POTD: The Heckler & Koch G11 Field Tested
No, the Heckler & Koch G11 was never field tested on Venus but it kind of looks like it. This is an old picture of G11s with the German Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Rangers), to remind us of what things could have been.
The main tasks of this unit is warfare in extreme weather conditions like arctic, mountain and desert terrain. Contrary to public belief, the HK G11 was never mass-produced. There were only 1000 units made, but in the end, the German Army replaced their HK G3s with the G36 instead.
Now the German Army is looking to replace those G36 rifles as well, but there is nothing as revolutionary as the G11 on the horizon.
For the most recent pictures I’ve seen of the G11, check Jeremy Tremp’s excellent work or the Heckler & Koch’s Gray Room – 2017-2018 Edition.
Please make sure you take a look at our previous article: Inside the Space Magic: Disassembling HK’s G11.
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.
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I've heard a big problem with this gun, in addition to the maintenance, was that bullets were too small.
Because apparently due to the changes in body armor now vs the requirements of the 1980s, modern body armor would be more effective against the G11's small bullets, due to their small size making them easier to grind away.
Something to do with how ceramics vs titanium does against bullets.
One thing it couldn't do was survive the test where a pallet load is shot with a 20mm HE round. Conventional ammo caught fire and burned. G11 ammo went high order detonation.