L6A2 General Purpose Machine Gun
 L6A1 | |
| Place of origin |  Arthurista |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1947 - present |
| Used by | Commonwealth Army, Madrastan Army |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1946 |
| Manufacturer | Dominion Arsenal (1947 - 1979), Arthuristan Dynamics (1979 - present) |
| Produced | 1947 - present |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 8.5kg |
| Length | 1,156mm |
| Barrel length | 635 mm (25 inch) |
| Cartridge | 7.62x51mm, 6.5x55mm |
| Action | Gas operated, open bolt |
| Rate of fire | 650-1,000RPM |
| Effective firing range | 1,000m |
| Feed system | Disintegrating metallic belt, |
| Sights | adjustable diopter sight |
The L6 is a general purpose machine gun of Arthuristan origin. It was introduced in the Commonwealth Army and Commonwealth Marines in the early-1950's and remains in widespread service.
Origins
During Liothidian War, Commonwealth infantry experienced significant difficulties against their counterparts. The latter were liberally armed with MG34 and MG42 belt-fed machine guns, enabling them to project a vastly superior volume of suppressive fire which proved extremely difficult to overcome by dismounted infantry without recourse to heavy supporting fires. The augmentation of small-unit firepower with a comparable belt-fed weapon thus became an urgent post-war priority.
Design
The L6 was designed to replace the Bren light machine gun, Lewis gun and Vickers machine gun at all levels, from infantry section to battalion, as Arthurista's first GPMG (it was often referred to by the troops as the 'Gimpy'). The designers essentially took a Bren gun, converted it to use a disintegrating belt and chambered it in the 7.62x51 cartridge, although Ghantish weapons utilise the 6.5x55. In order to maintain suppressive fire, the barrel can be swapped out rapidly without the recourse to clumsy gloves or armourer's tools. The design also features an adjustable gas-valve, which allows the volume of gas be varied in order to compensate for gun fouling or to adjust the rate of fire.
The gun was intended for use as both a bipod-mounted light machine gun among infantry sections, as well as a tripod mounted heavy machine gun at the battalion level, though they would be supplanted by the M2 HB heavy machine gun and Mk 19 grenade launcher in due course in that latter role.
Product improvement
The weapon underwent a thorough overhaul in the early-70s. Designated the L6A1, it received a mount for telescopic sights and a bracket for night vision equipment. In the subsequent L6A2 upgrade, weight was reduced by roughly one kilogram with the use of a new aluminium lower receiver, the replacement of wooden parts with polymer and various other cosmetic changes which resulted in a significantly different look. Conversely, the barrel profile became slightly heavier for increased accuracy and barrel life.
L6V Vehicle-Mounted Gun
The L6V variant was specifically designed to serve as the co-axial weapon of armoured vehicles. It features modifications such as the removal of the buttstock, an electric-firing mechanism (with a backup mechanical trigger), as well as a heavier barrel, radial cooling ribs and a forced air-induction cooling shroud.
L6C Light Machine Gun
The L6C is a LMG variant of the L6. Rather than adopting the belt-fed modification, the L6C retained the magazine-feed design of the original Bren, albeit re-chambered in 7.62x51mm. It may be fed by its native 30-round magazine, or standard 20-round box magazines intended for the L54 rifle. They are mainly issued as a substitute for the standard GPMG among light infantry formations for which the encumbrance of a belt-fed weapon is an inconvenience.