Sterling 7.62 NATO

Just the other day I found out about this prototype. There is not a lot of information available for it and I imagine that very few were made. The consensus is that it was developed as a potential replacement for the L4 Bren LMG. The Cold War era Sterling 7.62mm was also supposedly developed for its ease of construction and low cost compared to the Bren gun and other light machine guns. As WWIII never happened (at least the way everyone planned it) they were never needed.


It is constructed using a Sterling submachine gun trigger group and grip and could use FAL or L4 Bren magazines. In one of the pictures above you can see the weapon with what looks like a proprietary stock. The weapon reportedly used a lever-delayed blowback action to deal with the problem of switching from a pistol caliber blowback action which would be unsafe with the much more powerful 7.62x51mm cartridge. I imagine that it had a great deal of recoil anyway. Others have speculated that the rate of fire would be very high, but that might have been offset by a very heavy bolt or the action of the delayed blowback system. Since the parts all recoil in a straight line, felt recoil might be less than expected, but more in way that it would recoil and be "walked" back down onto the target. I would like to see a modernized version or a version chambered in the cartridge that could have been, the .280 British. I always like finding out about weapons that I've never heard of, even if it was a dead end in weapon design. It is a neat concept and you are not going to see one of these anytime soon.

Negev NG7 7.62mm LMG

Here we have the recently announced Negev NG7 light machine gun from Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), the privatized successor to IMI, the state owned weapons company of Uzi and Desert Eagle fame. It is a derivative of the popular and combat proven Negev 5.56mm LMG, sharing at least 80% of the same parts. The NG7 was designed with Special Operations forces in mind that need a lot of firepower in a package that is as small and light as possible. The IDF has long used the famous FN MAG machine gun (called the M240 in US service), but like many users they found that the MAG was very long and almost prohibitively heavy at around 30 pounds. The NG7 also features a semi automatic mode for the ability to fire single shots for increased accuracy. Several sources have noted that the NG7 is the only 7.62 GPMG or LMG with this capability, but the German MG 34 had this ability as well through virtue of trigger with two different "pulling surfaces". The Negev seems like it will fill its role nicely, it is exceptionally lightweight weighing in at about 17 pounds. It can be fired from a variety of mounts, including pintle mounts on helicopters, land vehicles, and naval vessels.

Negev 5.56mm LMG with the older, drum shaped ammo pouch

The Negev is just about the same as the 5.56mm Negev in terms of furniture and operation. Tritium night sight inserts are attached to the iron sights. It has an optional buttstock that is foldable and adjustable for length of pull with a cheek riser. It retains the somewhat odd Negev foregrip which is detachable and sits angled at about a 45 degrees to the axis of the bore. The NG7 has a two position gas regulator that allows the weapon to continue to work, even when it has become fouled. It is fed from a the left side with a disintegrating belt or with a box magazine fed from the top down. It is stated to fire from the open bolt position which is normal for light machine guns, but I wonder if it has a closed bolt for semi auto firing like the FN offering to the USMC Automatic Rifle competition. The NG7 has a Picatinny rails on the top cover for the attachment of optics and on the foreend for laser aiming devices.


“The new NEGEV NG7 represents the next generation of NEGEV LMGs – providing improved ergonomics as well as increased component reliability. These advances, together with its unique characteristics, make it the most effective lightweight 7.62 available for infantries. As with all other weapons built by IWI, it was developed together with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The close cooperation between IWI and the Israeli army in the development of new weapons – and the testing of these weapons on the battlefield by the IDF – is one of the most important factors contributing to the success of our weapons among armies around the world. The NG7 is already generating interest among our customers, and we have received many requests to test it. We are certain that it will become an important part of our product line.” -----Uri Amit, CEO of IWI

IWI NEGEV NG7 Weapon Specs (from Data Sheet):

