Heckler & Koch G36K Electric Blow Back Rifle

Most airsoft players looking for a carbine length primary rifle will inevitably be drawn to an M4 variant as, let’s face it, when it comes to airsoft replicas the market is awash with these. Pretty much every manufacturer offers not one M4 style but many; railed, non-railed, flat top or with carry handle, fixed or sliding stock, and I could go on!

However, not every player wants to follow the herd, so to speak, so even if you want to stick to a NATO style modern load-out one option is to follow the ‘Bundeswehr’ theme and go for a G36. The G36 family offers both full-length and compact rifles and carbines, and even a support gun with a BETA C-Mag, so if you’re looking for a ‘team’ approach then it’s a good replica to go with.

History

The G36 has been in service in the real world since 1995. By the mid-1970s West Germany’s stock of the G3 rifle was really beginning to show its age, so work began then to find a suitable replacement. Initially it looked as if things were going to go a little Star Wars, as the preferred replacement looked to be the 4.73mm G11 assault rifle which used the extraordinary caseless ammunition designed by the Dynamit Nobel company. As Heckler & Koch were heavily involved in this development process they saw little reason to pursue another military design and were content to produce both HK33 and G41 rifles for export. However, the G11 program came skidding to a halt after the reunification of East and West Germany; procurement budgets went up in the air, and in 1991 Heckler & Koch were acquired by British Aerospace’s Royal Ordnance Division, known today as BAE Systems.

As the G11 project fell by the wayside Heckler and Koch immediately stepped in to offer the Bundeswehr their existing G41 model chambered in NATO 5.56mm, but this was promptly rejected. Design work was then initiated from the ground up on a modern, polymer bodied 5.56mm assault rifle designated ‘Project50’ or HK50.

When the prototype was finally trialled it received a higher approval rating than the rival Austrian Steyr AUG system which was also in the running. The finalised version of the G36 was completed in 1994 and production of the G(ewehr)36 began in the spring of 1995.

The G36 rifle was selected for military service and an initial order was placed for 33,000 rifles. The order also involved an option for a further 17,000 rifles. Deliveries were first made to the Bundeswehr’s NATO Quick Reaction Force towards the end of 1995, with the rest of the German armed forces receiving their issue weapons shortly after this.

In July 1998, it was announced that the G36 had also been selected as the issue rifle for the Spanish Armed Forces, replacing the 5.56mm CETME Model L and LC rifles. These rifles are now manufactured in Spain under license by General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas at the FACOR (Fábrica de Armas de la Corunna) facility in Corunna, Galicia. The G36 has also been licensed for local production in Saudi Arabia by the Military Industries Corporation. Technology transfer was granted by Germany to Saudi Arabia on June 30th, 2008 and the first Saudi-made G36 was made at MIC’s factory on June 30, 2009. Some components however are still directly supplied by Heckler & Koch.

The Heckler & Koch G36 family of weapons has proved massively successful worldwide and they have been exported successfully to both the military and the police forces of at least 45 countries! This of course includes the UK where the G36 is amongst the most commonly seen firearm used by the police.

Family Values

The G36 family is indeed a large one and currently consists of the following variants:

G36A2 – this is the current issue rifle of the Bundeswehr and is essentially an upgraded variant of the original G36. The G36A2 is equipped with a quick-detach Zeiss RSA reflex red dot sight mounted on a Picatinny rail that replaces the original red dot sight of the dual combat sighting system. The G36A2 upgrade kit also consists of the shorter G36C stock, a new handguard made of aluminium with an optional 4 Picatinny rails and a vertical foregrip; the MG36 (MG or Maschinengewehr ‘machine gun’) – a squad support weapon with an intended role similar to that of the British L86. It is equipped with a heavy barrel for increased heat and cookoff resistance and makes use of a 100 round BETA C-Mag drum. The MG36 and MG36E are no longer offered by H&K but there are still some in service; the G36K (K or Kurz ‘short’) – the carbine variant with a shorter barrel which is fitted with a unique flash hider and a shorter forend, which includes a bottom rail that can be used to attach tactical accessories such as lights and laser aiming modules. G36Ks in service with German Special Forces are issued with a 100 round BETA C-Mag drum. There are two variants of the G36K; the first and most commonly seen has 3x magnification scope/carry handle attached to the top, while the second is the one with the iron sights and MIL-STD-1913 top rail; the G36C (C or ‘Compact’) – this sub-carbine model is a further development of the G36K. It has a shorter barrel than the G36K, and a four-prong open-type flash hider or a birdcage type flash hider. The extremely short barrel forced designers to move the gas block closer to the muzzle end and reduce the length of the gas piston operating rod. The handguard and stock were also shortened and the fixed carry handle (with optics) was replaced with a carrying handle with an integrated MIL-STD-1913 top rail and iron sights.

