Was the AK-12 invented in Israel? Review of the Galil Ace machine gun

Assault Rifle Combat Rifle Carbine

IWI Galil ACE

a series of assault rifles and combat rifles designed and manufactured by Israel Military Industries (renamed Israel Weapon Industries in 2005). It is also manufactured under license by Indumil, [1] FAMAE, [2] RPC Fort, [3] and Z111 Factory. [4] It is produced in three different calibers: 5.56×45mm NATO, 7.62×39mm and 7.62×51mm NATO.

The Galil ACE series is based on the IMI Galil movement, but uses upgraded design and materials to improve accuracy and reduce weight, while maintaining the Galil's ergonomics, ease of maintenance and combat reliability. [5] Particular attention was paid to increasing its reliability and accuracy in adverse combat conditions. It was adopted as a service rifle by the Chilean Army and the People's Army of Vietnam.

CONTENT

• 1 Design details 1.1 Weight reduction
• 1.2 Accuracy
• 1.3 Gas pipe
• 1.4 Long stroke piston system
• 1.5 barrel
• 1.6 Trigger
• 1.7 Fixing the last round bolt
• 1.8 Attractions
• 1.9 Availability

Design details[edit]

Weight loss[edit]

The original Galil was built using machined solid billet steel to enhance the weapon's structural integrity and survivability. Unfortunately, this resulted in a weight of up to 9.6 lb (4.4 kg), depending on its variant, which was one of the main criticisms from the Israel Defense Forces.

ACE has a significantly reduced weight. IWI has redesigned the bolt to combine steel with polymer, which is much lighter than the all-steel receiver of the original Galil. [5] While the upper receiver is made of steel and the upper receiver is equipped with a MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail, polymer was added to the weapon's lower receiver to reduce the weapon's weight. [6]

Accuracy[edit]

According to the American shooter

: “Although this rifle is clearly based on an AK design, it has demonstrated a superior level of accuracy compared to some of its peers. Best single group [5 rounds at 100 yards] 0.83″ and five rounds. a group average of 0.98″ was obtained using the Federal Premium 123 gram [8.0 g] Power-Shok soft load (tested using the 7.62×39mm barrel option with a 16″ barrel). [7]

Gas pipe[edit]

The gas tube, unlike the AK-47, is attached to the rifle through a dovetail-shaped bolt machined into the upper frontal block of the receiver. This avoids any movement of the gas block affecting barrel vibration, which can reduce shooting accuracy. [5]

Long stroke piston system[edit]

The rifle uses a Galil long-stroke piston system. The long stroke system is found in the M1 Garand, the AK-47 (from which the Galil's internal action design is largely derived), and more recently the IWI Tavor.

Barrel [edit]

The barrel is chrome plated and cold forged with a twist of 1:7″ for 5.56×45mm NATO, 1:9.5″ for 7.62×39mm and 1:12″ for 7.62×51mm NATO.

Trigger[edit]

The ACE uses a Galil Sniper trigger instead of the original Galil trigger to improve accuracy over the standard Galil. [8] It is a two-stage trigger, [6] which IWI modeled after the M1 Garand's two-stage trigger. [9]

According to American Rifleman

, the two-stage trigger is "clean and smooth with a trigger pull of 4 lb 13 oz [4.8 lbf, 21.4 N] according to a Lyman digital trigger gauge." [7]

Latch of the last round bolt[edit]

Another IWI addition to the original Galil is the final round bolt (5.56×45mm NATO ACE variants only). The bolt hold open feature is a common request from military customers to reduce reload time during combat. [10]

Attractions[edit]

The ACE has fully adjustable sights with a tritium front post and a dual-dot tritium diaphragm in the rear. There is also a Picatinny rail for mounting various optical sights.

Promotion [edit]

The standard stock fitted to the ACE is a six-position telescoping stock that can be fitted with an additional cheekpiece to improve sighting when using a telescopic sight. An optional right-folding version of the standard stock is also available.

