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90-602: The weapon's name can be translated directly either as "People's assault rifle " or " Volkssturm rifle." Volkssturm , the German late war militia home defense force, means "People's Assault"; Sturmgewehr translates as "assault rifle". As a last-ditch measure in the nearly lost war, on 18 October 1944 the Deutscher Volkssturm was mobilized – a German national militia. To arm them under conditions of depleted manpower and limited available production capacities

180-570: A Bundeswehr contract for a new service rifle , HK developed the Heckler & Koch G3 . The success of the G3 rifle prompted HK to transition to the defense industry. HK was owned by Royal Ordnance from 1991 to 2002, and is currently part of the Heckler & Koch Group, comprising Heckler & Koch GmbH, Heckler & Koch Defense, NSAF Ltd., and Heckler & Koch France SAS. The company's motto

270-562: A 20-round magazine. The 5.56 mm round had to penetrate a standard U.S. helmet at 460 metres (500 yd) and retain a velocity in excess of the speed of sound, while matching or exceeding the wounding ability of the .30 Carbine cartridge. This request ultimately resulted in the development of a scaled-down version of the ArmaLite AR-10 , called the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle. However, despite overwhelming evidence that

360-586: A 3× magnified telescopic sight and an unmagnified reflex sight mounted on top of the telescopic sight. Widely distributed, it has been adopted by over 40 countries and prompted other nations to develop similar composite designs, such as the FX-05 Xiuhcoatl . Heckler %26 Koch Heckler & Koch GmbH ( HK or H&K ; German pronunciation: [ˌhɛklɐ ʔʊnt ˈkɔx] ) is a German firearms manufacturer that produces handguns , rifles , submachine guns , and grenade launchers . The company

450-652: A Sturmgewehr was demonstrated before the People's Commissariat of Arms of the USSR . The Soviets were so impressed with the Sturmgewehr that they immediately set about developing an intermediate caliber automatic rifle of their own to replace the badly outdated Mosin–Nagant bolt-action rifles and PPSh-41 submachine guns that armed most of the Red Army. The Soviets soon developed the 7.62×39mm M43 cartridge, which

540-417: A captured Gustloff Volkssturmgewehr at a Soviet GAU shooting range showed that it was rather inaccurate, with 50% of the shots at 100 m landing in a circle with 10.2 cm (~4") radius and with 100% of the shots at the same distance landing in a circle with a 19.8 cm (7.8") radius. At 300 m these the corresponding radii were respectively 25 (9.8") and 50.3 cm (19.8"). The 100 meter fixed sights of

630-578: A firearm must have at least the following characteristics to be considered an assault rifle: Rifles that meet most of these criteria, but not all, are not assault rifles according to the U.S. Army's definition. For example: In the United States, selective-fire rifles are legally defined as " machine guns ", and civilian ownership of those has been tightly regulated since 1934 under the National Firearms Act and since 1986 under

720-505: A gas-delayed blowback action based on the Barnitzke system, whereby gas bled from the barrel near the chamber creates resistance to the rearward impulse of the operating parts, which ceases when the projectile leaves the muzzle, allowing the operating parts to be forced rearward by the residual pressure of the cartridge case. This principle has been used most successfully in the Heckler & Koch P7 pistol. The Gustloff Volkssturmgewehr

810-592: A large flash suppressor had to be fitted". "Nevertheless, as a short-range weapon it is quite adequate and thus, [despite] its caliber, [the Colt Commando ] is classed as a submachine gun." Other compact assault rifles, such as the HK53 , AKS-74U and the Daewoo K1 , have been made and they have also been called submachine guns. In 1977, Austria introduced the 5.56×45mm Steyr AUG bullpup rifle, often cited as

900-485: A lighter 125-grain bullet, which limited range but allowed for more controllable automatic fire. A smaller, lighter cartridge also allowed soldiers to carry more ammunition "to support the higher consumption rate of automatic fire". The Sturmgewehr 44 features an inexpensive, easy-to-make, stamped steel design and a 30-round detachable box magazine. This weapon was the prototype of all successful automatic rifles. Characteristically (and unlike previous rifles) it had

990-465: A modification program to the SA80 series of rifles to address a number of reliability issues with the design. In 2002, BAE Systems restructured and sold Heckler & Koch to a group of private investors, who created the German group holding company HK Beteiligungs GmbH. In 2003, HK Beteiligungs GmbH's business organization restructured as Heckler & Koch Jagd und Sportwaffen GmbH (HKJS), and its business

