Carl Gustav

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For other uses, see Carl Gustav (disambiguation).

Carl Gustav is a Swedish armaments firm, now owned by Bofors, and properly named Bofors Carl Gustav.

Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori ("State Rifle Factory [of the town of] Carl Gustafs") was founded in 1812 as a state arsenal. Along with Husqvarna it has provided the Swedish Army with small arms for almost two centuries. There have been both foreign designs, such as the 12.17 mm Rolling Block and the 6.5 mm Mauser rifles, and domestic ones like the Ag m/42 SLR and the Kpist m/45 SMG.

In addition Carl Gustaf have produced a number of other weapons such as the 20 mm Carl Gustav m/42 anti-tank rifle, the 20 mm m/45 autocannon and the famed 84 mm Carl Gustav recoilless rifle, still one of the most common anti-tank weapons in the world.

Between 1943 and 1991 the factory was run by a state agency named FFV, and the whole complex was often referred to as FFV-Carl Gustaf.

In 1970 Husqvarna sold its small arms division to FFV. Carl Gustaf continued to manufacture the Husqvarna 1900 hunting rifles and also developed them into the 2000-series.

Today they build the standard Swedish Army arm, the AK5 (aka CGA5) assault rifle. The AK5 is a modified version of the Fabrique Nationale 5.56 mm carbine (FN FNC) produced with a folding stock and an option to mount the SUSAT sight from the British SA80.