Gamer Gun: The Iconic H&K G36 - War Is Boring

It is a staple of 20th Century firearms. Sleek, innovative and futuristic despite being over a quarter century old, the G36 is one of the most desired firearms in the Western World, with a large percentage of its fanbase being veteran video gamers.

Ironically, it’s one of the hardest modern firearms to procure in the United States, and it often takes a little bit of elbow grease -and a lot of money- to have one of your own.

Developed in the early 1990s, the Heckler & Koch Gewehr 36 was designed as an intermediate cartridge replacement for the venerable G3 battle rifle, which was chambered in 7.62x51mm.

Designed with a short-stroke piston, rotating bolt action and capable of a rate of fire around 750 rounds per minute, the G36 was ahead of its time in many ways. From an ambidextrous charging handle to proprietary magazines that could be coupled together [which ironically would later become an issue], the G36 was futuristic by anyone’s standards.

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One notable feature was the ZF 3×4° dual optical sight, which was split between the 3x magnified sight and an non-magnified 1x reflex sight mounted above it. The optic’s sighting bridge acted as a carry handle, and gave the G36 its futuristic look.

The final version of the G36 was rolled out in 1995, with the German Bundeswehr adopting it two years later.

From Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear of the PC golden years to COD 4: Modern Warfare and Battlefield 3 in the later age of premium console games, the G36 was the rifle. Beloved by gamers and airsoft enthusiasts, the rifle screamed “special ops” and was very popular. The design and popularity helped HK develop its mythical reputation of developing “Kraut space magic” and turning that magic into firearms.

As time went on, however, the cracks in the G36 began to show. In 2010, Afghan-deployed German forces equipped with G36s were engaging the Taliban when their barrels overheated, resulting in three Germans being killed.

Being Germany, the loss of three men prompted an investigation, and it was revealed that it took only 60 rounds to overheat the G36, causing accuracy issues.

Ultimately, it was revealed that the polymer barrel housing [designed to keep the G36 lightweight] may have been the culprit. The damage to the G36’s reputation was severe, and the German Army swore off the rifle.

While H&K would later win a court battle with the Bundeswehr [citing that the causes of malfunction were due to poor ammunition quality, Bundeswehr input/requirements with the design specifications and other issues], the damage was done, and the sun was setting on the G36’s legacy.

Eventually, the G36 would be replaced by the HK 416, a piston-driven carbine built along the lines of the M16/M4 pattern. The 416 would become the new flagship carbine for H&K, and the G36 became backburnered on the billing.

Still, the aesthetic and 90’s “drip” cannot be denied, and the G36 remains a sought-after rifle, especially in the US.

The demand for semi-automatic H&K G36s in the US fell on mostly-deaf ears at H&K, who released a bizarre abomination known as the SL8. Sporting a thumbhole stock and a 20″ barrel without a flash hider, the SL8 is “nerfed” to the extreme, and only comes with a 10-round magazine.

However, this isn’t entirely H&K’s fault, as they are hindered by German export laws, which are predictably strict.

While G36s are hard to come by in the US, the use of aftermarket kits and fabricators such as Tommy-Built have led to SL8’s receiving a makeover to better resemble their hotter G36 cousin. In addition to the American conversions, HK has long been trying to get the HK293 variant of the G36 to the USA.

Ironically, G36s are available for sale in Canada, though they come at a hefty price at over $6,000 US Dollars for a H&K barreled variant.

Aside from German military and western civilian markets, the G36 is used by military and police forces all over the world, ranging from the Baltimore City Police Department to the Lithuanian Armed Forces.

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