The handguard consists of MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rails at the bottom and on both sides for mounting accessories such as sighting optics. The side forearm rails have central grooves to provide channels for routing electrical wiring used by pressure switch activated accessories. The handguard comes with quick-release polymer cover panels that can be installed to protect the rails when no accessories are installed on the side or bottom rail. The gas tube above the barrel also has a top-mounted Picatinny rail, which is aligned with a rail mounted on the cover above the receiver.

Design of the Galil machine gun

Principle of operation

The Galil series rifles are selective firearms operated by a Kalashnikov-type gas piston system without a regulator. The barrel is locked by a rotating bolt with two locking lugs, which are located in the recesses of the receiver.

When ignited, some of the propellant gases are pumped into the gas cylinder through a 1.8 mm hole, which is drilled at an angle of 30° in the barrel and through a channel in the gas chamber. High pressure gases drive the piston rod, which is attached to the bolt holder, backwards. During this movement, a cam slot inserted into the bolt carrier engages the cam pin on the bolt and rotates it, activating it. This arrangement of parts allows free movement, allowing the gas pressure in the barrel to drop to a safe level before unlocking. Directly behind the chrome-plated piston head is a toothed ring that provides a reduced bearing surface and reduces excess gas buildup. When the bolt carrier moves rearward, it compresses the recoil spring directed into the hollow part and the recoil energy contained in the spring pushes the moving assembly, thereby removing a new row of cartridges from the magazine. The cocking handle is attached to the bolt carrier on the right side of the receiver and reciprocates with each shot; the bolt handle is curved upward, allowing left-handed operation while the “shooting” hand remains on the pistol grip.

Ejecting spent cartridges from a machine gun is sometimes incorrect. Cases can be dented by the ejector and in some cases ejected up to 40 feet from the rifle, depending on the position.

Options [edit]

Military options[edit]

Galil ACE is available in three different calibers with different barrel lengths for each type. [eleven]

At some point [ when?

] ACE 52L ​​was removed from the production line.
[ citation needed
]

Civil options[edit]

Semi-automatic Galil Ace in 5.56×45mm NATO with 16" barrel

IWI US only offers the semi-auto version of the Galil ACE, which includes all three different calibers.

In October 2022, IWI USA began production of an "extremely limited edition" 5.45×39mm Galil ACE variant, available with a 16 in (40.64 cm) or 8.3 in (21.08 cm) barrel in total 545 rifles were produced each. size. Compatible with AK-74 magazines. [12]

Foreign variants[edit]

Galil Cordova [edit]

Main article: Galil Cordova

STV rifles[edit]

Main article: STV rifles

Other variants of the Galil assault rifle

Magal

This is a carbine version of the Galil MAR for the Ministry of Internal Affairs forces chambered in .30 Carbine. It uses the same 15- and 30-round magazines as the M1 Carbine, plus a dedicated 27-round magazine with a bolt retainer. First released in 1999, MAGAL was withdrawn from service in 2001 after numerous complaints about malfunctions.

Marksman Mark 1 assault rifle

This is a 5.56 mm marksman rifle released in 1996.

Golani

Civilian version with a new production semi-automatic receiver made in the United States. All other components are original parts manufactured by IMI Galil.

Galil Golani

Galil ACE

A new generation of Galil rifle, featuring a left-side charging handle, a spring-loaded dust cover, and a plastic or polymer lower receiver designed to reduce cost and weight. The ACE was produced in three versions (Micro, SAR and AR) for the 5.56mm NATO, 7.62mm Soviet M43 and 7.62mm NATO. All options have up to five Picatinny rails for mounting optical devices and accessories. It can be removed without any tools.

