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G11
#-148353 - 05/02/03 12:14 PM
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Can anyone explain in better detail how the HK G11's cylindrical bolt design works in conjunction to the perpendicular magazine (loading, firing, mechanical processes, etc. etc.)?
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MJWalser
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I may or may not be wearing pants at this moment.
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Reged: 07/28/03
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Posts: 216
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Loc: Washington, DC
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Sure. The G-11 fires a 4.73mm round that is embedded in a caseless block of propellant. The rounds sit vertically in the magazine, i.e. nose down when compared to the lines of the weapon itself.
The cylindrical bolt, at rest, allows for one round to enter the chamber from above. It then rotates 1/4 of a turn clockwise (when looking at the left side of the weapon) to line the chamber up with the barrel.
(The first round is chambered manually of course, by twisting the charging handle 1/4 turn counterclockwise to chamber the round, then 1/4 turn clockwise to align it with the barrel.)
Upon firing, the round discharges, and the recoil sled (which is located behind the bolt assembly) begins to recoil backwards. The bolt reverses its rotation to allow a new round to chamber. Since the rounds are caseless, there is no need to extract a spent casing, allowing the bolt to immediately rotate back into the chambering position.
What actually happens with the recoil sled and firing mechanism depends on the mode of fire. In the full-auto setting, the recoil sled is connected to the hammer. The hammer remains down until the recoil sled (mounted within the stock portion of the weapon) returns to battery. Essentially, the recoil sled has to make one full reciprocation for each round fired. This ends up giving the G11 a cyclic rate of fire of about 600 rpm.
In three-round burst setting however, the recoil sled detaches from the hammer, allowing the hammer to fall the moment the round is fully chambered. The result is that you get three rounds going off for every one full reciprocation of the recoil sled. This ends up providing a burst rate of fire of around 2,000 rpm.
In either case, the sled is connected to a cam system that is also assisted by the gas operation of the weapon, which causes the linear movement of the sled to be transferred to the bolt as rotational movement.
In the case of a misfire, the charging handle on the left side of the weapon can be twisted 1/2 turn clockwise to allow the unfired cartridge to drop through a normally closed port on the underside of the weapon.
-Mike
"I have not failed 10,000 times. I have successfully found 10,000 ways that do not work." -Thomas Edison (paraphrased)
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I know that the G11 was tested by the US military, but apparently just as an "experiment." According to the specs listed at this site:
http://remtek.com/arms/hk/mil/g11/caseless.htm
it seems like the G11 has many advantages over the M16A2 and is proving itself reliable over time. Is the Army considering the G11 as a replacement to the M16? If not, why not?
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MJWalser
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I may or may not be wearing pants at this moment.
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Reged: 07/28/03
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Posts: 216
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Loc: Washington, DC
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No, they aren't. As for why not, the answer is simple: Money.
The G-11 was an extremely expensive project. From the beginning, it suffered from major technological hurdles that just kept driving the investment up. By the time all the major bugs were ironed out, the unit cost was prohibitively expensive, and the investment required to retrofit an army with an entirely new system (not just new weapon, but new ammunition that would render old stockpiles obsolete) was too large.
In all honesty, the US was never considering the G-11 as an issue weapon. It was a contender in the ACR (advanced combat rifle) trials, but only as a technology demonstrator.
Personally, I agree with you... the current iteration of the G-11 is an excellent weapon. The high ROF on burst mode virtually guarantees a full-burst hit probability at normal engagement ranges, and the individual soldier can carry 135 rounds without having to carry extra magazines, and for about half the weight of a comparable amount of 5.56mm NATO rounds. But, you can't argue with economics, I suppose.
-Mike
"I have not failed 10,000 times. I have successfully found 10,000 ways that do not work." -Thomas Edison (paraphrased)
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