KURZ and Effect

Now Umarex make numerous different models of the G36, both in electric and gas formats, and what I received to have a look at was one of the KURZ or carbine models, battery powered with a blowback function. Essentially what this means is the cocking handle and ejection port cover move back and forth each time a shot is fired. It’s a nice feature which also gives a very minimal recoil and adds to the feel of the package overall. If you wish to disengage this feature it’s easily doable with minimal tools; in fact if you Google it you’ll find an excellent little tutorial on You Tube.

The carbine itself is based on the ARES G36, which means that there are some great things going on internally. It’s also a fully licenced replica which means that all of the trademarks used by Heckler & Koch are present and very nicely achieved, along with a unique serial number. The back polymer body (reinforced nylon fibre in this instance) is very nicely finished and looks exactly like the real thing; where there should be metal parts they are where they should be, including the distinctive KURZ flash hider. The flash hider is on a standard 14mm clockwise threaded one piece aluminium outer barrel, so it’s easy to remove should you wish to fit a suppressor.

The carry handle is again reinforced nylon and incorporates a thoroughly solid and fully functional 3x magnification optic, just like the real thing. This is a cracking extra to the carbine as it’s included in the price. It’s fully adjustable for windage and elevation and ‘looks through’ the carry handle to keep it as close as possible to the bore. On top of this optic is a short section of rail so that you can fit a ‘Docter’ sight or similar for CQB use.

The setup of the KURZ is very ergonomic, as you would expect of a modern battle rifle with very few sharp edges. Everything is slightly rounded off so it feels great in the hands. The pistol grip has a very comfortable angle, and the side-folding skeleton stock has a very nice rubberised pad; with the stock folded to the right-hand side the overall length of the carbine is reduced significantly for ease of transport and storage. The controls are fully ambidextrous for safe, semi and auto, the modes being indicated by bullet pictograms in the ‘navy’ style.

Load Up

The KURZ comes with a single 470 round high-capacity magazine; this again neatly mimics the real thing as it has a semitransparent finish. It also has the mating lugs so that two or more magazines can be joined solidly together side by side. The battery compartment is found by removing the forward body pin and simply sliding off the entire forestock. There’s enough space for a reasonably sized battery, and in the compartment you’ll also see a really nicely finished fake gas block, piston and barrel locking system!

Once you’ve got a fully loaded magazine and a fresh battery in it’s time to get going, and using a 7.4V LiPo the G36 returns a solid rate of fire and good accuracy; there’s all the range you need for usual skirmish distances, that’s for sure! The rotary hopup is dependable and stays in place once set; it’ slightly stiff to adjust at first but I feel that would work in. You access the hop by pulling back the cocking handle and there is a working bolt catch inside the trigger guard which locks everything to the rear while you make adjustments; hitting the catch sends everything flying forward and into place.

The Ares Reinforced Version 3 Gear Box is a solid, thoroughly tested unit and easy to work on and upgrade should you desire. I mention this here as another nice feature of the G36 range is that it has a quick-change spring facility. I tested the KURZ using .20g NUPROL BBs and got a thoroughly site safe and respectable 341fps; I have heard that some of the G36 models have come out of the box a little ‘warm’, but it is literally the work of a couple of minutes to change out the spring, and you don’t need more than a multi-tool to do it!

Conclusion

I have to say that I’m actually pretty impressed by the G36K. It’s not a replica that has appealed to me in the past, but something about it makes me want to channel my inner Kommando Spezialkräfte persona, chuck on some Flecktarn and give it a proper go in a skirmish situation. It’s got everything going for it in terms of the looks, build quality and performance that I look for, all in one neat and tidy package, and retails under £350, which is great value for money at this level. If you want something different from the usual M4 then I would seriously give the G36K EBB from Umarex some real consideration!

For further information on the G36K and the other Umarex H&K licenced products, along with stockist details, please visit www.armex-airsoft.co.uk.