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Subject: Too Hot To Handle
SYSOP    12/26/2014 6:17:45 AM
 
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keffler25       12/26/2014 8:04:49 AM
The reliability of the G36 in combat first became an issue when the G36 was used a lot in combat during hot weather in Afghanistan. There were incidents where hours of combat caused several very real problems. One of the more obvious problems was the polymer (plastic) parts of the rifle getting a bit soft when the metal parts got very hot due to heavy use in a short period of time. The barrel and receiver could move a tiny bit under those conditions and that threw off accuracy to a small degree that became especially noticeable only at longer (over 200 meters) ranges. No one has come up with a practical (workable and affordable) solution for that. At first the German government insisted the problem has to do with bad ammunition but the ammo manufacturers denied that and were able to make a convincing case. Then, in 2010 came multiple reports, confirmed by many witnesses and cell phone photos, of the heat related problems and total failure of the rifle in some cases. German politicians and procurement officials have been trying to make all this go away ever since. The government officials do not want to admit they made a major mistake in putting the G36 into service. They also don’t want the major expense of replacing the G36 with a better design.
 
Just an educated case, (need infantry weapon expert to confirm it) but would a rifle designed to work in Germany (cold wet temperate weather zone) fail due to HOT dry dusty central Asian conditions? Seems that the melting plastic furniture receiver problem receiver barrel alignment issues and barrel overheat sounds very VIETNAM ERA M-16 to me. 
 
What about propellant fouling?
 
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joe6pack       12/26/2014 2:27:30 PM
As a disclaimer, never having had my hands on the rifle..
 
I'm somewhat dubious of the "melty" issue..  Just doesn't seem likely.. on a modern infantry rifle. And I can't imagine the weather in Afghanistan being a major contributing factor..
 
It also sounds like the issue, if there is one, is prolonged fully automatic firing..  I sort of tend to think that German infantrymen are better trained that that..  If not, that may explain some of the "accuracy" claims as well..

This video doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the end user:  G36
 
 
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Blacktail       12/30/2014 3:59:17 AM
This is only the latest in a long line of serious problems with the G36. For example, it doesn't even shoot straight;
 
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keffler25       12/30/2014 6:07:32 PM
Thank you. That makes a lot more sense than what I thought..

 

It also sounds like the issue, if there is one, is prolonged fully automatic firing..  I sort of tend to think that German infantrymen are better trained that that..  If not, that may explain some of the "accuracy" claims as well..




This video doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the end user:  G36

 

 
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Nate Dog    i'm with Joe   1/2/2015 10:42:13 PM
And i doubt very much that that guy was a doe boy...
First, rifle goes on the ground, bad enough, but wait theres more, cartridge ejection side down.
Mags that are going into the rifle?
Hell, we'll just throw them on the dusty ground too before insertion. Re-usable magazines that will need to function in 100 cycles time? toss them onto the ground too.
Lets just say i've seen an infantry man put 1000's of rounds down range from an M-60 MAG in one sitting with zero problems, only to have the same machine gun picked up not 10 minutes later by a rank amateur and put a full drum down range in one burst. Barrel was glowing red and then drooped. Needed to be sent away to extract the swappable barrel.
 
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Nate Dog    i'm with Joe   1/3/2015 12:40:52 PM
And i doubt very much that that guy was a doe boy...
First, rifle goes on the ground, bad enough, but wait theres more, cartridge ejection side down.
Mags that are going into the rifle?
Hell, we'll just throw them on the dusty ground too before insertion. Re-usable magazines that will need to function in 100 cycles time? toss them onto the ground too.
Lets just say i've seen an infantry man put 1000's of rounds down range from an M-60 MAG in one sitting with zero problems, only to have the same machine gun picked up not 10 minutes later by a rank amateur and put a full drum down range in one burst. Barrel was glowing red and then drooped. Needed to be sent away to extract the swappable barrel.
 
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Yimmy       1/23/2015 9:47:14 PM
I think the basic technology of the G36 is what H&K used to upgrade the L85 to A2 standard - which functions very well.
 
I wouldn't be too harsh on the soldier on the range in the video.  They look like they are just test-firing their weapons during a lull.  Presuming he cleans the rifle afterwards, letting it get dusty isn't really the end of the world.  If the 's*** hits the fan' and you end up crawling through the mud and the blood and the guts to close with and kill the enemy, the rifle will probably get a little dirty and still be trusted upon to function....
 
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