My 525th SJH IPASOY parody! This one deals with the 1970s requirement for a cheap export alternative rival rifle to the Communist AK-47. Since the M-16, M-14, and M-1s were too complicated and high-maintenance for little-trained foreign troops fighting the spread of communism is SE Asia and ME, the US decided to hire TRW (Thompson Roma Wooldridge) to make a simple and low-maintenance rifle as cheaply as possible for mass-production. TRW specialized in satellite systems but had taken part in National Match contests for firearms up to .50 cal. TRW designed a rifle that looked very much like the WW2 German paratroop FG-42 rifle but using cheap parts and space-age lubricants and sealants for almost no maintenance at all. The rifle was composed of 6 parts: magazine, butt, operating slide group, trigger group, gas plug, and barrel-receiver group. Easy to assemble and disassemble. Barrel was heavily chromed to prevent fouling and corrosion while all the other parts were sprayed with a space-age lubricant. All that was required for any cleaning was water and a soft rag and/or toothbrush. The rifle was standard 5.56x45mm and could take 3 mags of 10, 20, and 30 rds. It weighed 8 lbs loaded and with bayonet was 40" long. It fired full-auto ONLY at 450 rpm which meant it was managable. 500m effective range. Up to 10 prototypes were completed by 1973 but by then the US was removing troops from Vietnam and had surplus rifles already paid-for. So, the TRW LMR was cancelled and most SE nations plus Jordan by '75 had received 162,000 surplus M-16s instead!!!

http://www.guns.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/lmrpart3.jpg http://www.guns.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/TRWLMRexplodedview3.jpg http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tSOffmmyvn0/TVbULcaql0I/AAAAAAAAB6k/zN_fNMQJ3PM/s1600/TRW+LMR.jpg