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1080-512: A modular design with a wide range of accessories (telescoping butt-stocks, optics, bi-pods, etc.) that could be easily removed and arranged in a variety of configurations. The adoption of the M16, the H&;K33, and the 5.56×45mm cartridge inspired an international trend towards relatively small-sized, lightweight, high-velocity military service cartridges that allow a soldier to carry more ammunition for

1170-645: A result of efforts by civil society and human rights organizations in Mexico and Germany, H&K and two of its former employees were brought before the Provincial Court of Stuttgart. After ten months of trial, on 21 February 2019, the court convicted them of illegally selling arms to Mexican governmental institutions which failed to acknowledge their due observance of human rights. The two former employees (sales manager Sahlmann and administrative employee Beuter) had been found to have used fraudulent permits in

1260-478: A significant advantage over enemies armed primarily with bolt-action rifles. Although U.S. Army studies of World War II combat accounts had very similar results to that of the Germans and Soviets, the U.S. Army failed to recognize the importance of the assault rifle concept, and instead maintained its traditional views and preference for high-powered semi-automatic rifles. At the time, the U.S. Army believed that

1350-676: A simplified and low quality sporter stocked K98k. These rifle prototypes were developed as part of the Volkssturm-Mehrladegewehr ("People's Assault Repeating Rifle") program. The Gustloff Volkssturmgewehr was designed by Karl Barnitzke of the Gustloff-Werke for the Primitiv-Waffen-Programm ("primitive weapons program") in 1944 and was intended to be used by the Volkssturm . Production of

1440-434: A single model, such as the "Universal" weapons ( UMP , UCP , USC , USP ). Some abbreviations are used as a suffix to designate specific variants. Variant Version Submachine Gun Suppressor USP9 SD (for weapons with an extended threaded barrel intended for suppressors) The Werknummern designation system assigns two or three digits that correspond to the product's technical specifics. These are placed after (or if

1530-470: A small-caliber, high-velocity cartridge. Senior American commanders had faced fanatical enemies and experienced major logistical problems during World War II and the Korean War, and insisted that a single powerful .30 caliber cartridge be developed, that could be used by the new automatic rifle, and also by the new general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) in concurrent development. This culminated in

1620-539: A smaller version of the G3 chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO . In 1974, Heckler & Koch diversified into two more areas, HK Defense and Law Enforcement Technology and HK Hunting and Sports Firearms. Since then HK has designed and manufactured more than 100 different types of firearms and devices for the world's military and law enforcement organizations as well as sports shooters and hunters. In 1990, Heckler & Koch completed two decades of development of their revolutionary caseless weapon system and produced prototypes of

1710-439: A straight stock with the barrel under the gas cylinder to reduce the turning moment of recoil of the rifle in the shoulder and thus help reduce the tendency of shots to climb in automatic fire. The barrel and overall length were shorter than a traditional rifle and it had a pistol grip to hold the weapon more securely in automatic fire. "The principle of this weapon—the reduction of muzzle impulse to get usable automatic fire within

1800-742: A suffix, before) the abbreviation, and denote the generation, form factor , and caliber or munition of the weapon. 9×19mm Parabellum , .40 S&W .45 ACP , etc. The date code is a two-letter combination used to specify the year a weapon was manufactured in. These are not part of the product's name, but are printed for identification directly on the weapon itself. They are only used on handguns. Heckler & Koch handguns produced at HK's German facilities are marked with "DE", Germany's ISO 3166-1 code. Handguns manufactured in HK facilities outside Germany, or those produced in Germany before 2008, do not have

1890-429: Is " Keine Kompromisse! " (No Compromises!). Nicolas Walewski 's financial holding company CDE has held a majority stake in Heckler & Koch since July 2020. With the fall of Nazi Germany and the following Allied occupation of Germany , Oberndorf came under French control , and the entire Waffenfabrik Mauser AG factory was dismantled by French occupying forces. All factory records were destroyed on orders of

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1980-475: Is a select fire rifle that uses an intermediate-rifle cartridge and a detachable magazine . Assault rifles were first put into mass production and accepted into widespread service during World War II. The first assault rifle to see major usage was the German StG 44 , a development of the earlier Mkb 42 . While immediately after World War II, NATO countries were equipped with battle rifles ,

