Heckler & Koch HK21

Last Updated on Friday, 10 July 2009 18:25 Written by Administrator Thursday, 02 July 2009 03:33

The Heckler & Koch HK21 is a support machine gun from Heckler & Koch that has been converted from an earlier rifle model. Its design is based on the G3 and comparatively it is closer to a true light machine gun when compared to the HK13 E.

The HK21 is chambered for the NATO 7.62x51mm round and comes with a bipod. A variant of the HK21, designated as “HK21E” comes with a fore grip for more effective firing.

The HK21 is fed by disintegrating ammunitions belts like the American M13 or the German DM6 or DM1 from the left-hand side. The gun can be switched from belt to magazine by installing an adapter in the feed-block. Once the adapter is installed, the HK21 can use either a 20-round box magazine or 50-round drum magazine.

The HK21 retains the M3’s general level of excellence. It is capable of firing in both fully-automatic and bursts. It is effective up to a range of 2000 meters. The barrel of the HK21 is comparatively heavy and features a slotted flash suppressor. Though the gun is primarily designed for the 7.62x51 mm round, it can also converted to fire other rounds such as 7.62x39mm and 5.56x45mm rounds by swapping some of the components such as the barrel, bolt and the feed unit.

Several variants of the HK21 have been developed. These include models such as:

>> HK21A1: The HK21A features a simpler design with a modified feed mechanism. The gun is also heavier and has a carrying handle. The HK21A has been exported to several countries and has been adopted by the military forces of Greece.

>> HK21E: The HK21E is the version that is built manufactured in Mexico under license. “E” stands for “export”.