Models: NEGEV NG7 LMG, NEGEV NG7 LMG SF
Caliber: 7.62x51mm
Operation: Open bolt, gas impact on piston head, rotating Bolt
Firing Modes: Safe, Semi-auto, Auto
Feeding System: Box, Assault Drum Belt Feed
Assault Drum Capacity: 100, 125 rds.
Barrel Rifling: 1:12” twist, 4 grooves
Weight (Kg): Weapon only 7.6, 7.5
Overall (OA) Length (mm)l: 1000, 912
Length with Stock folded (mm): 820, 730
Barrel Length (mm): 508, 420
Firing characteristics: Muzzle velocity (approx.) (m/sec) 860, 810
Cyclic Rate of Fire (ROF) (approx.) (rds/min): 850 – 1050 (gas reg. position 1), 950 – 1150 (gas reg. position 2)
Sight: Rear iron sight Aperture, with elevation drum for 300-1000 m (at 100-m intervals), Back up rear sight Post, built in Picatinny rail
Front Iron Sight: Post type (Adj. for windage & elevation)
Sight Line Radius: 440 mm

Guns I Wish I Had - Part 4 - Steyr Scout 7.62 NATO

The Steyr Scout is unconventional-looking like most other Steyr weapons. And like them, it owes many of its strengths to the that type of "outside the box" thinking. Based on Jeff Cooper's Scout Rifle concept, it is intended to be a medium weight weapon able to take on several different types of tasks.

The Scout is a bolt action rifle, most often chambered in 7.62x51 NATO (.308 Winchester) although it is also available in the .243 Winchester, 5.56NATO, 7mm-08 and .376 Steyr. It is fed from a detachable box magazine with a capacity of five rounds, although a kit exists to boost that to ten. It features a heavy 20 inch barrel for accuracy and flutes cut into the barrel to make it as light as possible. It is known for having a fairly stiff bolt action. Steyr made the stock out of durable polymers to make the weapon light, strong, and impervious to the elements. The Scout also has an integral folding bipod. The Scout features an user-adjustable trigger that is factory set to 3.5lbs.


The Scout also has Picatinny mounts for optics forward of the action. This type of long eye relief, far forward mounting of a scope is known as "scout" mounting and is usually used with a low power scope that can be used for many applications. The rifle also has flip up ghost ring sights and a slot in the buttstock for an extra magazine. The Scout is also a very safe weapon featuring a Roller tang safety and bolt handle that locks into the receiver when in "locked safe" mode.

Note the heavy fluted barrel and integral bipod

The extra magazine slot in the stock

In recent years Steyr has released an updated version called the Steyr Elite that features an
extended STANAG optics rail, an adjustable cheek rest, and an enlarged bolt knob. Most impressively, the Elite has a heavy 22.4" barrel with a "fast" rifling that allows it to achieve a higher velocity and increased effective range.

Guns I Wish I Had (part 4) FN FAL 7.62x51mm

Known as the Right Arm of the Free World, the Fabrique National de Herstal Fusil Automatique Leger( Light Automatic Rifle), or the FN FAL, is one of the greatest weapons produced in the post -WWII era.

And I want one.

Used by most of NATO (excluding mainly the USA) and in dozens of countries around the world. It got its name by being the default weapon of almost everyone who was not a client or puppet state of the Soviet Union. The FAL, while considered obsolete, is still in use around the world, especially in Africa. The 7.62mm NATO cartridge has some advantages over the lighter and faster 5.56mm and 5.45mm that have replaced it, namely range, penetration and power.

West German and US troops in Korea

The FAL was designed by FN following WWII as experience had shown that a detachable magazine -fed, self loading rifle was necessary to replace most of the bolt action guns and submachine guns that had been used. The adoption of the standard NATO 7.62x51 ammunition made it clear what cartridge the FAL would be produced in. ( although the original design was chambered in the StG 44's 7.92x33 Kurz cartridge)
A adjustable gas system was included, making it possible for soldiers in the field to control the amount of gas to compensate for environmental conditions (or an extremely dirty weapon) and the port could be closed completely for firing rifle grenades.

US Marine performing familiarization drills with a British L1A1 in Kuwait, 1991

There have been several variants of the basic FAL, some militaries opted for a semi auto only version, like the U.K.'s L1A1 SLR, as controlling a battle rifle on full auto is extremely difficult. Folding stock variants for paratroopers, versions with a bipod, even scoped designated marksman versions have been made.
Heavy Barrel versions were made for the Squad Automatic Rifleman position, although the recoil of full auto fire is reported to be considerable, to say the least.

In recent years, the many FALs have been shipped to the USA as parts kits and made into semi auto rifles by Century Arms and gunsmiths and have received even more attention and modification, as you can see from examples below.
FALs are still produced by several companies, most notably DSArms.