H&K's Middle Child: The HK33 and HK53 in 5.56mm
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- Опубликовано: 17 мар 2020
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Introduced in 1968, the HK33 was Heckler & Koch's adaptation of their roller-delay operating system to the 5.56mm / .223 Remington cartridge. In addition to the standard full-length rifle (with a 15.35 inch barrel) a shorter version was made as the HK33K (with a collapsing stock and 12.4 inch barrel) as well as a "submachine gun" variant, the HK53 (with an 8.3 inch barrel). While it was never adopted by a first-tier global military, substantial numbers were purchased by a number of smaller forces, including Malaysia, Brazil, and Thailand.
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HK’s roller delayed series are arguably the most aesthetically pleasing firearms in existence.
Yep. For whatever reason, I also find the Benelli inertia locking pistols to be in the same realm of "wow that's beautiful looking firearm with an intriguing mechanism"
As logistically practical as it would’ve been for them to get the STANAG version to work right, it looks so much better with the proprietary magazine.
Yes but I believe bthe most beautiful single gun is the MR73
Agreed
At least - one of those.
15 years ago, all of Thai high school students who entered the reserve officer training corps to avoid being enlisted practiced with HK33. Thank you for bringing back the funny memories.
Still remember that time an instructor showed us the full rifle drill, slapped the full buttstock a smidge too hard and somehow broke it in two (probably locally made and not from the HK factory.) Awkward moments ensue in front of laughing students.
นศท
I still remembered that the instructors literally taught us the "HK Slap" technique though XD
or willing to enlisted...... more than reserve, Army new recruit live with it for 6 month. i was an armoury officer, and i was be able to disassembly this one in 20 second with bolt lock. but i move on to M16 for NCO training. and i tell you, i like Hk 33 more. Hk33 is easier to clean (not direct impingement), 40rnd mag, easier to aim sight and more quick adjustable rear sight. WPC
I have family in Thailand and visit from time to time. I've seen people posting with these in pictures and assumed they were G3s.
The markings on the 53:
1. No bullet
2. One bullet
3. 3 bullets
4. ALL THE BULLETS
IN ONE TRIGGER PULL
GØDLY Prødigy
25 rounds in one second. in one minute firing 1500 rpm, which makes you MG42
Makes sence, if they wrote it in German no one would understand. AKs for example have markings in russian abbreviation that even native speakers need a second to figure out.
“Like hella bullets dude.”
All round burst
I don't know much about guns but these are some of the most aesthetically pleasing guns ever made.
The G3 is a bit too big the mp5 and too small, but these are just right.
Being from the UK and being a kid during the Iranian Embassy siege probably makes me partial to H&K anyway.
too big? too small? I could never agree, Im a big fan of LMGs and machine pistols
but these are very aesthetically pleasing
The G3’s length is satisfying considering that most automatic rifles are carbine sized by ww1 and ww2 rifles standards
First time I'm hearing anybody call an MP5 "too small".
Ahh, I thought I had seen it in action somewhere. The famous SAS raid of course!
I love the g3/hk91 and mp5/hk94 and hk33/53 they all are so pleasing and it’s like oh don’t want over penetration here’s a 9mm oh need a little more velocity for range here’s a 5.56 version oh wanna destroy brick walls here’s a .30hate version. Plus a lot of parts are interchangeable so def does make it nice when I can use the same stocks on my sp5l and any potential new hk33/53 I can find or build especially the hk53 love that the mp5 trigger group is the same as the 53 and hand guards can be swapped
Gun salesman: *slaps charging handle* "This badboy can feed so much 5.56"
**puts a 40 round mags and proceed to go full auto*
To the top with you
Guns are female
@@john.t645 is english your first language?
Because I also noticed that but in english single words dont have a noticible gender like in other languages especially romantics like spanish or portuguesse
felipe daiber ships, and other machines can formally be considered female in referring to them. For example “the Titanic, ain’t she a beauty?”
The H&K 53 propably would have been a great paratrooper "carbine"
Until night fire.....
No keeping your location hidden after firing that one.
@@knutdergroe9757 that's true. A good and small "suppressor" could have done a good job though.
Read a couple of books about The Det, 14th intelligence working in Northern Ireland alongside the sas, great reads, anyway, both units used the 53 extensively over there.
@@mitchfromtheinternet297 i think most of the HK catalogue got used here. 7.62 rifles gun used a lot as work in and around vehicles was common and 7.62 tended to go through cars better
@@davem2369 yeah they used the G3K and MP5K extensively as well in the books I’ve read. It’s a really interesting dive into arms used by the British Military outside the usual. 20 round extended mags in browning HPs, as well as all sorts of other interesting bits and bobs.