2070-494: Is a 5.56×45mm assault rifle, designed in the early 1990s by Heckler & Koch in Germany as a replacement for the heavier G3. It was accepted into service with the Bundeswehr in 1997, replacing the G3. The G36 is gas-operated and feeds from a 30-round detachable box magazine or 100-round C-Mag drum magazine . The G36 was made with the extensive use of lightweight, corrosion-resistant synthetic materials in its design;

2160-594: Is a 7.62×51mm, selective fire, automatic rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN). During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, most notably with the British Commonwealth as the semi-automatic L1A1 . It is one of the most widely used rifles in history, having been used by more than 90 countries. The FAL

2250-455: Is a manually operated bolt-action rifle . It uses a simple rotating bolt , with locking provided by the two frontal lugs; the crude bolt handle engages a cut in the cast steel receiver to provide additional safety. The feed is from detachable 10-round box magazines, originally developed for the Gewehr 43 rifle. The manual safety is also very crude, and consists of a stamped steel lever pinned to

2340-463: Is also a manually operated bolt-action rifle with a similar rotating bolt and crude manual safety. Locking is provided by two frontal lugs which lock into the steel insert pinned inside the stamped steel receiver. The VG 2 rifle is fed from detachable box magazines, originally developed for Gewehr 43. The stock is crudely made from wood and consists of two separate parts: shoulder stock with semi-pistol grip and fore-end. Wood parts are permanently pinned to

2430-576: Is assigned a specific meaning outlined in the convention to make them easier to identify and differentiate by name. The HK naming convention is not a fixed convention, but rather a guideline, and not all HK products follow it; this is typically done for marketing purposes or quirks in the weapon's development or intended role. For instance, the HK416 does not use a proper abbreviation ("HK" does not mean anything specific), nor does it use proper digits (the HK416

2520-412: Is constructed rather like many semi-automatic pistols , it has a casing and spring around the barrel; the whole casing recoils backward. The breech block, with firing pin and extractor, is pinned to the back end of the barrel casing. The rear end of the gun does not recoil and has the hammer, sear and trigger built into it. Gas coming from four vents, near the end of the barrel, holds the bolt closed till

2610-604: Is generally attributed to Adolf Hitler , who used the German word Sturmgewehr (which translates to "assault rifle") as the new name for the MP 43 ( Maschinenpistole ) , subsequently known as the Sturmgewehr 44 . Allied propaganda suggested that the name was chosen for propaganda purposes, but the main purpose was to differentiate the Sturmgewehr from German submachine guns such as the MP 40 . It has been suggested, however, that

2700-606: Is located in Oberndorf am Neckar , Baden-Württemberg , and also has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, and the United States. Heckler & Koch was founded in 1949 by former Mauser engineers Edmund Heckler , Theodor Koch , and Alex Seidel , who founded the company out of the shuttered Mauser factory in Oberndorf. The company initially produced machine tool and metal parts until 1956 when, in response to

2790-452: Is unclear how many were exported to Libya and by whom. On 11 December 2011, federal, state and local Mexican police officers used battle rifles to fire on Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College students and peasant organizations to disperse a blockade on Mexican Federal Highway 95D , resulting in the deaths of students Jorge Alexis Herrera and Gabriel Echeverría de Jesús. According to media reports, 7.62×51mm NATO round casings were found at

Volkssturmgewehr - Misplaced Pages Continue

2880-474: The Heereswaffenamt was responsible for the name Sturmgewehr , and Hitler had no input besides signing the production order . Furthermore, Hitler was initially opposed to the idea of a new infantry rifle, as Germany lacked the industrial capacity to replace the 12,000,000 Karabiner 98k rifles already in service, only changing his mind once he saw it first-hand. The StG 44 is generally considered

2970-493: The Firearm Owners Protection Act . However, the term "assault rifle" is often conflated with " assault weapon ", a U.S. legal category with varying definitions which includes many semi-automatic weapons. This use has been described as incorrect and a misapplication of the term. The 1890s Cei-Rigotti prototype was built to fire the fully powered 7.65×53mm Mauser and the weaker 6.5×52mm Carcano , it

3060-569: The G11 rifle. The company also produced prototypes of the G41 assault rifle intended for the Bundeswehr . Due to the international political climate at the time (East and West Germany uniting and defense budget cuts) the company was unable to secure funded contracts from the German government to support production of either weapon system and became financially vulnerable. The next year, Heckler & Koch

