R4 assault rifle
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The R4 is a 5.56 mm assault rifle that was introduced into service with the South African Defence Force in the early 1980s, replacing the earlier 7.62 mm FN FAL rifle, that was manufactured in South Africa under a license agreement from Fabrique Nationale as the R1. The R4 is produced by Vektor (a small arms division of Denel corporation, currently Denel Land Systems).
The weapon is a licensed variant of the Israeli Galil ARM assault rifle[1][2] with several modifications; notably, both the stock and magazine are now made of a high-strength polymer and the stock's arms were lengthened, adapting the weapon for the average South African soldier.[1]
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[edit] Design details
The R4 is a selective fire, gas-operated weapon that fires from a closed bolt. It uses ignited powder gases channeled through a vent in the barrel to drive a short stroke piston located above the barrel in a gas cylinder and provide automation to the weapon’s moving assemblies. The weapon features a self-regulating gas system and a rotary bolt breech locking mechanism (equipped with two locking lugs), which is rotated and unlocked by a camming slot machined into the bolt carrier that engages and guides a cam pin on the bolt. Extraction is carried out by means of a spring-loaded extractor in the bolt and a protrusion in the receiver housing acts as the fixed ejector. The R4 is hammer-fired and uses a trigger mechanism with a 3-position fire selector and safety switch. The stamped sheet steel selector bar is present on both sides of the weapon’s receiver and its positions are marked with letters: “S”—safe, “R”—single-fire mode, and “A”—fully automatic fire. The “safe” setting immobilizes the trigger and secures the weapon from being reloaded.
The R4 is fed from a synthetic box magazine with a 35-round cartridge capacity (designed to use the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge with the M193 projectile) loaded in a staggered configuration. The flash suppressor is slotted and doubles as an adapter for launching rifle grenades. Bolted to a bracket in the gas block, under the barrel, is a lightweight folding bipod (folds into the handguard), which can also be used as a wire cutter.[1]
The rifle has conventional iron sights that consist of a front post and a flip-up rear sight with 300 and 500 m apertures. The front sight is adjustable for windage and elevation and is installed in a durable circular shroud. The rear sight is mounted to the end of the receiver’s dust cover. For nighttime use, the R4 is equipped with self-luminous tritium light dots (exposed after placing the rear sight in an intermediate position) installed in a pivoting bar to the front sight base, which folds up in front of the standard post and aligns with two dots in the rear sight notch.
The R4 has a side-folding tubular stock, which folds to the right side of the receiver. The rifle’s handguard, pistol grip, magazine, stock arms and shoulder pad are all made from a synthetic material.
For regular field maintenance and cleaning, the firearm is disassembled into the following components: the receiver and barrel group, bolt carrier, bolt, return mechanism, gas tube, receiver dust cover and magazine.
The R4 is issued with spare magazines, a cleaning kit and sling.
[edit] Variants
The South Africa Marine Corps and South African Air Force adopted a short carbine version of the 5.56 mm Galil SAR, which was license-manufactured as the R5. The R5, when compared to the larger R4, has a barrel that is 5 inches (13 cm) shorter, together with a shorter gas system and handguard. It also lacks a bipod, and the flash hider does not support rifle grenades.[1]
In the 1990s, an even more compact variant of the R5 was developed for South African parachute infantry and armored vehicle crews, designated the R6, which has a further reduced barrel and a shortened gas cylinder and piston assembly.[1]
Vektor also introduced semi-automatic versions of the R4, R5 and R6 called the LM4, LM5 and LM6 respectively and built for civilian and law-enforcement users. Newly manufactured models include a top Weaver rail for optics.
[edit] Users
- Haiti
- South Africa
[edit] Resources
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[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Woźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 4 R-Z. Bellona. 2002. pp9–10.
- ↑ John Walter (2006). Rifles Of The World. Krause Publications. pp. 141. ISBN 0896892417.
[edit] References
- Woźniak, Ryszard (2002). Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 4 R-Z. Warsaw, Poland: Bellona. pp. 9–10. ISBN 83-11-09312-1. (Polish)
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