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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Arms |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Eldridge,Iowa, U.S. |
| Products | Firearms |
| Website | lmtdefense |
Lewis Machine & Tool Company (LMT) is an American armaments company founded by Karl R. Lewis, in 1980. It manufactures weapon systems, including a variant of theM4 carbine and theM203 grenade launcher.[1] Its products are used by the military forces of theUnited Kingdom,New Zealand,Estonia,Switzerland,Lebanon and theUnited States. It formerly produced forgedFN FAL receivers for Illinois-based DS Arms. The company founder has several arms related inventions assigned to him.[2]
A patentedAR-15-pattern is produced with a bolt design featuring a redesigned extractor intended to improve the extraction of cartridges under adverse conditions. The company also produces a redesigned bolt carrier intended to improve thereliable performance of the rifle's“internal piston” system by obtaining a similar timing sequence with 14.5-inch carbine-length barrels compared to 20-inch rifle-length barrels for AR-15-pattern arms.[3]
The Monolithic Rail Platform (MRP)[4] was created by the company, a one-piece,Picatinny-topped AR-15-pattern upper receiver made from a forged aluminum block.[5] The MRP upper receiver has a quick-change barrel system.[6] Its top rail position matches with theM4 carbine andKAC SR-15/SR-16 E3, for optical and sights compatibility.[7]
In late 2009, LMT introduced the .308 Modular Weapon System LM308MWS, which uses the7.62×51mm NATO round.[8]
In February 2012, theBritish Transport Police began to use AR-patternshort-barreled rifles produced by LMT.[9][10][11]
| Modular Ambidextrous Rifle System | |
|---|---|
_(R20_Rahe_crop).jpg) Estonian R20 Rahe 5.56×45mm NATO 368 mm barrelled variant | |
| Type | Assault rifle Battle rifle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2015 – present |
| Used by | |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Lewis Machine & Tool |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3.3kg (empty) |
| Length |
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| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO 7.62×51mm NATO 6.5 mm Creedmoor |
| Action | Gas-operated,rotating bolt (internal piston, notdirect impingement) orShort-stroke piston |
| Feed system | 5.56×45mm NATO: 30-round detachablebox magazine 7.62×51mm NATO 20-round detachablebox magazine |
 | It has been suggested that this section besplit out into another article titledModular Ambidextrous Rifle System. (Discuss)(February 2025) |
The Modular Weapons System (MWS) was developed into theModular Ambidextrous Rifle System (MARS), available in light and heavy variants. TheMARS-L (light) assault rifle variants are chambered for the5.56×45mm NATOintermediate cartridge, and theMARS-H (heavy) battle rifle and designated marksman rifle variants for the7.62×51mm NATO,6.5 mm Creedmoor or similarfully powered cartridges. The MARS rifles features lower receivers updated with fully ambidextrous mirrored controls and can be set up to usegas-operated,rotating bolt (internal piston, notdirect impingement) orshort-stroke piston operating systems with the help of basic tools. The MARS receiver can host and switch between barrels of varying length, and diameter. material, and caliber. Two locking bolts accessible from the right side of the receiver with a basic tool lock a barrel extension and make the barrel unit user removable with a return to zero of the same barrel. MARS-L and MARS-H were sold to several military users.
As of 2023 there are three fully-ambidextrous M16/M4-style platforms fielded by militaries along with the Modular Ambidextrous Rifle System (MARS; theKS-1 rifle fromKnight's Armament Company (KAC) and theM6IC fromLWRC International, as well as one of six in total including the Radian Ambidextrous Dual Action Catch (ADAC), American Defense ADM, and the Primary Weapon Systems Mk 1 MOD 2 lower receivers that were developed and released after 2023.
