Stoner 63 [SEP] service entry
facility produced 234 Stoner 63s, when production was then moved in September 1964 to the Cadillac Gage plant in Warren, Michigan. With the change in manufacturing plants, polycarbonate plastic was used for the stocks and grips instead of wood. The weapon is covered under .
History Trials.
On March 4, 1963, the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency made the first purchase of the Stoner 63, ordering 25 units in various configurations. In August and September 1963, the Stoner 63 was sent to the Marines Corps
with some ammunition types. For instance, the tracer ammunition used in the Stoner 63 was of such low pressure that it even failed to function reliably in the M16.
These factors severely affected the weapon's reliability. After several months of testing, the Stoner 63 system was ultimately deemed to be unacceptable for service use. The Army submitted recommendations for improvements to the design—these included a stainless steel gas cylinder, a two-position fire selector with separate safety, ejection port dust covers and modifications to the belt feed