The German Army's Service Rifle. The HK G36, a Teutonic masterpiece.

German Airborne Infantry here. I used the G36, G36A1, G36A2, G36k and since 2020 my G36kA4. 13 years of service. Countless of rounds. Multiple deployments. Multiple engagements in deserts. Often times full-auto fun at the range. Not a single failure with live ammunition. Not a single problem with hitting targets at 300+ meters. I trusted my life on this rifle multiple times and I’d always do so again. Just my 2 cents. Edit: Jesus Christ what have I done

The inaccuracy debate in Germany was quite ridiculous. They put expectations of a Machine Gun on the G36 (firing perfectly accurate after over 120 full auto-shots in hot weather) which could not be fullfilled by any rifle. Anyways, also the german media (who probably don't even know what the definition of an Assault Rifle is) jumped on the train and the government decided to muster the G36 out. Luckily, everything in Germany is ridicilously slow, so the rifle is still in Service, but will probably be replaced by the HK416 in some time.

Active German Infantry Soldier here for now 6 years. Never had an issue with the G36. The rumors started when soldiers dumped countless mags onto the range and tried to go single shot on a 150m target after it. The spread was like 20cm instead of regular 10cm for example. The G36 was never made for spray ´n pray tho, we got the MG3/MG5 for that : )

A fun detail you skipped: in the bottom of the stock, there are 4 little holes. When you take the gun apart for maintenance, you put the 4 pins that hold the body together in those holes, so everything always has a place. :)

Nice let’s see Paul Allen’s g36

regarding the optics: during my basic training in the German Military I found myself just using the reflex sight, even for longer distances (400-500m) because when wearing a helmet it is basically impossible to get a propper view through the scope. Especially when you were firing from the prone position

I remember when the G36 was introduced in my unit in the late 90s. After a few years with the hard-kicking G3 (7.62) and of course the MG3, this thing felt like from a different planet. 5.56 was unreal (felt like cheating on the range, compared to a “real” 7.62 rifle) and the optics were just awesome. This was at a time where I hadn’t even heard of red dots, so there was nothing to compare it to, except the weird V-shaped rear sight of the G3 for close range. And most important for the daily soldier life: it was considerably lighter and easier to carry around :)

Former German conscript here..... I learned shooting with the predecessor, the HK G3 7.62 mm back in Y2K...... When I was allowed to try out the G36 it felt like heaven due to its weight difference! 😉

If you’ve ever heard of G36 accuracy problems during heavy fire in hot weather, but want one anyways - then go ahead and smash that subscribe button! 🔥

Oh man this is so nostalgic. Former german soldier here: can't believe that none of your bundeswehr contacts told you about the G36 secret bolt release - just give the gun a nice, sharp slap right above the fire mode selector. That'll send the bolt home. At least on a well worn-in G36.

That was my weapon when i was a German soldier. Have good memories about it! Was an interesting experience to hear some of the sounds again that i hadn´t thought of ( or heard) in years.

8 years in the German Army. Never had any issues with this rifle. Never. The optic is outdated, nowadays, but it worked quite well for the most time, if you were used to it. Better than the iron sights on the G3. I would love to try a HK433 which combines the best of both worlds. The HK416 and the G36.

As a Non German, I can confirm that the G36 is one of the German Weapons of all time

If you've ever had a German Shepherd that runs almost as fast as a bullet... Go ahead and hit that subscribe button... #furmissile

The inaccuracy debate has been absolutely ridiculous. I've heard everything from our media be it private or public, from politicians from people who have and don't have a clue about firearms. The problem is that many people have an idea what a rifle should be capable of, and if they have that idea from video games and movies, reality can be disappointing. In games or movies things like wind, heat ammo, personal skill, zeroing etc. etc. don't matter nearly as much as they do in real life and what people end up expecting is perfect results even after treating a rifle like a machine gun. That's why people should decide over replacements, improvements or changes who actually have a clue about reality, not saying that politicians don't know nothing, especially with all the advisors they pay for, but they simply aren't professionals in all areas...

A couple of things: The sliding cover on the red dot is not for adjusting the brightness, it's just a cover for the fiber optic. The red dot is also battery powered, at which point you close the slider cos it lights up. There is an illumination dial on the right with which to turn on the battery power, which is brighter than the fiber optic, with the added option of pressing it and increasing the brightness even further. I do agree on the zeroing missing clicks, but there is an adjustment table included that experienced users will print out, laminate and use to help with zeroing. Also, the charging handle can double as a forward assist when you lock it to the side. Lastly, the mags are bothersome, yes. A lot of people end up filing off the coupling nubs.

I Used that weapon for 8 years in service and your Review is very very fitting. Except for the missing rails/ dated optics and the mags i cant say anything bad about the G36. Fun fact: many soldiers Grind down the couplers so the mags are Not that catchy. I think this year our goverment decided to switch for a variant of the HK 416. that would mean rails, new optics and stanag mags

When I was drafted into the german military back in 2003, G36 were still being rolled out in some units to replace the G3. I feel old now.

A legend with some solid advice and great insights reviewing a legend. Keep up the good work!

you could theoretically make a decent AA-battery if you snapped enough G36's together