Chropi rifle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chropi Rifle
CHROPI Rifle (1975)
Type Rifle
Place of origin Greece
Service history
Used by Hellenic Army (not officially adopted)
Production history
Designer Sotiris Sofianopoulos (team leader)
Designed 1975
Manufacturer Chropi (Chropei), Athens
Number built unknown (probably a few dozen)
Specifications
Length 1090 mm

Cartridge 7.62 x 39 mm
Caliber 7.62 mm

The Chropi Rifle was a rifle type built by Chropei (which used the "Chropi" spelling on its weapons) a Greek chemical company. It was designed by a team under Mr. Sotiris Sofianopoulos (apparently based on an original Greek-Cypriot design) and was proposed to the Greek Army in 1975. It was a simple and rather outdated design, clearly inferior to the Heckler & Koch G3, which was adopted (produced by the state-run EBO company). The rifle was rejected after a series of tests indicated that the weapon itself did not adhere to all of the desired standards. The company, nonetheless, had created all necessary infrastructure for its production and a small number (probably a few dozen) produced was delivered to the Greek state and ended up in Greek Army storage facilities.

[edit] References

  • Theodoros Dimopoulos, "Opla Ellinikis Epinoisis kai Kataskevis (Greek-developed and produced Arms)", article in Greek Panzer magazine, issue 24, January-February 2006.