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IMI Galil



Overview


Galil SAR

Right side view of Galil SAR carbine.
Source: Unknown author - © Copyright lies with original owner

Origin
Israel
Type
Assault rifle
Battle rifle
Entered service
1972
Status
In service
Development
Late 1960’s
Developer
Israel
Yisrael Galil and Yaacov Lior
Production
1972 - present
Producer
Israel - IMI
Colombia - INDUMIL
South Africa - Vektor/LIW/Denel
Designations
AR / Assault Rifle
SAR / Short Assault Rifle
Glilon (nickname for SAR in Israel)
KEL (Guatemalan service)
Notable users
Israel
Colombia
South Africa
Guatemala

Description


Introduction

The Galil is an assault rifle of Israeli origin. It was developed as during the Six-day war of 1967 it became clear that the FAL was not suitable enough for desert warfare. At the end of the war the decision was made to develop a new assault rifle based upon the Kalashnikov and the new 5.56x45mm cartridge. Two designs were tested. The first design was created by Uziel Gal (who is also the creator of the Uzi) and the second design was developed by Israel Galili. The latter design, based on the Finnish Valmet RK 62 assault rifle, eventually won the competition and was selected as the new IDF assault rifle.

Design

The design of the Galil was based on the Finnish RK-62 rifle, which in turn is based on the AK-47. The first test batches even incorporated some parts from the RK-62. The Galil is gas operated and uses a long stroke gas piston and a rotating bolt. All versions feature a tubular metal folding stock and all versions except the ARM have a polymer forearm. At first the Galil family consisted of the carbine SAR, full size AR and ARM light support weapon. For export the Galil was also made available in 7.62x51mm NATO. Earlier variants used the long rifling associated with the M193 round. Later production variants use the faster rifling for the SS-109 rounds.

Firepower

The Galil fires the 5.56x45mm M193 or SS-109 round from a 35 round magazine. The 7.62x51mm NATO models use a 25 round magazine. The Galil is select fire and has a cyclic rate of fire of 650 rpm. The maximum effective range for the full size rifles is 400 meters.

Users

The Galil was designed for Israeli use. Even though it was adopted the M16 became the standard issue assault rifle for the Israeli forces as they were available from the US at much lower costs. The Galil has been sold to dozens of nations and remain in use with many of them. It is used around the world but is most common in South America. South Africa as one of the best known users as they have produced it under license and developed their own variants. Nowadays the production of the Galil is very limited. The ACE is a product improved Galil which is recently marketed by IWI.

Variants


Galil AR

The AR (Assault Rifle) variant is the standard full size rifle of the Galil family. The AR can be distinguished from the ARM light machine gun by its polymer forearm and lack of a bipod. Like the SAR and ARM it is also also available in 7.62mm NATO. As with all 7.62mm models the 7.62mm model has a longer barrel than its 5.56mm counterpart.

Galil SAR

The SAR (Short Assault Rifle) is the carbine version of the Galil family. It is similar to the AR versions with the difference being the shorter barrel. A variant chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO was produced for export sales.

Details


Facts Galil SAR Galil SAR (7.62mm) Galil AR Galil AR (7.62mm)
General
Origin
Israel
Type
Assault rifle
Caliber
Caliber
5.56x45mm M193 or NATO
Feed system
35 round detachable box
Barrel length
332 mm
Rifling
6 grooves, 178 or 305 mm right hand twist
Muzzle velocity
900 m/s with M193
Operation
Action
Gas operated, long stroke gas piston
Locking
Rotating bolt
Fire selector
0 - 1 - F
Rate of fire
650 rpm
Dimensions
Stock type
Foldable
Length
840 mm stock extended
614 mm stock folded
Weight
2.95 kg empty
Sights
Mechanical
Iron sights, post front and flip aperture rear
Range adjustment
300 and 500 m gradations
Sight radius
445 mm
Optics
Requires type specific mounts

Galil family of firearms


IMI Galil MAR

The Galil MAR is a compact assault rifle based on the Galil. It is the latest development in the original Galil line-up.

IMI Galil ARM

The ARM is the light machine gun variant of the Galil. It differs in having a bipod and a wooden handguard that works better than a polymer one with a hot barrel.

IMI Galil Sniper

The Galil Sniper was developed as a marksman rifle. It is larger and heavier and chambered only in 7.62mm NATO.

Vektor R4

The Vektor R4 is a South African license produced variant of the Galil. The line-up consists of several models, including the locally developed R6 short barrel carbine.

IMI Magal

The Magal is a police carbine chambered in .30 Carbine. The design had teething issues and was soon dropped from production.

Media


Related articles


Valmet RK 62

The Galil was derived from the RK 62 design and has several features in common, such as the setup of the iron sights.

Kalashnikov AKM

The design of the Galil is in principle similar to the Kalashnikov series of assault rifles.