Ian cant find the 40 round for HK33 meanwhile in Thailand we ONLY have 40 round magazine lol
I haven't noted that when attending Khao Chon kai
Stop hoarding! :)
Pretty handy when you got order to make some ambience training noise behind a hill.
We do have a little batch of 25-round mags though (found during my training at ROTC), but yeah 40-round mag is the most common.
@@pingobingo94 maybe those 25 rounders were the ones that came default with the guns?
I've always liked the HK33. There's something about it that's just so sexy and more appealing than the G36. Like a 'modernized' MP5 and G3 hybrid in 5.56.
They both looked cool in their own way.
The G36 looks futuristic, but this has such a classic cold war rugged, but elegant aesthetic.
You know it's HK when it looks like an oversized MP5.
Edit : Yes I know that the G3 came first, it's my favorite rifle ffs
yeah. i thought it was a MP5 in the first place
More like a smaller G3 since the G3 came first. While the MP5 is a micro G3.
Or a round G36.
@@Panzer_Runner And the Mp5 looks cooler
Panzer_Shafter only in the US around the rest of the world the G3 is king.
I'm sooooo hoping that you're gonna release an April Fools special episode with a Nerf gun review filmed in the Grey Room
That would make me so happy
Legit tho a video on the Maverick or LongShot would be interesting af
@Stop Banningme Gun Jesus 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
The 53 actually was quite popular among uk special forces up even until the 00's, when the SBS unit that was captured off iran pics of included gear showed 53's for example.
They have also seen used for close protection duties buy uk forces. Whilst the main battle rifle was the L85, SF can be seen using 53's, g3's and later diemaco c8's from the 80's through late 00's.
It's a rare treat to have @ForgottenWeapons do a video on a legitimately forgotten firearm that was not fundamentally flawed or a experimental/marketing/production cluster of a weapon. this gun just made my list of guns i want to get my hands on
that gray room has to be one of the coolest rooms in the world
Well there is the original in the german HQ,
probably with working G11 and WSG2000 in it...
I don't know..."Fireplace guy" has a pretty cool collection, too.
Wonder if they have a "black" room...
@@Klaaism black rooms matter
Yes but Leeds pattern....
"Fookin laser soights..." - Thatcher
I understood that reference
Thatcher's bio says he was born in Bideford, Devon, England. Why does he sound Northern lol
@@MongooseTacticool because Ubi is French and have no idea what accent should come from where lol
@@Arbiter099 "Bleddy lasorr soights innit bey" 😁
I was looking for this
That shallow little magwell fills my infantryman's heart with unspeakable horror.
That HK53 is giving me Battlefield 3 nostalgia.
Cameron Oliver nah fam, battlefield 2 nostalgia. I wrecked fools with the 53
@@countryboy44555 I played Bad Company 2 before BF3 but BF3 was the first Battlefield I got really into. Never played Battlefield 2. Was a bit before my online multiplayer time. I did play a lot of SOCOM 2. Probably not great considering I was 5 at the time.
I had the thrill, fun, and generally just great experience of firing an HK 53 during my old department's trials for SWAT weapons. I loved it. It handled well and shot great and man did I want to keep it!
I shot it (a LOT) along with the MP5 (also a lot) and my vote (and most of the other team members' votes, IIRC) was for the 53. BUT, departments have budgets. H&K sent us weapons stamped "For T&E Only" whereas Colt sent us their SMGs and M4s and offered them to us (those exact guns) at a "used gun" discount. We got almost 3 Colts for the price of 1 H&K ... "Cool Factor" was NOT something the brass or the city were interested in, BTW. :p Oh, the Colts served us well but man-oh-man, I wanted and still want that 53 with which I sent so many rounds downrange!
Dollars and cents at the end of the day. After all the politicians need that extra money for blow, bailing their kids out of trouble and bribes.
While they are the most incredibly sexy weapon in history, the SeALs didn't love them because of the bolt handle. It could snag in CQB situations. I've never seen one, but a solid stock HK53SD would be the baddest dude on the block.
From the moment I saw it in 'The Thing" as a wee lad, I was in love. .223 is a lovely round IMO.
people tend to forget, just because some things are in a small/est caliber, doesn't mean it can't do alot of damage to certain targets.
Toriel the motherly monster and with tighter twists you can use a 77-79 grain pill. If you single load there are super-long ones from Lapua their BC is really impressive.
The HK grey room is amazing- I had the opportunity to go in there when I went to the armorer course there in '99. I also attended their tac-carbine course. I was issued a G36 "commando" with aimpoint for the course after they first came out; the first day the charging handle broke off. I was offered a 53 to continue the training until they fixed the G36, so I zeroed that aimpoint and kept going. Based on my experience w/ the MP5, I liked the 53 better, so I finished the course with that gun. There was another student in that course with me who was a uniformed federal officer in DC, I think he worked at the pentagon. He used a 33 issued by his unit/agency. In the 90's my unit deployed several times to Pakistan to work with their SSG (special ops unit). At the time, they were testing a version of the 33 made in Pakistan, which had a collapsible stock, and the whole weapon was camoflaged, I believe they later ended up adopting the Steyr Aug. No way to know for sure, we quit deploying there in about '96 due to various political situations.
