StG M51
| Sturmgevär Modell 1951 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Assault Rifle |
| Place of origin |  Acrea |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1950 - Present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Stuhr Arsenalen AG |
| Designed | 1946-1950 |
| Manufacturer | Stuhr Arsenalen Waffenfabrik Wolfsburg |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 4.4 kg |
| Length | 1,025 mm |
| Cartridge | 7.62x51mm |
| Action | Roller-delayed blowback |
| Rate of fire | 600 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 800 m/s |
| Maximum firing range | 3,700 metres |
The StG 51, officially the Sturmgevär Modell 1951 or Sturmgevär m/51, is an Acrean select-fire 7.62x51mm battle rifle designed by the Stuhr arsenal for the Acrean Armed Forces in the late 1940s. It entered service in late 1950, becoming the standard service rifle for the Acrean Army and replacing both the StG m/43 and StG m/48. It is one of the most widespread and common small arms found in Tyran, being used in its various iterations by seven countries. Variants range from Acrean exports, to licensed production models, and copied production models.
History
Origins
In the years leading up to the outbreak of the Eracuran Great War in 1937, considerable effort was devoted by the Acrean military to re-equip its ground forces completely with self-loading firearms. Although self-loading rifles had been present in some manner since 1906, none were considered suitable in their reliability and durability for use as a standard service rifle until the adoption of the Gewehr m/36 in 1936. The Gewehr m/38 was introduced in 1938, and was notable for being a select-fire rifle, but the need for ever-increasing numbers of rifles meant that any further adoption of the rifle beyond certain kinds of infantry was rejected in favour of maintaining higher production of the m/36. The m/38 in its original guise instead saw widespread adoption by the Cacertan Army and was used in the Siduri War.
As the war continued, the Acrean military began to look towards replacing its submachine guns and a number of rifles in infantry units with intermediate-calibre, select fire weapons. This culminated first in the field-tested MkB 40, and was subsequently developed into the mass-issued StG m/41 and m/43. Although the first intermediate-calibre rifles in Acrean service, and the most widespread in Tyran at the time, the weapons were doctrinally issued and utilised in a manner similar to submachine guns rather than as standard service rifles. Alongside these, however, the Gewehr m/38 was re-introduced into service in 1941 for paratroop, assault, and naval infantry units, and was the first to be given the 'Sturmgevär/Sturmgewehr' designation when it was re-issued as the StG m/38A in 1941. The intention behind its re-issuing was to provide greater flexibility and firepower for soldiers in the aforementioned units; prototype select-fire conversions of the Gewehr m/36 were considered unsatisfactory.
Throughout the 1940s, the Acrean military establishment remained tied to the idea of service rifles utilising full-power rifle cartridges in the belief that the range and power was still necessary, in spite of combat experience which demonstrated the effectiveness of their intermediate-calibre rifles in the role. Thus, a new select-fire service rifle was sought to replace the Gewehr m/36 in the final years of the Great War. Collaboration with Cacertan arms manufacturers resulted in the creation of the Gisenti AR762- a select-fire battle rifle utilising a Cacertan action similar to that utilised by the Acrean StG m/43 and the Ruvelkan OP-30, and the newly developed Acrean 7.62mm ACR cartridge.
The new rifle, produced under license in Acrea by Stuhr, was designated as the StG m/46.