Lewis Machine & Tool Company

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Lewis Machine & Tool Company
Company type Private
Industry Arms
Founded1980
Headquarters Eldridge, Iowa, U.S.
Products Firearms
Website lmtdefense.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

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 the M4 carbine and the M203 grenade launcher. [1] Its products are used by the military forces of the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Estonia, Switzerland, Lebanon and the United States. It formerly produced forged FN FAL receivers for Illinois-based DS Arms. The company founder has several arms related inventions assigned to him. [2]

Contents

LMT does business as LMT Defense. [3]

History

LMT was established by Karl Lewis in 1980 from Milan, Illinois in order to manufacture firearm components. [4] In 1986, LMT began to manufacture small arms for overseas sale. [4]

Products

Bolt and bolt carrier groups

A patented AR-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 the reliable 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. [5]

LM308MWS and CQB MRP Defender

The Monolithic Rail Platform (MRP) [6] was created by the company, a one-piece, Picatinny-topped AR-15-pattern upper receiver made from a forged aluminum block. [7] The MRP upper receiver has a quick-change barrel system. [8] Its top rail position matches with the M4 carbine and KAC SR-15/SR-16 E3, for optical and sights compatibility. [9]

In late 2009, LMT introduced the .308 Modular Weapon System LM308MWS, which uses the 7.62×51mm NATO round. [10]

In February 2012, the British Transport Police began to use AR-pattern short-barreled rifles produced by LMT. [11] [12] [13]

L129A1

LMT MARS

References

  1. The National-Military Muscle on Display
  2. "Google Patents". patents.google.com.
  3. https://newswire.ciras.iastate.edu/2021/04/01/lmt-defense-finds-bigger-role-in-government-contracting/
  4. 1 2 https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/the-rifles-of-karl-lewis/
  5. "Firearm bolt".
  6. "Lewis Machine & Tool Monolithic Rail Platform" . Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  7. Grassi, Rich (9 May 2009). "LMT CQB MRP Defender 5.56mm". Tactical Life. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  8. "LMT's MRP 6.8 Battle Rifle". Tactical Life Gun Magazine: Gun News and Gun Reviews. 18 January 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  9. US8234808B2,Lewis, Karl R.; Bargren, James Arend Seabold& Schafer, Jacob A.et al.,"Monolithic rail platform and bolt assemblies for a firearm",issued 7 August 2012
  10. "Multi-Mission LMT .308 MWS". Tactical Life. 3 November 2009. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  11. "CQB 10.5 SBR". Lewis Machine & Tool Company. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  12. "Firearms used by British Transport Police - Freedom of Information Request 794-14" (PDF). British Transport Police. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  13. Austin, Jon (17 October 2015). "Guns on the Underground: Armed police to routinely patrol Tube amid threat from ISIS". Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. Retrieved 31 May 2017.