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IMI Galil
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The Galil is a family of Israeli small arms designed by Yisrael Galili and Yaacov Lior in the late 1960s and produced by Israel Military Industries Ltd (now Israel Weapon Industries Ltd) of Ramat HaSharon. The weapon system consists of a 5.56 mm line chambered for the intermediate 5.56x45mm NATO caliber with either the M193 or SS109 ball cartridge and several 7.62 mm models designed for use with the 7.62x51mm NATO rifle round.
The Galil’s design is optimized for operation in arid conditions and is based on the Finnish RK 62, which itself was derived from the Soviet AK-47 assault rifle.
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Encyclopedia
The Galil is a family of Israeli small arms designed by Yisrael Galili and Yaacov Lior in the late 1960s and produced by Israel Military Industries Ltd (now Israel Weapon Industries Ltd) of Ramat HaSharon. The weapon system consists of a 5.56 mm line chambered for the intermediate 5.56x45mm NATO caliber with either the M193 or SS109 ball cartridge and several 7.62 mm models designed for use with the 7.62x51mm NATO rifle round.
The Galil’s design is optimized for operation in arid conditions and is based on the Finnish RK 62, which itself was derived from the Soviet AK-47 assault rifle. It was selected as the winner of a competition for the Israel Defense Forces that included many other rival designs (among them, the M16A1, Stoner 63, AK-47 and HK33) and was formally accepted into service in 1972, replacing the dust-sensitive FN FAL.
There are four basic configurations of the Galil: the standard rifle-length AR (Assault Rifle), a carbine variant known as the SAR (Short Assault Rifle), a compact MAR (Micro Assault Rifle) version, and an ARM (Assault Rifle and Machine gun) light machine gun.
Design details
The Galil series of rifles are selective fire automatic weapons operated by a Kalashnikov-pattern gas-driven piston system with no regulator and firing from a closed bolt. The weapon's chamber is locked with a rotary bolt with two locking lugs that lock into recesses milled into the receiver. When fired, a portion of the propellant gases are evacuated into the gas cylinder through a port, drilled at a 30° angle in the barrel and a channel in the gas block. The high-pressure gases drive the piston rod (which is attached to the bolt carrier) rearward. During this rearward movement, a cam slot machined into the bolt carrier engages a cam pin on the bolt and rotates the bolt, unlocking the chamber. The arrangement of parts on the bolt carrier assembly provides for a degree of free travel, allowing gas pressure in the barrel to drop to a safe level before unlocking. The chrome-plated piston head is notched to provide a reduced bearing surface and alleviate excess gas build-up. Unlike the AK-47, the Galil does not have the massive extractor claw installed in the bolt head since primary extraction occurs as the bolt is rotated. As the bolt carrier travels back, it compresses the return spring guided in a hollowed section of the bolt carrier and the spring's return energy drives the moving assembly back forward, stripping a new round from the magazine and locking the action. The cocking handle is attached to the bolt carrier and located on the right side of the receiver; the handle is bent upwards allowing for left-handed reloading.
The Galil is hammer-fired and has a trigger mechanism patterned after the trigger used in the American M1 Garand. The rifle's fire selector lever is identical to the one used in the AK and is simultaneously the manual safety that ensures the weapon is not discharged accidentally. The selector is a stamped sheet metal bar located on the right side of the receiver. The top position, marked "S" ("safe") disables the trigger and partially immobilizes the bolt. The Galil also includes a selector switch on the receiver's left side—above the pistol grip—intended to be manipulated by the thumb of the shooting hand. This switch has three positions: "R" (British terminology for "repetition" or semi-automatic fire), the middle position, "A"—produces fully automatic fire and pushing the lever fully forward will activate the safety.
Early production models were supplied with barrels that had six right-hand grooves and a 305 mm (1:12 in) rifling twist rate (designed for use with M193 ammunition), recent production models feature a 178 mm (1:7 in) twist barrel with six right-hand grooves (used to stabilize the heavier SS109/M855 bullets). The barrel has a slotted flash suppressor with 6 ports and can be used to launch rifle grenades or support a bayonet lug attachment (it will accept the M7 bayonet).
The Galil is fed from a curved, steel box magazine with a 35-round capacity (SAR and AR versions), a 50-round capacity (ARM model) or a special color-coded 12-round magazine blocked for use exclusively with ballistite (blank) cartridges, used to launch rifle grenades. An optional magazine adapter enables the use of STANAG-compliant 20 and 30-round magazines from the M16 series.
The Galil prototypes used a stamped and riveted sheet metal steel receiver, but due to the higher operating pressures of the 5.56x45mm cartridge, this solution was discarded and the designers turned to a heavy milled forging. As a testament to its heritage, early prototypes were fabricated using Valmet RK 62 receivers manufactured in Helsinki. All exterior metal surfaces are phosphated for corrosion resistance and then coated with a black enamel (except for the barrel, gas block and front sight tower).
The weapon is fitted with a high-impact plastic handguard and pistol grip, a side-folding (folds to the right side) tubular steel skeleton stock and flip-up iron sights. The rear sight has two apertures set for firing at 0–300 m and 300–500 m respectively (the rear sight can only be adjusted for elevation). The front post is fully adjustable for both windage and elevation zero and is enclosed in a protective hood. Nighttime use is enhanced with the addition of three self-luminous tritium dots (betalights) preset for 100 m. To use the night sights, the front flap is folded up to expose a vertical bar which contains a gaseous tritium capsule that is aligned between the two rear luminous dots. When the rear tritium sight is flipped up for use, the rear aperture sights must be placed in an offset position intermediate between the two apertures. Certain variants have a receiver-mounted dovetail adapter that is used to mount various optical sights. The rifle can also be used with a sound suppressor.