Galil Golani ACE

Gallery[edit]

• Galil ACE 21 (5.56×45mm NATO) with cheek stitch on the stock. Note the 35 round Galil magazine used.
• Galil ACE 32 (7.62×39mm) uses AK-47/AKM magazines.
• Galil ACE 52 (7.62×51mm NATO) uses a 25-round Galil Sniper magazine.
• Galil ACE 52 (7.62×51mm NATO) with various accessories
• Semi-automatic Galil ACE SBR (7.62 × 39 mm) is intended for the US civilian market only.
• Galil ACE rifle in semi-automatic version (7.62 × 51 mm NATO) only with a welded seam on the butt. Please note that it accepts NATO STANAG magazines.
• Galil ACE SBR semi-automatic (7.62×51mm NATO) in short-barreled rifle configuration only

Modifications of the Galil assault rifle

AR

This is the standard version of the rifle, which is equipped with an impact-resistant plastic handguard and pistol grip, a tubular metal side-folding stock (folds to the right), which is installed on all variants except the Galil Sniper. The 5.56mm NATO version uses a 35-round magazine and has a 460mm barrel. While the 7.62mm NATO version uses a 25-round magazine and has a 535mm barrel.

SAR

This is a variant of the SAR carbine (aka G'lilon) with a shorter barrel. Due to the shorter barrel on the SAR, it uses a shorter piston and gas tube, as well as a unique gas block. This variant of the Galil had the longest service life in the IDF, and was used in the tank corps until 2005. The 5.56mm NATO version uses a 35-round magazine and a 332mm barrel. While the 7.62mm NATO version uses a 25-round magazine and has a 400mm barrel.

Galil SAR

ARM

This is a variant of the ARM light machine gun, which is additionally equipped with a carrying handle, a folding bipod and a large wooden handguard. The wooden forend cools down during continuous automatic fire and has grooves for a bipod. When folded, the bipod legs form a high-speed chute for quick magazine insertion; The bipod forms a wire cutter, and the rear tip, which holds the bipod legs, can be used to open bottles, preventing the use of a cartridge magazine for this purpose to avoid damaging them. The 5.56mm NATO version uses a 35-round magazine and has a 460mm barrel. While the 7.62mm NATO version uses a 25-round magazine and has a 535mm barrel.

Galil ARM

MAR

This newest addition to the Galil family of weapons is a compact MAR carbine that retains the internal characteristics of the original Galil rifle with an all-new frame, operating system and an even shorter barrel. Unveiled to the public at the 2nd International Defense Industry Exhibition in Poland in 1994, the weapon was developed for use by special army and police units, vehicle crews, military personnel, special operations personnel and airborne troops.

Galil MAR
MAR (Micro Galil), is a smaller version of the SAR Galil (length 706 mm when stock unfolded / 465 mm when folded), and weighs 2.98 kg without ammunition. Compared to the original carbine, the MAR has a shorter barrel (210 mm), receiver, piston, gas tube and pistol grip. The weapon is fed from a 35-round steel magazine. The MAR has the same rate of fire (630-750 rounds/min) as other 5.56mm Galil models. An additional adapter inserted into the magazine allows the use of standard 20-30 round M16 round magazines. The safety and fire mode selector (located on both sides of the receiver) has four positions: “S” - weapon is safe, “A” - automatic fire, “B” - 3-shot burst, “R” - semi-automatic mode. The barrel has a multifunctional muzzle device. The MAR is equipped with a folding skeleton-like aluminum stock and an open sight with two positions: 0-300 m and over 300 m. The MAR can also be equipped with night vision, a daytime optical sight, low-light sights with tritium illuminated dots, a vertical designator, a suppressor and nylon sling.

The MAR has undergone several changes over the years, and it's worth noting that it can also be equipped with an aluminum or polymer stock. The Model 699 is available with a 267mm barrel and an optional left-hand charging handle.

Sniper rifle Galil

The 7.62mm Galil sniper rifle (aka Galil Tzalafim or "Galatz") is an ARM-based rifle combined with high-quality 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition to provide high accuracy.

Galil Galatz Sniper Rifle
The Precision Rifle is a semi-automatic rifle with an operating system similar to other Galil variants, but optimized for high accuracy. The rifle is fed from a 25-round box magazine. It uses a massive barrel that is heavier than other rifles. The rifle is equipped with a multifunctional muzzle device that acts as a flame arrester and muzzle brake. It can be replaced with a suppressor, which requires the use of subsonic ammunition for maximum effectiveness.

