Vektor LM6
- Category
- Carbine
- Barrel
- 280 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.60 kg
- Introduced
- Not recorded
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Vektor LM6 is a semi-automatic carbine, the civilian and law-enforcement version of the South African R6 compact assault rifle. Chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, it is a Galil-derived gas-operated design using a long-stroke piston and rotating bolt, with a short 280 mm barrel and a side-folding stock, and it is restricted to semi-automatic fire only. It was the smallest member of Vektor's LM4/LM5/LM6 civilian rifle line, all derived from the R-series service weapons built at Lyttelton Engineering Works.
South Africa adopted the Galil-derived R4 as its service rifle during the Border War; the LM series let civilians and police own semi-automatic versions of the same battle-proven design, with the compact LM6 shrinking a full assault rifle down to a folded length of just 565 mm.
The LM4, LM5 and LM6 are the semi-automatic-only civilian and law-enforcement variants of the select-fire R4, R5 and R6 respectively. The R-series is a South African derivative of the Israeli IMI Galil.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Denel Land Systems (formerly Lyttelton Engineering Works)
- Category
- Carbine
- Country
- South Africa
- Status
- Out of production
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 280 mm
- Overall length
- 805 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.60 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated long stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Capacity
- 35
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Side folding stock
Iron sights
Compact carbine
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 141 5.56x45mm NATO carbines | 3.60 kg | 2.95 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 144 5.56x45mm NATO carbines | 805 mm | 838 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 150 5.56x45mm NATO carbines | 280 mm | 406 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 150 5.56x45mm NATO carbines | 35 | 30 | Among the largest capacities |
Answers
Questions about the Vektor LM6
How much does the Vektor LM6 weigh?
The Vektor LM6 weighs 3.60 kg (7.94 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Vektor LM6?
The Vektor LM6 is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO.
How many rounds does the Vektor LM6 hold?
The Vektor LM6 holds 35 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Vektor LM6?
The Vektor LM6 is 805 mm (31.7 in) long overall, with a 280 mm (11.02 in) barrel.
Who makes the Vektor LM6?
The Vektor LM6 is made by Denel Land Systems (formerly Lyttelton Engineering Works) (South Africa).
How does the Vektor LM6 operate?
The Vektor LM6 uses a gas operated long stroke action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- South African civilian and law enforcement market
- South Africa
Provenance
Confidence in this record
70%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/vektor-lm6' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "vektor-lm6", "name": "Vektor LM6", "manufacturer": { "id": "denel-land-systems", "name": "Denel Land Systems (formerly Lyttelton Engineering Works)", "countryCode": "ZA", "foundedYear": 1992, "website": "https://www.denellandsystems.co.za", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": "active", "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": true, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:40", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:48", "version": "452eaadaccf0ec2ec9abbef8c1ca7623b60cf62f7e5c6c1060d489b45dc6d200" }, "category": { "id": "carbine", "name": "Carbine", "description": "Shortened rifles for close-quarters use" }, "country_of_origin": "ZA", "year_introduced": null, "barrel_length_mm": 280, "weight_empty_g": 3600, "action_type": "gas_operated_long_stroke"}