Manufacturer
Heckler & Koch

Country Of Origin
Germany

Date Of Introduction
N/A

Caliber
4.73 x 33 mm, caseless

Feed System
Magazine

Rate Of Fire
470 rounds per minute

Weights
3.6 kg

Length
750 mm


More Information *


The Heckler & Koch G11 is a non-production prototype assault rifle developed during the 1970s and 1980s by Gesellschaft für Hülsenlose Gewehrsysteme (GSHG) (English: Corporation for Caseless Rifle Systems), a conglomeration of companies headed by firearm manufacturer Heckler & Koch (mechanical engineering and weapon design), Dynamit Nobel (propellant composition and projectile design), and Hensoldt Wetzlar (target identification and optic systems). The rifle itself is noted for its blocky shape, green color, and use of caseless ammunition. It was primarily a project of West Germany, though it was also of significance to the other NATO countries as well. In particular, versions of the G11 were included in the U.S. Advanced Combat Rifle program.

The weapon uses a 4.73 x 33 mm caseless ammunition. The ammunition is also designated as 4.92 mm because in US Military trials, a non-standard groove-groove measure of the rifling was employed, rather than land-land. The barrel chamber is 4.73 mm, and the bullet is compressed to that size when fired. The 4.73 mm round is half the weight and 40% the size by volume of the standard NATO 5.56 mm round used in assault rifles. The 4.73 mm round also has similar ballistics to a 5.56 mm round, but the 4.73 mm is much less likely to tumble when hitting or penetrating a target, and thus not as lethal. It is not clear to what extent the round would fragment, which could also make it more lethal. (See terminal ballistics)