Heckler & Koch G41
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| Heckler & Koch G41 | |
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 Heckler & Koch G41 |
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| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1987 to 1996 |
| Used by | West Germany, Italy, United States |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Heckler & Koch |
| Variants | G41 G41A1 G41A2 G41A3 G41K G41GTS |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 4.10 kg (G41/A1) 4.35 kg (A2/A3) 4.25 kg (G41K). |
| Length | 997 mm (G41/A1) 800 mm retracted / 985 mm extended (A2/A3) 730 mm retracted / 915 mm extended (G41K) |
| Barrel length | 450 mm (17.72 in.) (G41) 380 mm (14.96 in.) (G41K) |
| Width | 72 mm |
| Height | 214 mm |
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| Cartridge | 5.56 x 45 mm NATO |
| Rate of fire | 850 rounds/min |
| Feed system | 20 or 30-round detachable box magazine |
The Heckler & Koch G41 is an advanced 5.56 mm caliber rifle, developed in the 1980s and known for its high quality and high cost. It is best known for being turned down by the German Bundeswehr as being too expensive, which ended up choosing the cheaper H&K G36 a decade later.
Its engineering origins lay in the much older HK 33E rifle, though it was much improved and could use the magazine interface of the American M16/M4 rifle family which was a point of standardization among NATO countries.[1]
It attained some popularity in the United States among Police forces, but overall sales were limited due to competition from cheaper 5.56mm caliber rifles.
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[edit] Overview
The G41 has a 6-groove polygonal bore, believed to reduce bullet deformation and barrel wear. It comes rifled for either the standard European 1:178mm (1-in-7 in.) or the American 1:305mm (1-in-12 in.) twist.
Developed from the HK 33E assault rifle, it was intended as a companion to the G11. When the G11 program collapsed in the 90s due to political and financial reasons, the G41 - a quality rifle in its own right - was unable to find buyers due to its high price.
Its drum rear sights are calibrated to four settings (200m, 300m, 400m, and 500m) and the top of the receiver can be fitted with either the proprietary Hecker & Koch sight bracket or the STANAG NATO-standard Picatinny rail.
Its selector switch has four positions (S-E-3-F) marked from the bottom to the top:
- Sicher ("Safe"), indicated by a white pictogram of a bullet in a rectangle with an "x" through it.
- Einzelfeuer ("single shot", or Semi-Auto), indicated by a red pictogram of a bullet in a closed rectangle.
- 3-Schuss ("3-shot", or Burst Fire), indicated by a red pictogram of three bullets in a closed rectangle.
- Feuerstoss ("batch of fire", or Full-Auto), indicated by a red pictogram of seven bullets in an open-ended rectangle.
The controls differ from those of the earlier HK33E, which had a separate push-in button that changed the automatic fire setting from Full Auto to 3-round burst.
Its purpose was to be a service rifle for regular line units to replace the aging HK G3, while the experimental HK G11 would be the standard arm of the special forces and special operations units. However, with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the now-unified German government had to cut their military budget. Further procurement of the G41 and G11 were therefore scrapped and they were replaced in service in 1990 by the G36, a newer design that could fulfill the purposes of both weapons.
The G41 was a contender with the Diemaco M16A2 for the NATO arms market in the late 1980s. The G41's lack of success is thought to have been due to its high price ($1,700 in the United States), especially when compared to the similar M16 rifle.[1] It lingered on for a few more years but was dropped from the catalog in 1996.
[edit] Service history
The G41 was used by the German counter-terror unit GSG 9 from the late 1980s to the early 1990s until it was replaced by the HK G36 in the mid 1990s.
It was also used by US police departments with S.W.A.T teams that had good enough funding and were lucky enogh to get them before the 1989 Heckler & Koch importation ban.
In the late 1980s, the Italian Army was undergoing test trials for the possible adoption of a new service rifle to replace the aging Beretta BM 59. Competitors included the experimental LF G41, a copy of the G41 that was license-built by Luigi Franchi; the Bernadelli VB-SR, an IMI Galil ARM variant modified to take the same NATO STANAG magazines of the American M-16 rifle); and the product-improved Beretta AR 70, the Beretta AR 70/90. The LF G41 was dropped from consideration in 1989 when it was turned down by the US Army and the German Bundeswehr. However, the HK G41 was acquired in generous quantities by the Italian Navy's COMSUBIN combat divers, and it is still kept in service.
[edit] Variants
- G41: This is the standard model with a fixed stock and 1:178mm (1-in-7") rifling.
- G41A1: This model has a fixed stock and 1:305mm (1-in-12") rifling.
- G41A2: This model has a 1-position retractable stock and 1:178mm (1-in-7")rifling.
- G41A3: This model has a 1-position retractable stock and 1:305mm (1-in-12") rifling.
- G41K Karabiner ("Carbine"): This is a carbine model with a shortened 380 mm barrel, 1:178mm (1-in-7") rifling and a 1-position retractable stock. The G41K is too short to mount the HK 79 or fire rifle grenades.
- G41 TGS: The "Tactical Group Support" model adds a HK79 grenade launcher.
- LF G41: Luigi Franchi made a sample run of the G41, G41A2 and G41K in 1988 for possible production under license; these were later modified for trials by the Italian Army. It differed from the Heckler & Koch model in that it had a polygonal 4-groove barrel with a chromed bore. When the G41 was rejected by the German Bundeswehr in 1989, it was dropped from consideration and the improved Beretta AR 70/90 was chosen instead in 1990.
[edit] Accessories
The G41 can be fitted with a scope, bipod, bayonet, sling, 9v flashlight and a laser aiming device.
- Weight of Unloaded 30-round Magazine (aluminum): 0.14 kg. (0.31 lbs.)
- Weight of Loaded 30-round Magazine (aluminum): 0.45 kg. (1.01 lbs.)
- Weight of Fixed Bipod: 0.22 kg. (0.48 lbs.).
- Telescopic Sight: Hensoldt & Kahles 4x24 power, 6-position (100-600m) with elevation and windage adjustments. It uses a proprietary "claw foot" scope mount that can only be fitted to Heckler & Koch rifles. Weight: 0.65 kg (1.43 lbs.).
