The HK 11 was basically the HK G3 rifle fitted with a heavier barrel. By Staff Writer
By all accounts, the HK 11 system can be viewed as a modified HK G3 rifle. With origins of the HK delayed-blowback system dating back to the closing years of the Second World War (in the form of experimental MG 45 and StG 45 systems), the HK 11 was born from the allowance of German rearmament following the post-war years. Previously, German gunsmiths were working in Spain on a similar system that would come to be known as the CETME rifle and, armed with that and their war-designing experience, went on to produce the HK G3 automatic rifle under the Heckler & Koch brand - a brand name known until then for machine-tool design and production.
Naturally, the first true machine gun produced by the HK firm would be the HK 11 machine gun system, directly tied to the HK G3 automatic rifle. Despite a minimized fear of jamming when utilizing the terrific HK delayed blowback system, the HK 11 proved a local and commercial success. The system could be mounted with a bipod either towards the front of the barrel or just behind the magazine or the bipod could be dropped out of the configuration altogether. A heavyweight barrel distinguished the HK 11 machine gun from the G3 rifle and this system was also designed to fire the 7.62x51mm NATO-standard round from either a twenty-round detachable box magazine or an impressive 80-round drum. Early production versions of the HK 11 were noted for their visible "S", "E" and "F" fire mode selector indicators. Later models took on the more visual bullet icons to indicate "Safety", "Single Shot" and "Full Automatic" fire modes.
Variants in the HK 11 family include:
HK 11 - Base Series Designation
HK 11A1 - Redesigned butt; could fire from a 30-round detachable box over the standard twenty-round one.
HK 11E - Three-round burst fire implemented into trigger mechanism; lengthened barrel casing; redesigned sight; can fire from standard box magazine or be fitted with a 50-round drum instead; can also be belt-fed with some modifications.
EHK 11A1 - Greece-production model produced by EBO.
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Image Courtesy of D.A. Zelek
1971
Designation:Heckler & Koch HK 11 Classification Type:Light Support Machine Gun Manufacturer:Heckler & Koch GmbH - Germany Country of Origin: Germany
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