Galil / R-4
Summary
| Country | 🇮🇱 Israel |
| Category | Assault rifle |
| Manufacturer | Israeli Military Industries |
Technical specifications
| Galil / R-4 | |
|---|---|
| Fire Rate | 650 rounds/min. |
| Caliber | 5.56 x 45 mm OTAN |
| Magazine | 25 rounds |
| Length | 1050 mm (41.3 in) |
| Weight | 4.0 kg (8.8 lb) |
| Range | 600 m (1969 ft) |
Description
The IMI Galil is a family of Israeli-made automatic rifles chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges. Originally designed by Yisrael Galili and Yakov Lior in the late 1960s, the Galil was first produced by the state-owned Israel Military Industries and is now exported by Israel Weapon Industries. Development was prompted by the Israeli Defense Forces' experience with the FN FAL, which proved less suitable for desert conditions than expected, and their observations on the reliability of captured AK-47s. The IDF sought a weapon combining AK-47 reliability with the accuracy of the M16 and FAL. Galili's design, based on the Finnish Valmet Rk 62, won subsequent trials and was adopted, although its introduction was delayed by the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The 5.56mm Galil was initially fielded in AR, SAR, and ARM configurations. While designated the official rifle for a period, cost and the availability of US-supplied M16/M4 rifles meant the Galil did not become the most numerous rifle in IDF service. Although rugged, M16/M4s were often preferred for handling characteristics. The AR and ARM variants were phased out by 2000, with the SAR seeing limited use until around 2004. Manufacturing continues at facilities such as Indumil in Colombia.
Galil rifles employ a gas-driven long-stroke piston system derived from the Kalashnikov design, with a rotary bolt locking into a heavy milled steel receiver. It features a reciprocating charging handle on the right, bent upwards for easier manipulation. Fire controls include selectors on both the right and left sides of the receiver, providing Safe, Semi-automatic, and Fully automatic modes. The robust construction relies significantly on machined steel components. Furniture typically includes a side-folding tubular steel skeleton stock and plastic handguards and pistol grip, with wooden handguards utilized on some models. Practical features like a bottle opener on the handguard and a wire cutter integrated into the bipod are sometimes present, intended to prevent misuse damaging magazines. The barrel is designed to accommodate rifle grenades or a bayonet. It feeds from curved steel box magazines, and an adapter is available to use M16-type STANAG magazines. The sighting system includes L-shaped rear aperture sights and adjustable front posts, with provisions for tritium low-light elements and mounting optics on some variants.
The Galil family includes several primary military configurations:
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The Galil AR is the standard rifle variant.
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The Galil SAR features a shortened barrel.
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The Galil ARM is equipped with a carrying handle, folding bipod, and wooden handguard.
Specialized variants include the Micro Galil (MAR) compact carbine and the Galil Sniper (Galatz), a dedicated 7.62mm precision rifle. A modernized development is the Galil ACE family. Licensed manufacturing has occurred in several countries, including South Africa (Vektor R4), Italy (Bernardelli variants), Sweden (FFV 890 C), and Myanmar (MA series). Other variants like the Magal law enforcement carbine and the civilian Golani model also exist.
The Galil rifle has been adopted by various military and law enforcement organizations worldwide. Current users include Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Republic of Congo, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Estonia, Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lesotho, Mexico, Montenegro, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Senegal, South Africa, Syrian National Coalition, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tonga, Uganda, United States (Ventura County Sheriff's Department), and Vietnam. Former users listed are Panama and Portugal. The rifle has also been employed by non-state groups such as the Rajneeshpuram Peace Force and FARC rebels using captured examples.