3150-627: The Primitiv-Waffen-Programm ("primitive weapons program") was initiated. It called for weapons that were as easy as possible to produce. Walther designed the Volkssturmgewehr VG 1 rifle, Spreewerk Berlin the VG 2, Rheinmetall the VG 3, Mauser the VG 4 and Steyr the VG 5 (a.k.a. VK 98). Best known is the Volkssturmgewehr by Gustloff which was a gas-delayed blowback semi-automatic rifle. The Walther Volkssturmgewehr VG 1

3240-772: The Russian Empire and later in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic . A total of 3,200 Fedorov rifles were manufactured between 1915 and 1924 in the city of Kovrov ; the vast majority of them were made after 1920. The weapon saw limited combat in World War I , but was used more substantially in the Russian Civil War and in the Winter War . Some consider it to be an "early predecessor" or "ancestor" of

3330-572: The Type 56 ). As a result, more AK-type weapons have been produced than all other assault rifles combined. As of 2004, "of the estimated 500 million firearms worldwide, approximately 100 million belong to the Kalashnikov family, three-quarters of which are AK-47s." The U.S. Army was influenced by combat experience with semi-automatic weapons such as the M1 Garand and M1 Carbine , which enjoyed

3420-669: The XM8 , though both the OICW and XM8 are now indefinitely suspended. Heckler & Koch developed an AR-15 / M4 carbine variant, marketed as the HK416 . HK replaced the direct impingement system used by the Stoner design on the original M16 with a short-stroke piston operating system. The civilian models are named the MR223 and, in the U.S., the MR556A1. In 2007, United States Secretary of

3510-466: The 1960s other countries would follow the Americans' lead and begin to develop 5.56×45mm assault rifles, most notably Germany with the Heckler & Koch HK33 . The HK33 was essentially a smaller 5.56mm version of the 7.62×51mm Heckler & Koch G3 rifle. As one of the first 5.56mm assault rifles on the market, it would go on to become one of the most widely distributed assault rifles. The HK33 featured

3600-508: The 1970s, Finland, Israel, and South Africa introduced AK type assault rifles in 5.56×45mm. Sweden began the transition with trails in 1981 and full adaptation in 1986. During the 1990s, Russia developed the AK-101 in 5.56×45mm NATO for the world export market. In addition, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Yugoslavia (i.e., Serbia) have also rechambered their locally produced assault rifles to 5.56mm NATO. The AK-74 assault rifle

3690-543: The 5.56×45mm FAMAS bullpup rifle. In 1985, the British introduced the 5.56×45mm L85 bullpup rifle. In the late 1990s, Israel introduced the 5.56mm NATO Tavor TAR-21 . In 1997, China adopted the QBZ-95 in the new 5.8×42mm cartridge, which they claim is superior to both the 5.56×45mm and the 5.45×39mm. By the turn of the century, the bullpup assault rifle design had achieved worldwide acceptance. The Heckler & Koch G36

Volkssturmgewehr - Misplaced Pages Continue

3780-467: The 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge has become not only the NATO standard but "the standard assault-rifle cartridge in much of the world". It also led to the development of small-caliber high-velocity service rifles by every major army in the world, including the USSR and People's Republic of China. Today, many small arms experts consider the M16 the standard by which all other assault rifles are judged. During

3870-416: The 5.56×45mm cartridge. This shift represented a change in the philosophy of the military's long-held position about caliber size. By the middle of the 1970s, other armies were looking at assault rifle-type weapons. A NATO standardization effort soon started and tests of various rounds were carried out starting in 1977. The U.S. offered the 5.56×45mm M193 round, but there were concerns about its penetration in

3960-627: The AK-47 and the M14 ("assault rifle" vs "battle rifle") came in the early part of the Vietnam War . Battlefield reports indicated that the M14 was uncontrollable in full-auto and that soldiers could not carry enough ammunition to maintain fire superiority over the AK-47. And, while the M2 Carbine offered a high rate of fire, it was under-powered and ultimately outclassed by the AK-47. A replacement

4050-547: The AR-15 could bring more firepower to bear than the M14, the Army opposed the adoption of the new rifle. In January 1963, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara concluded that the AR-15 was the superior weapon system and ordered a halt to M14 production. At the time, the AR-15 was the only rifle available that could fulfill the requirement of a universal infantry weapon for issue to all services. After modifications (most notably,