Unrelated but I do wish Modern Warfare 2019 will add the G3 rifle to the game, and maybe have caliber conversion from 7.62mm to 5.56mm to make it a HK33 or the HK53 as a caliber conversion unlock for the MP5.
That would be good yeah.
Is coming in MWII
Bet you're happy about MW2!
Looks like you got your wish a couple years later
I guess there's 2 scenarios that would make perfect use of this rifle:
a.) Ur a 19-yo teenager who stepped out of a bunker in order to look for their dad in a post-apocalyptic Washington D.C.
b.) Ur a 56-yo SAS veteran who has a deep hatred for laser sights
FOOKIN LASER SIGHTS
Isnt he 60 yrs old already?
What, no BF3? Shame
Egomania 27 nope. Ubisoft made their ages static.
@@aleccross3535 nah, the HK33 didn't appear in BF3, sadly. (Tho it's 7.62 brother, the G3 did appear in it)
This makes me happier than I care to demonstrate.
please demonstrate.
Thanks for clearing up why it never really REALLY caught on.
Greets from ~30 miles away from Oberndorf
Also doesn't help that the U.S was selling/giving away M16s like candy
@@SwagPKVids As were the russians with the AKM.
It's worth noting that the HK53 was developed in Germany, where it isn't known as a submachine gun - it's a machine pistol there, which is arguably a much more inclusive designation than SMG for such a weapon.
Had the pleasure of using the HK53 about ten years ago during my time in Northern Ireland. Fantastic weapon, brilliantly accurate and lovely sights. Insane muzzle flash firing such a fast round out of such a short barrel though.
The agency I worked for utilized the HK 33, 33K, & 53. I enjoyed shooting the 33 series rifle. I never had any problems with the weight of the rifle. With the full auto, once you've learned to "master" the HK trigger press for full auto, it was an impressive weapon system to shoot in full auto.
I love how full auto says "25", like: "this is the magdump setting" 😂
I’m Thai. And my country still uses this rifle.
ผมเคยใช้ ปลย 11 ตอนเรียน รด. จำได้ว่าหน้าหนักมากเลย 555+. I remember using the locally produced version of the HK-33 called the Type-11 in the Thai ROTC Corps and I remember that it was an incredibly front heavy rifle. I generally prefer the M16A1 compare the HK
@@phuri5636 same same. it's not user friendly designed too heavy and I hate the charging handle position as well. Seems the RTA have been getting rid of this HK33 off and replace with Tavor in the armor units. All the decommissioned HK33 has been transferred to the other services such as the National Park Ranger.
The HK53 looks more fun to play with but sadly we haven't had any chance.
Still waiting for mr prayut to roll out the bullpup.
ah it's pretty heavy,i prefer m16
It supposed to be very reliable one! Sadly the poor quality control of the local production made this great rifle hated by many users.
The 53 is essentially the predecessor to modern PDW concepts, intermediate cartridge power in an SMG frame.
Greetings Ian I'm quite fond of your work! And receive along these lines my very best regards.
Well mate, this rifle was actually issued by the Turkish military alongside his bigger brother the G3 and also the MG-3, indeed a significant NATO military and is still manufactured by MKEK state owned company in several versions, just recently is being replaced by the MPT-76 (also another HK licenced weapon) HK-417 derivative.
With the buttstock collapsed, the HK53 reminds me of the oversized sci-fi "pistols" a lot of action figures used to come with: its _shape_ suggests you can fire it one-handed, but the _size_ would make it ludicrously heavy and unwieldy if you tried to use it like that in real life.
That gray room has me salivating.
The gunmetal gray room
There's a set of photos of the HK33 being used by a tall Navy Seal in Vietnam. Pretty random! He's also arresting what looks like a half French/half Vietnamese Vietcong member.
@@metallicarchaea1820 I know, just a habit I have from formerly owning a restamp HK93. It's also disputed if it's a Seal team member in the photo or a MAC-V spike team. Likely not a spike team though, they didn't use tiger stripe.
Link? I'd love to see this photo.
In the Singleton Infanty Museum, theres (was) a HK33 that was gifted to a battalion commander and carried by him during his tour in Vietnam.
@@metallicarchaea1820 Wow, what a shot. Fascinating piece of history.
The lovechild of G3 and MP5 looks damn good...
What surprised me was how new they still look, but don´t have any picany...
On a side-note, I could imagine that the weight helps controlling the recoil.
During the 1991 Gulf War, I had occasion to meet with Gen Schwarzkopf's bodyguard on a couple of occasions. All were armed with HK 53's.
