StG M65
| Stormgevær Modell 1965 | |
|---|---|
 Acrean Army M65/70 | |
| Type | Assault Rifle |
| Place of origin |  Acrea |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1965 - Present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Forsvarets Fabriksvirk Charlottenburg |
| Designed | 1958-1965 |
| Manufacturer | Försvarets Fabriksvirk Charlottenburg |
| Specifications | |
| Cartridge | 6.8x43mm |
| Action | Rotating bolt, gas operated |
| Rate of fire | 750 rounds per minute |
The StG M65, officially the Stormgevær Modell 1965, is a family of Acrean 6.8x43mm select-fire rifles and carbines produced by FFV Charlottenburg (FFVC) for the Acrean Armed Forces. The M65 was the Acrean adaptation of the proposed "StG 60", the direct predecessor of the M65 developed in cooperation with Shalumite National Defence Industries (SNDI). A slightly different modification was formally adopted by the Imperial Shalumite Army in 1964, designated the StG M64 in Shalumite service.
The M65 was part of a wave of designs submitted to the Acrean military as part of an initiative to adopt a carbine chambered in the new 6.8x43mm intermediate cartridge. The M65 was ordered for field testing by the Army before proper competitive trials could take place. It was first used by Acrean military advisers deployed to Quenmin during the Bacteuian Insurgency, and was given the designation Modell 1965.
The M65 was later officially adopted as the Army's new standard service rifle in 1975.
History
Development of the M65 was initially borne out of experimentation by both FFVC and SNDI engineers with utilising cutting edge material and manufacturing technologies in the early 1950s. The two firms partnered in 1952, and their efforts yielded a first prototype rifle in 1956, chambered for the same 6.8x51mm cartridge as the M51 introduced just a few years earlier. Although the Acrean military wasn't seeking a new rifle, it was accepted for testing by the Acrean Army the same year where it was assigned the designation FFVC-56. Boasting composite furniture and an aluminum receiver, the FFVC-56 was nearly a kilogram lighter than the M51, and its ergonomics and handling were highly praised by testers.
Test results from the Acrean military were delivered back to FFVC and SNDI with the clarification that the Acrean Army would not be procuring the rifle. This decision was partially reversed, as the Army would later purchase 1,500 rifles alongside the Jaeger Corps for use by special purpose troops, after which it was designated the M56. Although far from the groundbreaking success the rifle's engineers hoped for, the small Acrean order led to a much larger order by Auroa who adopted the rifle to partially replace its stock of Great War era rifles in 1957.