The ARM light machine gun variant is additionally equipped with a carrying handle, folding bipod and a wooden handguard. The wooden handguard remains cooler during sustained automatic fire and has grooves for bipod storage. When folded, the bipod's legs form a speed chute for rapid magazine insertion; the bipod will also form a wire cutter and by design, can be used to open beer bottles.
The most recent addition to the Galil family of weapons is the MAR compact carbine, which is one of the most compact and lightweight weapons of its kind. Introduced to the public at the 2nd International Defence Industry Exhibition in Poland in 1994, the weapon was developed for use with the army and police special units, vehicle crews, army staff, special operations personnel and airborne infantry.
The MAR, also called the Micro Galil, is a reduced-size version of the Galil SAR (706 mm stock extended / 465 mm folded), weighing 2.98 kg empty. Compared to the original carbine, the MAR has a shortened barrel (210 mm), receiver, piston, gas tube and foregrip. The firearm is fed from 35 or 50-round steel magazines and the 35-round magazines can be clipped together to increase reload speed. An optional magazine adapter inserted inside the magazine well allows the use of standard 20 and 30-round M16 magazines. The lever safety and fire selector (located on both sides of the receiver) has four settings: "S"—weapon is safe, "A"—automatic fire, "B"—3-round burst, "R"—semi-automatic mode. The barrel has a multifunction muzzle device. The MAR is equipped with a folding tubular metal stock and a flip aperture sight with two settings: 0-300 m and beyond 300 m. The MAR can also be equipped with a night vision device (attached through an adapter mounted to the left side of the receiver), a daytime optical sight (mounted via a receiver cover adapter), iron sights with tritium illuminated dots, a vertical forward grip with integrated laser pointer, silencer and a nylon sling. Upon request, the weapon can be supplied with a bolt catch, plastic magazines weighing 0.164 kg or an enlarged trigger guard for use with gloves.
The Galil was issued with a 10-inch blade variant of the KCB 77 bayonet from Eickhorn-Solingen, although any other NATO-standard bayonets will fit as well.
The 7.62 mm Galil is derived from the 5.56 mm base version. The rifle retained the general design layout and method of operation of the 5.56 mm variant. It is available in several different configurations including a SAR carbine, full size AR rifle and ARM light machine gun. These weapons are fed from 25-round box magazines (previously 20-rounds). The barrel has four right-hand grooves with a 305 mm (1:12 in) rifling twist rate.
The 7.62 mm Galil Sniper (Galil Tzalafim, or Galatz) is a derivative of the ARM that is used with high quality 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition for consistent accuracy.
The precision rifle is a strictly semi-automatic rifle operated by a gas-piston system with a rotating bolt. The rifle is fed from a 25-round box magazine.
The rifle uses a heavy profile match barrel that is heavier than that used in the ARM. It is fitted with a multi-functional muzzle device, which acts as a flash suppressor and a muzzle brake. It can be replaced with a sound suppressor which requires the use of subsonic ammunition for maximum effectiveness.
The weapon was modified with a two-stage trigger mechanism with an adjustable pull force, a wooden buttstock that folds to the right side of the weapon and a heavy-duty bipod, mounted to the forward base of the receiver housing that folds beneath the handguard when not in use. The buttstock is fully adjustable in length and height and features a variable height cheek riser. The rifle comes with mechanical iron sights and an adapter used to mount a telescopic day sight (Nimrod 6x40) or a night sight. The mount is quick-detachable and capable of retaining zero after remounting. The precision rifle is stored in a rugged transport case that also comes with an optical sight, mount, filters, two slings (for carrying and firing) and a cleaning kit. Recent production models feature synthetic plastic furniture and a skeletonized metal stock.
Variants
- Galil AR: Standard version available in 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm.
- Galil ARM: Sustained fire version with a carry handle, heavy barrel and bipod. Available in 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm.
- Galil SAR: Carbine version with a shorter barrel. Available in both calibers.
- Galil Sniper: Heavy barrel, bipod, optic mount and adjustable wooden buttstock. Available exclusively in 7.62 mm.
- Galil MAR: Retains the internal features of the original Galil with a completely new frame, operating system and an even shorter barrel.
- Magal: A law enforcement carbine variant of the Galil MAR chambered in .30 Carbine.
- SR-99: A Modernized version of the Galil Sniper.
Users
   : Used by the presidential guard.  : Standard service rifle. Produced under license by Indumil. 
- Use by Comando Especial Antiterrorista ("anti-terrorism special forces").
  : Uses 5.56 mm versions of the Galil AR, SAR, ARM and the 7.62 mm Galil Sniper.      : Built locally by Bernardelli as the VB-SR; originally a simple clone of the Galil AR (using the standard Galil 35-round magazine), later modified as a Galil SAR copy using STANAG magazines; this last version was submitted in the late 1980s for the trial tests for the new Italian service rifle (won ultimately by the Beretta AR70/90) and acquired in only small quantities by the NOCS special operations team of the Italian National Police. It went out of production shortly thereafter, with no other known sales. : Specialized units have received small numbers of Galil SAR and Micro Galil carbines as well as the Galil Sniper.    : Used only by select airborne units. : Standard assault rifle. Produced under license in a modified form as the R4 by Vektor (a division of Denel).
Bibliography
See also
External links
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