R4 assault rifle
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The R4 is a South African assault rifle developed in 1982 for the South African Army to replace the R1, which was a variant of the FN FAL. The R4 was first issued during the early 1980s, and is partly based on the famous Israeli Galil which in turn was based on the Finnish Rk 62 (based on the AK-47).
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Performance
It performs well as an assault and a police rifle. The R4's effective range of 500 meters is more than necessary, as standard soldiers rarely engage targets over 400 meters away. The R4 uses the 5.56mm smaller cartridge rather than the R1 (FAL)'s 7.62mm. Current military practice in much of the world is to use the large cartridges only in light machine guns and sniper rifles. The large cartridged R1 was almost uncontrollable in full automatic fire.
Service
The R4 was initially in all the branches of the then South African Defence Force, which used the R4 in Namibia (then South West Africa), and raids into Angola and other neighbouring southern African countries. As part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), personnel of the SACMP (and also the Military Police Agency) are usually issued with the R4 Assault rifle. Other rifles the SANDF uses include the R5 and R6, which are shorter versions of the R4 rifle.
Specifications
- Calibre- 5.56 mm x 45
- System Operation -- Gas
- Locking System-- Rotating block
- Muzzle Velocity-- 980 m/s
- Rate of Fire-- 600 - 750 rpm
- Mass (empty)-- 4,3 kg
- Length (folded)-- 740 mm
- Barrel Length-- 460 mm
- Height (bipod)-- 360 mm
- Effective Range-- 500 m
- Sight Radius-- 475 mm
- Feed Device-- 35 round magazine (standard) or 50 round magazine; 5 round magazine for rifle grenade
External links
- NASOG (http://www.nasog.net/datasheets/firearms/ar/Vektor_R4.htm)