4140-602: The Army Pete Geren agreed to hold a "dust chamber" test pitting the M4 against the Heckler & Koch HK416 and XM8 , as well as the rival FN SCAR design. The Heckler & Koch XM8 and FN SCAR had the fewest failures in the test, closely followed by the HK416, while the M4 had by far the most. In 2007, the Norwegian Army became the first to field the HK416 as a standard-issue rifle. HK sells its pistols in

4230-488: The DE marking. Heckler & Koch long arms mostly follow a set of shared trigger group standards for selective fire and safety , with corresponding markings and pictograms. H&K has been accused of shipping small arms to conflict regions such as Bosnia and Nepal , and has licensed its weapons for production by governments with poor human rights records such as Sudan , Thailand and Myanmar . It has been argued that

4320-477: The Gustloff Volkssturmgewehr made aiming difficult at longer ranges, with the bullet dropping around 84 cm (33 inches) below line of sight at 300 meters, forcing the shooter to aim higher on the target. For reference, a kneeling soldier presents a target approximately 96 cm (38 inches) in height, or 48 cm (19 inches) when prone. Assault rifle An assault rifle

4410-430: The Gustloff Volkssturmgewehr occurred from January 1945 till the end of the war; roughly 10,000 were made. This gun was initially called MP 507 . The MP 508 was fairly similar except it had a semi-pistol grip stock. The weapon employed the same 7.92×33mm Kurz intermediate cartridge as the earlier StG 44 assault rifle and also used the same detachable 30-round box magazine . The Gustloff Volkssturmgewehr uses

4500-522: The M1 Garand proved disappointing. During the Korean War , the select-fire M2 Carbine largely replaced the submachine gun in U.S. service and became the most widely used Carbine variant. Combat experience suggested that the .30 Carbine round was under-powered. American weapons designers reached the same conclusion as the German and Soviet ones: an intermediate round was necessary, and recommended

4590-639: The Mulhouse facility between 1946 and 1949. Vorgrimler later went to work at CETME in Spain and developed the line of CETME automatic rifles based on his improved StG 45 design. Germany eventually purchased the license for the CETME design and manufactured the Heckler & Koch G3 as well as an entire line of weapons built on the same system, one of the most famous being the MP5 SMG . The first confrontations between

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4680-656: The P8 pistol, derived from its USP handguns produced since 1989. The USP was adopted as the standard sidearm of the Bundeswehr in 1994, and the G36 was adopted as their standard-issue rifle in 1995. As the result of a 1999 merger between British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic Systems , Heckler & Koch was owned by the resulting BAE Systems ; it was contracted to refurbish the British Army 's SA80 rifles (which had been manufactured by Royal Ordnance) This contract entailed

4770-616: The Red Army's new mobile warfare doctrines. In the 1960s, the Soviets introduced the RPK light machine gun , itself an AK-47 type weapon with a bipod , a stronger receiver, and a longer, heavier barrel that would eventually replace the RPD light machine gun. The AK-47 was widely supplied or sold to nations allied with the USSR, and the blueprints were shared with several friendly nations (the People's Republic of China standing out among these with

4860-541: The Spanish state-owned design and development agency CETME ( Centro de Estudios Técnicos de Materiales Especiales ). The rifle proved successful in the export market, being adopted by the armed forces of over 60 countries. After World War II, German technicians involved in developing the Sturmgewehr 45 , continued their research in France at CEAM. The StG 45 mechanism was modified by Ludwig Vorgrimler and Theodor Löffler at

4950-495: The Sturmgewehr 44 was "intended in a general way to serve the same purpose as the U.S. carbine" and was in many ways inferior to the M1 carbine, and was of "little importance". After World War II, the United States military started looking for a single automatic rifle to replace the M1 Garand, M1/M2 Carbines, M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle , M3 "Grease Gun" and Thompson submachine gun . Early experiments with select-fire versions of

5040-520: The United States to both law enforcement and civilian markets, through its HK USA subsidiary. The company has locations in Virginia , New Hampshire , and Georgia . Heckler & Koch has produced a variety of firearms including the G3 , HK21 , MP5 , HK4 , HK33 , HK69 , VP70 , PSG1 , USP , G36 , MG4 , UMP , MP7 , and HK416 , which have become some of the most iconic and widely adopted firearms in

5130-432: The actual ranges of combat—was probably the most important advance in small arms since the invention of smokeless powder ." Like the Germans, the Soviets were influenced by experience showing that most combat engagements occur within 400 metres (1,300 ft) and that their soldiers were consistently outgunned by heavily armed German troops, especially those armed with Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifles. On July 15, 1943,

