#hk g41

[historicalfirearms]

CETME L vs HK G41

In this week’s Armourer’s Bench video I compare two of the last roller-delayed production rifles: the Spanish CETME Modelo L and the Heckler & Koch G41. These rifles represent the last evolutions of two strands of the roller-delayed development tree - the Spanish and the German.

The rifles while both being chambered in 5.56x45mm and both using roller-delayed blowback actions differ a great deal in both their designs and their features. Not only are their external appearances very different but their internals also differ a great deal. In one of those fascinating quirks of fate, however, both of these rifles were eventually replaced by the HK G36. 

Check out the full accompanying article for more info and photos over on the TAB website, here.

[askcheerbear]

Art request, um... It’s less of an art request and more of a “thanks for the idea”. Anyways, the artist wants to thank @the-funtime-dude38 for the idea, and this tweet (original poster now lost) for the inspiration.

[historicalfirearms]

Heckler & Koch G41

Perhaps the most famous of Heckler & Koch's designs from the 1980s is the G11 caseless ammunition-firing individual weapon, but another infantry rifle developed by HK in the late 70s and early 80s is almost as rare. 

Heckler & Koch developed the G41, as an answer to the M16A2, FN FNC and the Steyr AUG. With NATO adding 5.56x45mm to their list of standard calibres HK needed a new rifle which could use M16 magazines. The result was the G41 which included a number of new features including a forward assist and a new recoil spring. The G41 would be the last infantry service rifle, developed by HK, to use the roller-delayed blowback action that is synonymous with the company.

Check out my new video looking at the G41 below, I discuss the rifle’s design, development and history as well as comparing it side-by-side to its predecessor the HK33. Check out the full video here:

The G11 and G41 couldn't have been more different in design and operation but both both proved to be equally ill-fated. The G11 programme was shelved following the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the G41 struggled to attract sales.

You can also find my full in-depth blog about the G41 over on the Armourer’s Bench site here.

[historicalfirearms]

Sorry I’ve been quiet the last few days, I’ve been hard at work putting together the next Armourer’s Bench video on the ill-fated Heckler & Koch G41! 

Coming soon!

[historicalfirearms]

Luigi Franchi G41/Mod. 641

In the early 1980s, with NATO standardising to 5.56x45mm Heckler & Koch, having been preoccupied with the G11 caseless ammunition individual weapon, scrambled to develop a suitable rifle which could be offered to European nations seeking to transition away from 7.62x51mm battle rifles.

The result was the HK G41, a re-development of HK’s favoured roller-delayed blowback action. The G41 had a new lower receiver which enabled it to feed from STANAG magazines rather than the proprietary magazines used by HK’s earlier 5.56x45mm rifle, the HK33. 

Heckler & Koch G41 (Matthew Moss)

The G41 proved unsuccessful at cornering the emerging 5.56x45mm market, rejected numerous times, missing out on contracts in Ireland, Sweden and Italy. In Italy, HK entered into a partnership with Lugi Franchi who entered the G41 in Italy’s trials to find a replacement for the BM59. 

Franchi submitted the original HK configuration, with Franchi-marked receivers (see image #1), and also the develop their own, slightly modified version, the Franchi Mod. 641 (see image #2). The Mod. 641 had a ribbed front grip, a re-profiled buttstock, an added carrying handle and a new rear sight. It also added a mounting point for a bipod. It retained the G41′s action, its lower receiver and fire control group and forward assist. Franchi’s submissions to the trials proved unsuccessful and the Beretta AR70/90 was eventually selected. 

Sources:

Images: 1 2

The World's Assault Rifles, G.P. Johnston & T.B. Nelson, (2016)

Full Circle: A Treatise on Roller Locking, R. Blake Stevens (2006)

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