R4 assault rifle
| R4 assault rifle | |
|---|---|
Vektor R4 at the South African National Museum of Military History
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| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | South Africa |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1980–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars |
South African Border War Rwandan Civil War Central African Republic conflict (2012–13) |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Yisrael Galili of Israel Military Industries |
| Designed | Late 1960s to early 1970s |
| Manufacturer | Lyttleton Engineering Works, now Denel Land Systems |
| Number built | 420,000 |
| Variants | R5, R6, LM4, LM5, LM6 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | R4: 4.3 kg (9.48 lb) R5: 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) R6: 3.6 kg (7.9 lb) |
| Length | R4: 1,005 mm (39.6 in) stock extended / 740 mm (29.1 in) stock folded R5: 877 mm (34.5 in) stock extended / 615 mm (24.2 in) stock folded R6: 805 mm (31.7 in) stock extended / 565 mm (22.2 in) stock folded |
| Barrel length | R4: 460 mm (18.1 in) R5: 332 mm (13.1 in) R6: 280 mm (11.0 in) |
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| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, closed bolt |
| Rate of fire | R4, R5: 600–750 rounds/min R6: 585 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | R4: 980 m/s (3,215 ft/s) R5: 920 m/s (3,018.4 ft/s) R6: 825 m/s (2,706.7 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 300–500 m sight adjustments |
| Feed system | 35-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Flip rear aperture and hooded forward post are standard but various optical sights can be mounted. |
The R4 is a South African 5.56×45mm assault rifle. It entered service as the standard service rifle of the South African Defence Force (SADF) in 1980. The R4 replaced the R1, a variant of the 7.62×51mm FN FAL. It was produced by Lyttleton Engineering Works (LIW, "Lyttleton Ingenieurswerke"), now Denel Land Systems.
The weapon is a licensed variant of the Israeli Galil ARM assault rifle with several modifications; notably, both the and magazine are now made of a high-strength polymer and the stock was lengthened, adapting the weapon for the average South African soldier. Other detailed differences include the R4's lack of a carry handle and a number of improvements made to its internal operating mechanism.
The R4 is a selective fire, gas-operated weapon that fires from a closed bolt. As with the Galil parent weapon, the operating system is derived from that of the AK-47. It uses ignited powder gases channelled through a vent in the barrel to drive a long stroke piston located above the barrel in a gas cylinder to provide power to the operating system. The weapon features a self-regulating gas system and a rotary bolt breech locking mechanism (equipped with two locking lugs), which is rotated by a helical camming groove machined into the bolt carrier that engages a control pin on the bolt. Extraction is carried out by means of a spring-loaded extractor contained in the bolt and a protrusion on the left guide rail inside the receiver acts as the fixed ejector.
The R4 is hammer-fired and uses a trigger mechanism with a 3-position fire selector and safety switch. The stamped sheet steel selector bar is present on both sides of the receiver and its positions are marked with letters: "S"— indicating the weapon is safe, "R"—single-fire mode ("R" is an abbreviation for "repetition"), and "A"—fully automatic fire. The "safe" setting disables the trigger and secures the weapon from being charged.
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Wikipedia