5220-502: The charging handle was re-located from under the carrying handle like it was on AR-10 to the rear of the receiver), the newly redesigned rifle was subsequently adopted as the M16 Rifle. "(The M16) was much lighter compared to the M14 it replaced, ultimately allowing soldiers to carry more ammunition. The air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed assault rifle was made of steel, aluminum alloy and composite plastics, truly cutting-edge for

5310-420: The company effectively evaded EU export restrictions when these licensees sold HK weapons to conflict zones including Indonesia , Sri Lanka and Sierra Leone . According to the newspaper Stuttgarter Nachrichten (31 August 2011), as well as the state broadcaster ARD, a large stockpile of G36 assault rifles fell into rebel hands during the August 2011 attack on Muammar Gaddafi 's compound in Tripoli . It

5400-404: The development of the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge and the M14 rifle which was basically an improved select-fire M1 Garand with a 20-round magazine. The U.S. also adopted the M60 GPMG , which replaced the M1919 Browning machine gun in major combat roles. Its NATO partners adopted the FN FAL and Heckler & Koch G3 rifles, as well as the FN MAG and Rheinmetall MG3 GPMGs. The FN FAL

5490-435: The development of the M16 rifle during the Vietnam War prompted the adoption of assault rifles by the rest of NATO. By the end of the 20th century, assault rifles had become the standard weapon in most of the world's armies, replacing full-powered rifles and submachine guns in most roles. The two most successful modern assault rifles are the AK-47 and the M16 designs and their derivatives. The term assault rifle

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5580-425: The face of the wider introduction of body armor . In the end the Belgian 5.56×45mm SS109 round was chosen ( STANAG 4172) in October 1980. The SS109 round was based on the U.S. cartridge but included a new stronger, heavier, 62-grain bullet design, with better long-range performance and improved penetration (specifically, to consistently penetrate the side of a steel helmet at 600 metres or 2,000 feet). Also during

5670-401: The first selective fire military rifle to popularize the assault rifle concept. Today, the term assault rifle is used to define firearms sharing the same basic characteristics as the StG 44. The U.S. Army defines assault rifles as "short, compact, selective-fire weapons that fire a cartridge intermediate in power between submachine gun and rifle cartridges." In this strict definition,

5760-418: The first successful bullpup rifle , finding service with the armed forces of over twenty countries. It was highly advanced for the 1970s, combining in the same weapon the bullpup configuration, a polymer housing, dual vertical grips, an optical sight as standard, and a modular design. Highly reliable, light, and accurate, the Steyr AUG showed clearly the potential of the bullpup layout. In 1978, France introduced

5850-496: The gas pressure drops to a safe level. The Grossfuss Sturmgewehr used the same principle of gas-delayed blowback operation, but it was somewhat more efficient in the use of gas; its bolt weighed 0.8-0.9 kg compared to 1.4 kg in the Gustloff Volkssturmgewehr. The Gustloff Volkssturmgewehr was assembled out of 39 metallic parts, not counting rivets and screws. Of these specific parts, 12 required milling, 21 could be produced by stamping alone, and 6 were springs. Testing of

5940-460: The local French Army commander. In 1948, three former Mauser engineers, Edmund Heckler , Theodor Koch , and Alex Seidel , saved what they could from the factory and used what they salvaged to start a machine tool plant in the vacant factory that became known as the Engineering Office Heckler & Co. On December 28, 1949, the Engineering Office Heckler & Co. changed its name and was registered officially as Heckler & Koch GmbH. Initially

6030-404: The modern assault rifle. The Germans were the first to pioneer the assault rifle concept during World War II, based upon research that showed that most firefights happen within 400 metres (1,300 ft) and that contemporary rifles were overpowered for most small arms combat. They would soon develop a select-fire intermediate powered rifle combining the firepower of a submachine gun with

6120-431: The new company manufactured machine tools, bicycle and sewing machine parts, gauges, and other precision parts. In 1956, Heckler & Koch responded to the West German government's tender for a new infantry rifle for the Bundeswehr with the proposal of the G3 battle rifle , based on the Spanish CETME Model 58 rifle and developed in cooperation with CETME . The German government awarded Heckler & Koch

