I know very little about the G36. I think I have read before that there is no rigid barrel to receiver connection. If that is true, I can envision the heat issue manifesting itself earlier in a rapid fire scenario than in a gun with such a structure.
I can’t find solid evidence of that though. I believe the barrel attaches directly to a metal (aluminum?) receiver, then the entire barreled action sits inside a plastic housing.
I can’t see that being any more likely to overheat than an AR15 given a similar barrel profile. Of course, our military changed the M4 to a much heavier weight barrel profile in the last decade because they found the light-weight barrels suffered in sustained fights. I don’t know what is going on under the chassis of the G36, but the part of the barrel I see looks to be a pencil profile. Maybe the thing just needs an “M4A1” barrel profile.
Or could this be something similar to what happened to the M-16 in the early days of Vietnam? Conditions that would have caused a problem in most precision assault rifles attributed to a specific design because of a fighting force’s lack of familiarity with it?
I realize the German’s have been using it for years, but how much hard use have they really put them through? I think a lot of guns would suffer in a sustained fire-fight in a dusty environment.
As for their Gov troubles, maybe HK should just pack up and move to TN…they could settle in right between Barrett and Beretta.
May 15th, 2015 at 8:49 am
I know very little about the G36. I think I have read before that there is no rigid barrel to receiver connection. If that is true, I can envision the heat issue manifesting itself earlier in a rapid fire scenario than in a gun with such a structure.
I can’t find solid evidence of that though. I believe the barrel attaches directly to a metal (aluminum?) receiver, then the entire barreled action sits inside a plastic housing.
I can’t see that being any more likely to overheat than an AR15 given a similar barrel profile. Of course, our military changed the M4 to a much heavier weight barrel profile in the last decade because they found the light-weight barrels suffered in sustained fights. I don’t know what is going on under the chassis of the G36, but the part of the barrel I see looks to be a pencil profile. Maybe the thing just needs an “M4A1” barrel profile.
Or could this be something similar to what happened to the M-16 in the early days of Vietnam? Conditions that would have caused a problem in most precision assault rifles attributed to a specific design because of a fighting force’s lack of familiarity with it?
I realize the German’s have been using it for years, but how much hard use have they really put them through? I think a lot of guns would suffer in a sustained fire-fight in a dusty environment.
As for their Gov troubles, maybe HK should just pack up and move to TN…they could settle in right between Barrett and Beretta.
May 15th, 2015 at 9:01 am
My HK91 and I believe all HK pistols have Polygonal rifling.
But, the G36 was the cheap alternative to the G11 – and has a normal grooved barrel.
I wonder if the German Army is getting what they paid for – and HK would gladly build them with better barrels for if they were willing to pay?