The weapon has been modified with a two-stage adjustable-pull trigger, a wooden stock that folds down the right side of the weapon, and a heavy-duty bipod attached to the front base of the receiver housing that folds under the rail. when not in use. The stock is fully adjustable in length and height and is equipped with a variable-height riser. The rifle comes with iron sights and an adapter that is used to mount a telescopic day sight (Nimrod 6x40) or a night sight. The mount is quick-release and retains zero after removal. The precision rifle is stored in a durable transport case that comes with a scope, mount, filters, two slings (for carrying and shooting) and a cleaning kit. Latest production models include synthetic plastic components and a skeletonized metal stock.

Galatz was first introduced in 1983. The SR-99 is an upgraded version of the Galatz. This is a slightly less durable, but more ergonomic option.

Galatz is manufactured under license from Punj Lloyd Raksha Systems.

Users[edit]

Colombian Galil users in Latin America

Colombian police are armed with the ACE 22.

• Cameroon: In service with the Rapid Reaction Battalion. [13]
• Chad [13]
• Chile: Selected as the new standard 5.56 mm rifle of the Chilean Army. [14] In 2014, ACE began to be deployed in the Chilean Army. [15]
• Colombia: [16] Manufactured by agreement between Indumil and IWI. [17]
• El Salvador [18]
• Guatemala: 3,000 ACE 31s used by Guatemalan police. [19]
• Haiti: Used by some Haitian police officers. [20]
• Honduras [21]
• Laos: Laos received Vietnamese Galil ACE wheels in January 2019. [22]
• Ivory Coast [13]
• Mexico: Used by the Federal Police. [23]
• Nigeria [13]
• Peru: The Peruvian government plans to manufacture the ACE under license, setting up a factory to produce up to 2,000 rifles per month. [24] [25]
• Philippines: The Philippine National Police has been using the ACE 22N as one of their main assault rifles since 2022. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency uses both the ACE-21N and ACE-22N. [26] The Philippine Coast Guard received over 4,000 ACE 21N units in March 2022[ edit
  ]
• South Sudan: Used by the South Sudanese Armed Forces. [23] [27] Chambered in 7.62×39mm. [13]
• Uganda: Galil ACES chambered in 7.62×39mm. [13]
• Ukraine: Produced under license since August 2014 by NPC Fort LLC; ACE 22 as " Fort 227
  ", [3] ACE 31 as "
  Fort 228
  ", [28] and ACE 52 as "
  Fort 229
  ". [29]
• Vietnam: The ACE 31 and 32 were selected as the standard assault rifles in the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) to gradually replace their current AK-47-derived weapons. [30] IWI opened a $100 million plant in Vietnam to produce an unspecified number of Galil ACE assault rifles for the PAVN. [31] All ACEs used in Vietnam had charging handles located on the right side of the rifle [32] and replaced the Galil ACE handguard with traditional Galil handguards with a Picatinny rail on top, replaced the standard ACE stock with FN-FAL paratrooper stocks with modifications for simplified production and ease of use, the original fire selector is replaced with an AK-style fire selector. The new rifle has new designations STV-215 and STV-380, the barrel length is indicated by the number. [33]

Characteristics

The Galil assault rifle is a small weapon that has a trigger mechanism designed after the American M1 Garand. The variable rifle fire mode switch is located on the left side above the pistol grip and has three positions: SAR. The standard switch for the AK-47 is located on the right side of the receiver. Moving the left selector to the rear "R" position (in British terminology "repetition" - repeat) provides semi-automatic fire. Pressing the middle position “A” switches to automatic fire. Pushing the lever all the way forward to "S" activates the safety. Some models use the reverse RAS principle, which performs the opposite function - moving the selector forward puts the weapon into burst or automatic mode, and switching it back activates the safety.

