The Keefe Report: Don't Leave Home Without It—Heckler & Koch's G36

by
posted on November 17, 2017

"Bring a G36." Those were my instructions to Heckler & Koch Marketing Manager Bill Dermody as he was preparing to come to NRA Headquarters for an ARTV series we are planning for the first quarter of January 2018. 

                        

The G36 is a selective-fire, gas-piston-operated rifle that is currently the standard rifle of the Bundeswehr, at least for now. It's a gun that is in use around the world.

  

And it is a gun that was almost a standard service rifle of the United States military. A G36 variant was selected to be the "Kinetic" component of the OICW, which stands for Objective Infantry Combat Weapon. This was a pairing of a very sophisticated electronic suite with a grenade launcher call the XM25 airburst weapon with a rifle underneath, and a variant of the rifle eventually became the XM8. 

It looked like the XM8 was a shoo-in to become the next service rifle of the United States military. But it wasn't to be. No, the U.S. Army decided to stick with the M-16/M4 platform. But you can see the G36 in the hands of military forces around the world and also on the streets of London in the hands of armed police officers.

We made sure that we got some serious range time with the G36, and you can see American Rifleman's Christopher Olsen fire some full-auto bursts in this short video outtake from our filming. 

 

Latest

Mf20 Gotw Web
Mf20 Gotw Web

Gun Of The Week: Iver Johnson MF20

In this video, we’re taking a closer look at an AR-style, semi-automatic shotgun that’s made in Turkey by Izmir Armed and carries the name of an iconic American firearm manufacturer. This is the Iver Johnson MF20.

The Armed Citizen® June 13, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

William Jenks & His Early Breechloaders

Along with John Hall, William Jenks was an early pioneer in the realm of the breechloading carbine. However, Jenks' breechloading guns didn't see the widespread acceptance or fame of the Model 1819 Hall Rifle and its later carbine variants.

MidwayUSA Foundation Raises Record-Breaking Amount For Youth Shooting Teams

In just a single day, a record-breaking $168,770 was generated to support youth shooting sports at the fourth annual Day of Clays hosted by the MidwayUSA Foundation in Minnesota.

2025 Handgun Of The Year: Colt Blued Python

For each of the past 23 years, the editors of American Rifleman have convened to select our top picks for the past year’s best and most innovative products. Here are the most recent winners.

Rifleman Review: Kimber KDS9c

Kimber's KDS9c is one of only a few double-stack, M1911-style handguns on the market that are expressly designed for concealed carry in mind.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.