AK4: Sweden's Beefed-Up Take on the G3
Select-Fire Rifles
•
12m
Order your copy of Small Arms of the Cold War: Battle Rifles of NATO today:
https://www.headstamppublishing.com/cold-war-battle
Or if you are in Europe, please order through our European site:
https://www.headstampbook.com/cold-war-battle
When Sweden decided to replace its bolt action Mausers and Ljungman semiautomatic in the 1960s, it had four main choices to pick from. One was the domestic GRAM-63, a modernized version of the Ljungman, the FAL and the G3. They ended up choosing the G3, but not without a number of changes.
Mechanically, the Swedes insisted on a longer service lifespan of the rifle than H&K rated it for. To this end, the Swedish model got a heavier recoil buffer, extending its like to 15,000 rounds. There were also changes to the stock, sights, bayonet attachment, and bolt carrier as well as the use of a clip-on rubber case deflector.
The initial batch of Swedish AK4 rifles was purchased directly from H&K, while domestic licensed production was set up at (eventually) both the star-owned Carl Gustaf factory and also the Husqvarna company.
Thanks to the Supply Battalion of the Estonian Defense Forces Support Command for giving me access to film this surprisingly hard-to-find rifle!
Up Next in Select-Fire Rifles
-
Beretta SC70/90 in Ukraine
From imagery shared by Ukrainian armed forces personnel over recent months it appears that Italy has provided an unconfirmed number of Beretta SC70/90 5.56x45mm rifles. The SC70/90 is part of the AR70/90 family of rifles which has been in service since the 1990s.
Be sure to check out our accompa...
-
Haenel's Prototype Simplified Sturmge...
In December 1944, the Haenel company received permission to produce a simplified version of the StG-44 Sturmgewehr. The idea was to keep the mechanical system and controls as similar as possible to the design in use, but simplify the design to reduce the cost and time of production. The design wa...
-
UK Royal Marines Commandos Adopt SIG ...
The UK’s Royal Marines have confirmed that some units of the UK Commando Force are now equipped with the SIG Sauer MCX.
Be sure to check out our accompanying article for this video here -
https://armourersbench.com/Check us out on the History of Weapons & Warfare video streaming app - https:...