Galil prototypes used a stamped or riveted sheet steel receiver, but due to the higher operating pressures of the 5.56×45mm cartridge, this solution was abandoned and designers turned to forging. Evidence of this is that early prototypes were manufactured using a Valmet Rk 62 receiver made in Finland. All external metal parts are phosphated for corrosion resistance and then coated with black enamel (except the barrel, gas chamber and sight). Machining the hard steel blank avoided the splintering problems that the AK series had with sheet steel stampings, but it made the Galil rifle significantly heavier.

The gas chamber, forend and flap mechanism are made by casting. The sights are also fully cast and machined for durability. The only stamped components on the Galil are the magazine release, trigger safety, dust cover and magazines.

The weapon is equipped with an impact-resistant protective casing and a pistol grip made of plastic, as well as a folding side (folds to the right) steel skeleton-like butt. The rifle can be used with a silencer. The weapon is equipped with a bottle opener at the front of the grip and cutters built into the bipod. The bottle-opening feature was included to prevent damage to machine gun magazines used by inexperienced IDF civilian reservists to open bottles. Using magazines to open bottles has been a common cause of lip damage in Uzi assault rifles. The wire cutters were included to reduce the time required for IDF troops to cut through the wire fences common in rural areas of Israel.

Trunk

Early production models were equipped with barrels with six right-facing bores and a 305 mm (1:12 in) twist (optimized for use with M193 ammunition), while late production models have a 178 mm (1:7 in) twist. Barrel with six "right-hand" flutes (used to stabilize the heavier SS109/M855 projectile). The barrel is equipped with a 6-port muzzle compensator/flash suppressor and can be used to launch rifle grenades (eg BT/AT 52) or to mount a bayonet.

Ammunition

The Galil assault rifle is "fed" from a curved steel box magazine that holds 35 rounds (SAR and AR versions) or 50 rounds (ARM model) or a special 12-color color-coded magazine locked for use exclusively with blank cartridges used for launching rifle grenades. The magazine is inserted first, as in the AK family of assault rifles. An additional magazine adapter allows the use of STANAG type M16 magazines. Some shooters noted that the magazine's long length made it difficult to hit targets at elevated altitudes when firing at the ground in a prone position.

Sights

The L-shaped diopter sight has two preset positions for shooting at a distance of 0–300 m and 300–500 m respectively (the sight can only be adjusted for height). The A-pillar is fully adjustable both horizontally and vertically, and is enclosed in a protective casing. The optional flip-up front and rear sights have three luminous tritium inserts, which provide low-light shooting capability up to 100 m. Some variants have a dovetail adapter mounted on the left side of the receiver, which is used to mount a variety of optical and night sights.

Butt

The standard stock on the Galil is a copy of the FN-FAL stock with modifications for ease of manufacture and ease of use. Unlike the FAL folding stock, the Galil does not use a lock button and is operated entirely by a pin and spring rotation mechanism.

The bracket and knuckle assemblies have cam surfaces that allow emergency stock deployment by simply pulling the rear end backwards, however this should generally be avoided as the mechanism will wear quickly over time and cause the stock to wobble in both positions.

There were six different types of Galil folding stocks (not including Micro or Galatz models) that were used over time on Galil and R4 series weapons. AK-47 style wooden stocks were also offered upon request, although none are known to have been used by the military and were mostly consigned to the civilian market.

All folding stocks of the Galil assault rifle are made of tubular aluminum, as on the FAL rifles. Steel was never used as it would have added too much extra weight, and aluminum stocks were more than durable for classical shooting and rifle grenade use.

Links[edit]

