny rail
The Picatinny rail or MIL-STD-1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail or a "Tactical Rail" is a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform. A similar system is the Weaver rail mount.-Description:...
.
Variants
The M96 has been offered in a 20" barrel rifle version (the "Expeditionary Rifle"), a 17.5" barreled carbineCarbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
(no special name), a 16" barreled carbine (the "Recon Carbine"), and a 17.5" barreled top-feed carbine ("Bren
Bren
The Bren, usually called the Bren Gun, was a series of light machine guns adopted by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1991...
" configuration). The M96 is nearly identical in external appearance to the Stoner 63
Stoner 63
The Stoner 63, also known as the XM22/E1, is an American modular weapons system designed by Eugene Stoner in the early 1960s. It was produced by Cadillac Gage and used in very limited numbers in Vietnam by members of the United States Navy SEALs and several law enforcement...
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 an US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-based Class-III manufacturer (Arms-Tech Ltd. located in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
) offered the "Revere" M96-A1 weapon system on the Law Enforcement market. It was basically a selective-fire conversion system that turned the standard M96 rifle in either a "Commando" 16" barreled STANAG magazine
STANAG magazine
A STANAG magazine is a type of detachable firearm magazine proposed by NATO in October 1980. Shortly after NATO's acceptance of the 5.56x45mm NATO rifle cartridge, Draft Standardization Agreement 4179 was proposed in order to allow the military services of member nations easily to share rifle...
-fed carbine or a 20" barreledSquad Automatic Weapon
Squad automatic weapon
A squad automatic weapon is a weapon used to give infantry squads or sections a portable source of automatic firepower. Weapons used in this role are selective-fire rifles, usually fitted with a bipod and heavier barrel to perform as Light machine guns...
.
The M96 has a relatively small following, probably due in large part to its high price, new manufacturer, and no relationship to any military weapon. There do not appear to have been any military or law enforcement sales of the M96, probably for the same reasons.