DESIGN
The G36 weapon system was developed for the
military and law enforcement, especially
the German army. The development by Heckler
& Koch took place in the late nineties.
The G36 is not based upon the famous Heckler
& Koch roller delayed blowback and roller
locking. Instead the system is based upon
other tried and proven designs. It is gas
operated and has a rotating bolt. The G36
is, however, the first rifle completely made
from polymer. Only the barrel and operating
mechanism are made of high quality metal. |
| The a sub machine gun based on G36. It replaces
the more expensive and less effective HK53.
It is fitted with iron sights, which makes
the G36C better suited in close-quarters.
It is the only G36 which can not be fitted
with the AG36. |
| This is the carbine version of the G36. It
is very similar to the G36, but it has a
shorter barrel and forearm. It outperforms
the M4. ‘K’ stands for ‘Kurz’, which means
‘short’. |
| The basic rifle. It has a non-magnifying
reflex sight and a 3.5x battery powered scope.
In daylight, the scope does not use power.
The export variant of the G36 is fitted with
a 1.5x magnifying reflex sight and iron sights
with tritium, for aiming in the dark. The
'E' stands for ‘Export’. |
| The MG36 is a G36 configured (= fitted with
bipod and C-Mag) for support fire. The specifications
are the same as for the G36. The MG36 does
not have a heavy barrel and/or quick change
barrel. Therefore it can not replace (or
be compared with) a machine gun. |
PERFORMANCE
The G36 is arguably the best assault rifle
ever made. The G36 outperforms the M16, Galil, AK-74 and AUG. Although the G36 was not made to be accurate
at long ranges, it can fire accurate up to
about 450 meters. The K variants can be used
up to 350 meters, which is extremely good
for a carbine. It still outranges an AK-47! The sighting system is reputed to be very
good. It has a broad angle of vision and
allows for instinctive firing. The G36 is
extremely reliable. After firing thousands
of rounds, the firing mechanism is almost
as clean as before firing the weapon, even
in dessert conditions. The G36 is a very
light weapon, due to the use of carbon-fiber-reinforced
polymer. The lack of weight doesn't make
the recoil uncontrollable, because the weapon
is perfectly balanced. The recoil moves the
weapon backwards, rather than upwards. Therefore
the G36 can be fired fully automatic at greater
ranges than a M16 or even AK-74
USE
- The G36 is used by the German army. Germany's
special forces, including KSK and GSG9, also
use the G36K and probably the G36C.
- The Spanish army uses the G36E.
- Many European and American law enforcement
teams use the G36. One of the users is the
British Police, who are armed with a G36C.
- The president of the United States is also
protected by G36.
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