6210-409: The range and accuracy of a rifle. The result was the Sturmgewehr 44, an improvement of the earlier Maschinenkarabiner 42(H) , and approximately half a million Sturmgewehrs were produced by the war's end. It fired a new and revolutionary intermediate powered cartridge, the 7.92×33mm Kurz. This new cartridge was developed by shortening the standard 7.92×57mm Mauser round and giving it

6300-446: The receiver housing, stock, trigger group (including the fire control selector and firing mechanism parts), magazine well, handguard and carrying handle are all made of a carbon fiber -reinforced polyamide . The receiver has an integrated steel barrel trunnion (with locking recesses) and a nylon 66 steel reinforced receiver. The standard Bundeswehr versions of the G36 are equipped with a unique ZF 3×4° dual optical sight that combines

6390-884: The receiver. Non-adjustable iron sights are provided for close-range shooting only, and zeroed for 100 metres (110 yd). The Steyr Volkssturmgewehr VG 5 rifle (or more correctly, the Volkssturmkarabiner VK 98) was slightly less basic. It used the Mauser Gewehr 98 type bolt action with rotary bolt, some of the early guns actually had serialised Kar98k bolts and/or receivers probably sourced from parts storages or rejected from main production for some reasons. Later guns had more parts produced specifically for VG5, these were standard K98k parts, but of very low quality, they were obviously distinguishable by virtually lacking any finish. The barrels were actually all K98k standard barrels. It had an internal magazine, just like K98k, though with simpler unremovable bottom plate, very basic unadjustable fixed sights and very simple short stock, making it indeed

6480-519: The sale of 4,700 rifles and large quantities of ammunition. H&K was issued a fine of 3.7 million euros, and the two men received suspended sentences of 17 and 22 months. The spokesman of the Presidency of the Republic of Mexico, Jesús Ramírez Cuevas, said that the amount of the fine should go to the victims and their families. On 30 March 2021, Germany's Federal Court of Justice (BGH) upheld

6570-423: The same weight compared to the larger and heavier 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. The 5.56mm cartridge is also much easier to shoot. In 1961 marksmanship testing, the U.S. Army found that 43% of AR-15 shooters achieved Expert, while only 22% of M-14 rifle shooters did so. Also, a lower recoil impulse, allows for more controllable automatic weapons fire. In March 1970, the U.S. recommended that all NATO forces adopt

6660-482: The scene, matching those used by H&K G3 rifles. In Iguala and Cocula , corrupt police officers and cartelmen are known to have used H&K G36 rifles during the 2014 Iguala mass kidnapping on 26–27 September 2013. At least six teaching students were murdered by cartelmen and corrupt local police, and 43 others are missing and presumed dead. Other than the six identified persons, no other bodies have been found, and they are believed to have been incinerated. As

6750-548: The tender and in 1959 declared the G3 the standard rifle of the Bundeswehr . Later in 1961, Heckler & Koch developed the 7.62×51mm HK21 general-purpose machine gun , based on the G3. In 1966, Heckler & Koch introduced the HK54 machine pistol , which eventually launched in 1969 as the MP5 submachine gun . Two years later, the company introduced the HK33 assault rifle ,

6840-527: The time. Designed with full and semi-automatic capabilities, the weapon initially did not respond well to wet and dirty conditions, sometimes even jamming in combat. After a few minor modifications, the weapon gained in popularity among troops on the battlefield." Despite its early failures, the M16 proved to be a revolutionary design and stands as the longest continuously serving rifle in American military history. It has been adopted by many U.S. allies and

6930-410: The trigger guard just behind the trigger. When engaged, the safety lever blocks trigger movement. To disengage the safety the user must turn it sideways with a finger. The stock is crudely made from wood, and non-adjustable iron sights are provided for close-range shooting only. It was meant to be produced by Zbrojovka Brno in the current-day Czech Republic. The Spreewerk Berlin Volkssturmgewehr VG 2

7020-418: The use of polymers in weapon designs, modern polygonal rifling , the feasibility of high-velocity caseless ammunition in prototype service rifles, and integral rails for handgun attachments. Heckler & Koch products use an internal naming system, consisting of an abbreviation and a two- or three-digit Werknummern designation popularly referred to as the "HK 3-digit system". Each letter and digit

7110-420: The world, used by dozens of militaries , police forces , and paramilitaries worldwide. Many of its prototype weapons, including the G11 , HK CAWS , XM29 OICW , and XM8 , have also become recognizable. HK firearms use blowback operation , short-recoil , roller-delayed blowback , gas-delayed blowback , and short-stroke piston gas operation . HK is responsible for several innovations in firearms, such as

