New German Army G29 Sniper Rifle (Haenel RS9 in .338 LM)

by Eric B

Published: February 18th, 2016

From Suhl to German Special Forces. The new G29.

C.G. Haenel GmbH in Germany is most famous for their hunting rifles. However they have now been chosen to supply their RS9 sniper rifle to the German Army, and gone from hunting-boring to tacti-cool in an instant.

The German Bundeswehr designation is “G29”, and is most likely already in service with their Special Forces.

The bolt-action RS9 model is only available in .338 Lapua Magnum. At 7,54 kilograms it’s a rather heavy beast, but if you need to reach out to 1500 meters it’s in line with other competitors. The magazine capacity is 10 rounds. Most likely a Rotex suppressor from B&T will be used on these rifles as well. The stock adjustable and foldable to the left, with an option to fold to the right.

In the “G29” configuration the color will be RAL8000. The RS9-G29 will most likely use the Steiner military line 5-25 x 56 scope.

The RS9’s smaller sister Haenel RS8 is available in either .308 Win. or .300 WinMag. There is also a model called RS8 Subsonic, with what appears to be an integral suppressor. Very cool rifle, and similar to the B&T bolt action rifle SPR300 by the looks of it.

The Haenel RS8 Subsonic in .308 Win for Law Enforcement only. The barrel has a twist rate especially adjusted for subsonic ammo (220/240 grain).

Haenel also manufacturers AR-15 models with piston, called CR223.

From Suhl (where Haenel originates) to Special Forces.

The Haenel RS9 in G29 configuration. Color RAL8000 and caible .338 LM.

The Haenel RS9 in a G29 configuration. Color RAL8000 and calibre .338 LM. Note the Aimpoint Micro on a Spuhr mount from Sweden. Picture from C.G. Haenel.

From the RS9 brochure:

“C.G. Haenel, located in Suhl/Germany, offers a sniper rifle system developed

especially for the use by police and military forces. The bolt-action concept sets

a standard in ergonomics and modularity. The rifle can easily be adapted to

the needs of the shooter and the situation – without using any tools.

The RS8/9 system is a “state of the art rifle” with high functionality. The developers

only used the best available materials and production technologies – without any

compromises. Experienced weapon designers developed the rifle in cooperation

with experienced police officers.”

and further:

“The HAENEL rifle system RS9 is the magnum variant of HAENEL RS8. The

effective range is 1500 m (1650yds). Due to the bigger caliber the RS9 has a longer and

stronger barrel, as well as slightly larger overall dimensions. The bolt is adopted

to the magnum-length .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges. The system is perfectly

optimised for this calibre: superior and consistent accuracy in a perfectly

balanced system, to provide maximum performance for long range shooting.

The RS9 comes with a detachable 10 round magazine as a standard. A special

muzzle brake is fitted to reduce recoil, jump and flash. The optional silencer

easily mounts on the muzzle break.”

http://www.cg-haenel.de/haenel-sport-und-sicherheit/rs8rs9/

YouTube - Haenel Rifle System 8/9

Sources:

http://www.strategie-technik.blogspot.de/2016/02/aus-suhl-die-spezialkrafte-rs9-wird-g29.html

https://www.all4shooters.com/de/Shooting/Militaer-und-Behoerden/Bundeswehr-G29-Ausschreibung-Haenel/

Eric B

Ex-Arctic Ranger. Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus. Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics, optics, thermals and suppressors. TCCC Certified. Occasionaly seen in a 6x6 Bug Out Vehicle, always with a big smile.

More by Eric B

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3 of 13 comments

Evan on Feb 18, 2016

Is it ever gonna be available in the US though?

Like Reply
- Kurt Akemann on Feb 22, 2016
  
  @Evan Probably. It's a bolt-action rifle, so the ATF isn't going to be very hostile to it.
  
  Like
Tritro29 on Feb 23, 2016

They did more than build STG's.
As part of Ernst Thalmann conzern and then Haenel Suhl they also built some MP parts. You probably didn't know they were still up because Suhl was in the DDR. Also nifty little air rifles.

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New German Army G29 Sniper Rifle (Haenel RS9 in .338 LM)

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