Fulfilling a request made a LOONG time ago.
The Heckler & Koch G36 is a 5.56x45mm [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_rifle"]assault rifle[/ame], designed in the early 1990s by Heckler & Koch (H&K) in [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany"]Germany[/ame] as a replacement for the 7.62mm G3 [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_rifle"]battle rifle[/ame]. It was accepted into service with the [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundeswehr"]Bundeswehr[/ame] in 1997, replacing the G3. The G36 is gas-operated and feeds from a 30-round detachable box magazine or 100-round C-Mag [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_magazine"]drum magazine[/ame].
Development
Work on a successor for the venerable G3 rifle had been ongoing in Germany since the second half of the 1970s. These efforts resulted in the innovative 4.73mm G11 assault rifle (developed jointly by a group of companies led by H&K), that used [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caseless_ammunition"]caseless ammunition[/ame] (designed by the Dynamit Nobel company). It had been predicted that this weapon would eventually replace the G3, therefore further development of H&K's series of firearms chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge had been halted. Heckler & Koch had no incentive to pursue a new 5.56mm weapon system, content with the export-oriented HK33 and G41 rifles. However, the G11 program came to an abrupt end when the Bundeswehr canceled its procurement due to defense budget cuts after the unification of [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Germany"]East[/ame] and [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Germany"]West Germany[/ame] and H&K was acquired in 1991 by British Aerospace's Royal Ordnance division (known today as [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAE_Systems"]BAE Systems[/ame]).
Increasing interest in Germany for a modern [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_rifle"]service rifle[/ame] chambered for the [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO"]NATO[/ame]-standard 5.56mm cartridge led H&K to offer the German armed forces the G41 rifle, which too was rejected. Design work was then initiated from the ground up on a modern 5.56mm assault rifle, designated "Project 50" or HK50.[2] The prototype was then trialled, where it was rated higher than the rival [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria"]Austrian[/ame] [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steyr_AUG"]Steyr AUG[/ame] system.[2]
Production
The HK50 rifle was selected for service and an initial order was placed for 33,000 rifles under the Bundeswehr designation Gewehr G36. The order also involved an option for a further 17,000 rifles. Deliveries were first made to the Bundeswehr's [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO"]NATO[/ame] Quick Reaction Force during the third quarter of 1997.
In July 1998, it was announced that the G36 had been selected as the standard rifle for the [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armed_Forces"]Spanish Armed Forces[/ame], replacing the 5.56mm [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CETME_Model_L"]CETME Model L[/ame] and [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CETME_Model_L"]LC[/ame] rifles.[3] Deliveries first took place at the end of 1999. These rifles are manufactured in [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain"]Spain[/ame] under license by General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas at the FACOR (Fábrica de Armas de la Coruña) facility, in A Coruña, Galicia.
Design details
The G36 is a [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_fire"]selective fire[/ame] 5.56mm [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_rifle"]assault rifle[/ame], firing from a [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_bolt"]closed[/ame] [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotating_bolt"]rotary bolt[/ame]. The G36 has a conventional layout and a modular component design. Common to all variants of the G36 family are: the receiver and [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttstock"]buttstock[/ame] assembly, bolt carrier group with bolt and the return mechanism and guide rod. The receiver contains the [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_barrel"]barrel[/ame], carry handle with integrated sights, trigger group with [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistol_grip"]pistol grip[/ame], handguard and magazine socket.
The G36 employs a free-floating barrel (the barrel does not contact the handguard). The barrel is fastened to the receiver with a special nut, which can be removed with a wrench. The barrel is produced using a cold hammer forging process and features a [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrome_plating"]chrome-lined[/ame] bore with 6 right-hand grooves and a 1 in 178 mm (1:7 in) rifling twist rate. The barrel assembly consists of the gas block, a collar with a bayonet lug that is also used to launch [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifle_grenade"]rifle grenades[/ame] and a slotted [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_suppressor"]flash suppressor[/ame].
The weapon can be stripped and re-assembled without tools through a system of cross-pins similar to that used on earlier HK designs. For cleaning purposes, the G36 disassembles into the following groups: receiver housing, return mechanism, bolt carrier group and trigger group.
Sights
The standard German Army versions of the G36 are equipped with a ZF 3x4° dual optical sight that combines a 3x magnified telescopic sight (with the main reticule designed for firing at 200 m and bullet drop compensation markings for: 200, 400, 600 and 800 m [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reticle"]crosshairs[/ame] and a range-finding scale) and an unmagnified reflex [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_dot_sight"]red-dot sight[/ame] (calibrated for firing at 200 m) mounted on top of the telescopic sight.[2] The red dot sight is activated by ambient light during the day and requires battery power in a zero light environment.
The export versions have a single optical sight with a 1.5x magnification and an aiming reticule fixed at 300 m. All rifles are adapted to use the Hensoldt NSA 80 third-generation [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_vision_device"]night sight[/ame], which clamps into the G36 carry handle adapter in front of the optical sight housing and mates with the rifle's standard optical sight.[4] The sighting bridge also functions as a carrying handle and features auxiliary open sights molded on top of the handle that consist of a forward blade and rear notch, but these can only be used with the red dot sight removed, as in the G36V. The optical sight system is produced by Hensoldt AG (a subsidiary of [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Zeiss_AG"]Carl Zeiss AG[/ame]).