On 12 August 2015, theNew Zealand Ministry of Defence announced that it would be replacing the currentSteyr AUG rifle for the three branches of theNew Zealand Defence Force with a rifle from LMT, one of eight companies that had submitted rifles for trials between March and June 2015.[12] Like the Steyr AUG, the submitted LMT design was also chambered in5.56×45mm NATO. A contract of NZD 59 million was awarded to LMT for 9,040 rifles, designated the MARS-L (Modular Ambidextrous Rifle System-Light).[13][14]
The gas-operated, rotating bolt (internal piston) rifles were delivered in May 2017, and soldiers began training with them atWaiouru Military Camp on 15 June 2017.[15]
In September 2018, it was reported that some of the rifles had experienced breakages, including 130 with cracks around the bolt, and that all 9,040 rifles had had their firing pins replaced under warranty.[16] LMT later claimed that the number of worn or broken firing pins was much smaller, in the range of "less than one-tenth of one percent".[17] The issue reportedly stemmed from impropertempering. While replacing the firing pins, a similar quantity of selector switches andbolt carriers had also been found to display premature wear and were replaced.[17]
For civilian customers, LMT offers a semi-automatic only New Zealand Reference Rifle in its model range.[18]
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In May 2019, theEstonian Defence Forces selected the MARS-L after two years of testing to replace theirIMI Galil andAutomatkarbin 4 rifles. TheEstonian Defence League Started using the R-20 in early 2023.[19] 19,000 short-stroke piston MARS-L rifles were ordered under the designationR-20 Rahe ("Hail" in Estonian).[20]
The upper receiver has aPicatinny rail on the top andM-LOK compatible attachment points on its sides and uses ashort-stroke gas piston system. The standard barrel length of the R-20 is 14.3 in (363 mm), but a 12 in (305 mm) variant designated the R-20 S is also produced.[21][22] A modified trigger design allows the trigger safety to be engaged without the hammer being cocked, which is not possible on a standard AR-15 pattern rifle.[23]The rifles were ordered with a Shot Counter Grip Module housed within the pistol grip to track parts wear and ammunition consumption with objective digital data. The accompanying reader unit can provide armorers with diagnostic maintenance warnings.[24]
In June 2020, the first batch of 1,500 R-20 Rahe rifles was delivered.[25] The R-20 is planned to fully replace the Galil and Ak 4 by 2022.[26]
Estonia also selected the MARS-H with a 16 in (406 mm) barrel as theirdesignated marksman rifle chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO. The official Estonian designation for the MARS-H marksman rifle is theR-20 L.[27]
For civilian customers LMT offers the a semi-automatic only Estonia R20 RAHE Reference Rifle in its model range.[28]
A7.62mm Zf Stgw 20 designated MARS-H baseddesignated marksman rifle chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO was introduced in 2023 by the SwissArmy Reconnaissance Detachment 10 andMP Spez Det.[29] These Swiss (professional) special forces units selected the Schmidt & Bender 3-20×50 PM II Ultra Short telescopic sight with the TREMOR3 reticle that enables quick targeting up to 800 m (875 yd) as their standard aiming optic.[30][31]
After Swiss trails,Stgw 25 (16 in (406 mm) barreled) andStgw 25K (12 in (305 mm) barreled) designated short-stroke piston MARS-L based assault rifles chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO, were selected for purchase during 2025 as an additional weapon system for certain Swiss Armed Forces units.[32][33]
As of March 2025, LMT does not offer any semi-automatic only Swiss Armed Forces MARS based Reference Rifle model for civilian customers in its model range.
Within theRoyal Marines at least, a MARS-H basedL129A2 designated marksman rifle chambered in6.5 mm Creedmoor with an 18 in (457 mm) barrel, a fully adjustable DMR stock and lengthened hand guard, a Leupold Mark 5HD 3.6-18×44 M5C3 Desert IR telescopic sight with TREMOR3 reticle, a HuxWrxsuppressor, an Envision Technologyballistic calculator, and a Pixels-on-Targetthermal sight was adopted in 2023.[34] The change from 7.62×51mm NATO ammunition to 6.5 Creedmoor was due to the 6.5 Creedmoor's better ability to successfully engage targets at distances around and over 800 m (875 yd).[35][36] The main disadvantages of this change are introducing a new chambering in the logistics chain, and due to a higherOratio is shortened barrel life.[37] The upper receiver still uses a gas-operated, rotating bolt (internal piston) system like the L129A1, but the handguard attachment points on its sides were changed to beM-LOK compatible.[38][39][check quotation syntax]
An undisclosed amount of Short Barreled Rifles (SBR) chambered for the5.56×45mm NATOintermediate cartridge with an 10.5 in (267 mm) barrel have been ordered byLebanon. The existence of a Lebanese contract became apparent as a production overrun of these rifles were offered on the internet in late 2023.[40]