7200-532: The worldwide trend toward small caliber, high-velocity cartridges. Following the adoption of the M16, carbine variants were also adopted for close quarters operations. The AR-15 family of weapons served through the Vietnam War. However, these compact assault rifles had design issues, as "the barrel length was halved" to 10 inches (250 mm) which "upset the ballistics", reducing its range and accuracy and leading "to considerable muzzle flash and blast, so that

7290-521: Was a Soviet answer to the U.S. M16. The Soviet military realized that the M16 had better range and accuracy over the AKM, and that its lighter cartridge allowed soldiers to carry more ammunition. Therefore, in 1967, the USSR issued an official requirement to replace the AKM and the 7.62×39mm cartridge. They soon began to develop the AK-74 and the 5.45×39mm cartridge. AK-74 production began in 1974, and it

7380-612: Was contracted by the United States Army to produce the kinetic energy subsystem (see: kinetic projectiles or kinetic energy penetrator ) of the Objective Individual Combat Weapon , a planned replacement for the M16 rifle / M203 grenade launcher combination. The OICW was designed to fire 5.56 mm rounds and 25 mm grenades. The kinetic energy component was also developed separately as

7470-638: Was first used in the semi-automatic SKS carbine and the RPD light machine gun . Hugo Schmeisser , the designer of the Sturmgewehr, was captured after World War II, and, likely, helped develop the AK-47 assault rifle, which would quickly replace the SKS and Mosin in Soviet service. The AK-47 was finalized, adopted and entered widespread service in the Soviet army in the early 1950s. Its firepower, ease of use, low production costs, and reliability were perfectly suited for

7560-403: Was needed: A medium between the traditional preference for high-powered rifles such as the M14, and the lightweight firepower of the M2 Carbine. As a result, the Army was forced to reconsider a 1957 request by General Willard G. Wyman, commander of the U.S. Continental Army Command (CONARC) to develop a .223 caliber (5.56 mm) select-fire rifle weighing 2.7 kg (6 lb) when loaded with

7650-667: Was originally two models, the "HK M4 " and "HK M16 ", that were later amalgamated into the HK416); using the 3-digit system, the standard HK416 would likely be referred to as the G333. Such products tend to have proper internal designations anyway; the HK416 is internally referred to as the HK333. Most HK products have a prefix of between one and three letters, corresponding to a word or term in German (though some refer to English terms instead, with no German equivalent). Several were only used for

7740-519: Was predominantly chambered for the 7.62mm NATO round, and because of its prevalence and widespread use among the armed forces of many western nations during the Cold War, it was nicknamed "The right arm of the Free World ". The Heckler & Koch G3 is a 7.62×51mm, selective fire, automatic rifle produced by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) in collaboration with

7830-507: Was separated into the two business areas similar to the 1974 business mission areas: Defense, and Law Enforcement and Sporting Firearms. In 2004, Heckler & Koch was awarded a major handgun contract for the United States Department of Homeland Security , worth a potential $ 26.2 million for up to 65,000 handguns. This contract ranks as the single largest handgun procurement contract in U.S. law enforcement history. HK

7920-538: Was sold to British Aerospace 's Royal Ordnance division. During 1994 and 1995, the German government awarded Heckler & Koch contracts for producing an updated standard assault rifle and updated standard sidearm for the Bundeswehr . Heckler & Koch developed and produced the Project HK50, a lightweight carbon fiber assault rifle , which became the G36 assault rifle. In addition, Heckler & Koch produced

8010-444: Was somewhat of a predecessor. However, it had its magazine fixed. The Fedorov Avtomat (also anglicized as Federov, Russian: Автома́т Фёдорова , romanized : Avtomát Fyódorova , IPA: [ɐftɐˈmat ˈfʲɵdərəvə] , lit. 'Fyodorov's automatic rifle') is a select-fire infantry rifle and also one of the world's first operational automatic rifles, designed by Vladimir Grigoryevich Fyodorov in 1915 and produced in

8100-603: Was unveiled in 1977, when it was carried by Soviet parachute troops during the annual Red Square parade . It would soon replace the AKM and become the standard Soviet infantry rifle. In 1979, the AK-74 saw combat for the first time in Afghanistan , where the lethality of the 5.45mm rounds led to the Mujahadeen dubbing them "poison bullets". The adoption of the 5.56mm NATO and the Russian 5.45×39mm cartridges cemented

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