1. "Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Ltd, Carbine". web.archive.org
   . July 13, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
2. "Chile quita poderosa arma al Perú". June 27, 2014 Archived October 25, 2014CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
3. ^ ab "Assault rifle" Fort-227 "". official website of the NGO "Fort"
   .[
   dead link
   ]
4. https://www.janes.com/article/33334/israel-weapon-industries-to-begin-assault-rifle-production-in-vietnam [ dead link
   ]
5. ^ abc Ortenzi, Paolo (29 May 2013). "Galil Ace 5.56". Journal of Small Arms Defense
   . Volume 5. p. 1.
6. ^ ab Ortenzi, Paolo (29 May 2013). "Galil Ace 5.56". Journal of Small Arms Defense
   . Volume 5. p. 2.
7. ↑ ab Horman, B. Gil (January 19, 2015). "IWI Galil ACE Semi-Automatic Rifle".
8. ↑
   Johnson, Steve (24 August 2010).
   "Galil Ace Rifle". Firearms Blog
   .
9. Kokalis, Peter G. (2001). Weapon tests and evaluations: the best of
   the soldiers of fortune. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press. item 253. ISBN. 978-1581601220.
10. Tilstra, Russell S. (21 March 2014). The Battle Rifle: Development and Use after World War II
    . McFarland. p. 98. ISBN 978-0786473212.
11. "ACE". Israeli arms industry
    .
12. B, Eric. "Extremely Limited Edition - Galil Ace in 5.45×39". Firearms Blog
    .
13. ^ abcdef Binnie, Jeremy; de Cherisi, Erwan (2017). "African Armies of a New Model" (PDF). Jane. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 22, 2022.
14. "FIDAE: Chilean Army Selects Galil ACE as New Standard Rifle". Defense News
    . March 26, 2014. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014.
15. “El Ejército de Chile comienza a desplegar el nuevo fusil Galil ACE” [The Chilean Army begins deploying the new Galil ACE rifle]. defensa.com
    (in Spanish). September 24, 2014
16. "IWI Galil ACE 5.56 mm assault rifle (Israel), Rifles". Jane Information Group. Archived from the original on September 17, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2010.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
17. Shea, Dan. "Expodefense 2015". Journal of Small Arms Defense
    . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
18. ↑
    Johnson, Steve (January 11, 2012).
    "El Salvador also buy Galil Ace". Firearms Blog
    .
19. ↑
    Johnson, Steve (February 16, 2011).
    "IWI Galil ACE rifle adopted by Guatemala National Civil Police". Firearms Blog
    .
20. ↑
    Nathaniel F. (April 30, 2014).
    "Haitian police recover Galil ACE, T65 rifles". Firearms Blog
    . Retrieved November 16, 2014.
21. “¡Asi Vamos!” (PDF). Indumil
    (in Spanish).
22. "Việt Nam cung cấp súng trường Galil cho Lào". baodatviet.vn
    . January 15, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
23. ^ab Johnson, Steve (February 13, 2014). "IWI Galil ACE spotted in South Sudan and Mexico". Firearms Blog
    . Retrieved November 16, 2014.
24. ↑
    Johnson, Steve (November 30, 2010).
    "Peru licenses new Galil ACE rifle". Firearms Blog
    . Retrieved November 16, 2014.
25. "Inauguran Planta de Producción de Fusiles Galil". Ejercito del Peru
    (in Spanish). Archived from the original on July 28, 2012.
26. "PDEA INTRODUCES PURCHASE OF LARGE POWER FIRE, SAFETY AND IT EQUIPMENT". Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency
    .
    PDEA. Retrieved June 9, 2022.[ dead link
    ]
27. ↑
    "Amid Genocide Charges, Israeli Mom Stops Arms Sales to Myanmar".
    Times of Israel
    .
28. "Assault rifle" Fort-228 » » . official website of NPO "Fort"
    . Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
29. "Assault rifle" Fort-229 » » . official website of NPO "Fort"
    . Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
30. "Israeli IWI Galil ACE 31 and ACE 32 assault rifles to replace the Russian AK-47 in the Vietnamese army". Army recognition
    . February 2, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
31. Grevatt, John (February 3, 2014). "Israel Weapon Industries begins production of assault rifles in Vietnam". Jane Information Group
    . Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
32. Vietnamese Small Arms Part Two: Grenade Launchers, Galil ACE and OSV-96 - Firearms Blog
33. https://kienthuc.net.vn (June 1, 2022). "Lần đầu thử nghiệm súng trường bộ binh mới của quân đội Việt Nam". Kienthuc.net.vn
    . Retrieved March 17, 2022.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the Galil rifle