The 53 was used by a few units in the British Army back in the day including the Army Air Corps helicopter crews in NI, Royal Military Police CP teams and personnel on NI special duties. The only reason they stopped using them was that they went out of production and sourcing spares for them was difficult. Firing it at night was an experience - like having your own little fireworks display a foot on front of your face.
The 33 was in use by the Royal Ulster Constabulary and later the PSNI until replaced by the G36C
Another difference is that the 53's had a reinforcement block installed at the rear takedown pin.
I shot the HK53 on full auto and it was a fun gun to shoot. I did burst fire at first to start off slow with it. It had an olive drab stock, custom handguard with Foregrip attached. It had 30 round magazines when I shot it. I also like the HK33 as I am a fan also of the H&K G3 deratives and the HK416A5.
I also think Myanmar uses the HK33 but makes it locally.
My uncle from my mother side in Thailand was in the royals Thai army he was using HK33 in the Thai-Cambodian border clash in the year 2000s
Cool! I was expecting HK53 video, but had no hope for entire family. Thank you, Ian.
I love these guns. I started with a ptr91 308 rifle and fell in love with it's extremely low recoil, and then I got a vector v53 pistol, a century c93 rifle (which is actually very well made and reliable), and I also got a fullsized MP5 pistol from Atlantic Arms (AA89). The vector v53 is the same size as the mp5 and uses the same handguards (tri-rails in my case). The only draw back to the 5.56 guns are the mags (i only own 40rnd mags for them) is they run from 60-80$ each. There are polymer mags made by promag I do believe and they have to have the magazine catch notch modified to fit your gun by you but it's very easy to do. So the 308 g3 mags are (were) 3-5$ each for steel or aluminum, S.Korean contract military steel mp5 9mm 30rnd mags were 14$ each when I bought all of mine and I paid around 70$ each for my collection of 40rnd 53/93 5.56 mags. So I have alot of g3 mags, 15 mp5 mags (14 are S.Korean and 1 is a Pakistan ordinance factory "POF" that came in the gun), and i made a large investment (for magazines anyway) in my 13 h&k brand 40rnd 5.56 mags. The guns arent cheap, parts arent cheap. Only the g3 mags and non-h&k built mp5 mags are cheap. I have seen 40rnd h&k brand 5.56 93/53 mags recently on sale for 60$ each. The polymer 40rnd mags function just fine once fitted properly to your gun and they run around 25-35$ each, which I do own 2 of so i technically have 15 40rnd 5.56 mags, and I've yet to have any issues out of any of my guns with any of the mags, shooting any brand of ammo. That includes steel cased ammo because the fluted chambers pretty much ruin brass if you can even find them after they are ejected about 20feet away. If you've never shot one of these roller delayed blow back guns you should really give one a try if you can. The amount of recoil reduction is amazing and they are absolutely great firearms. Just make sure to buy a good one if your going to invest in them. The POF clones dont seem to be very good but zenith imports licensed MKE clones from turkey which are great and priced very well. Ptr91 inc even makes the ptr32 rifle in 7.62x39 that feeds from AK mags (but not standard drums) and are proven to be very very accurate guns compared to even the higher end AKs. An AK might hit a man at 300yards while the ptr32 will do a head shot at 300 and can do torso shots at 400 all day if you do your part. I cant say enough good things about these guns but they are expensive and highly addictive.
LOL Being Thai, this is the only rifle with 'self-loading' capability in this channel I ever had experience with.
Love the HK33. Used it in Northern Ireland in the 1980s when out on ops. Lighter than the SLR and SA80 and lovely to fire! Funny you mention Harrington & Richardson....my first ever shotgun in the 1970s was a magnum chambered 4.5 Tons/Square Inch single barrel hammer action. Light as a feather with a ridiculous recoil! The fore end screw sheared off when I fired a 12 bore bullet! 😂😂
Were you with UK armed forces? And used the HK33?
@@SnakesTaint Yes. We used them on limited ops in NI and some tank crews used them I believe.
@@elguapo1507 very cool!! what unit were you in? And do you happen to have any photos from them?
@@SnakesTaint No, I was never one for taking photographs because it was back in the 1980s in the days before mobile phones were common, and they didn't have cameras anyway! 😁 I was on the helicopters Goose.
@@elguapo1507 full length HK33s as well? So far you are the only concrete evidence I have for full length HK33 use in England! I wanna find out more if you don’t mind! I’ve heard 30% of HK33s bought by England were the full length. And if you don’t mind, what gear did you wear? Pattern 58 webbing and DPM?
I'm a former deputy sheriff, and I have been fortunate enough to shoot some very cool guns. M4, MP5, MP5SD, and an HK53. The 53 is an absolute flame thrower. The SD is so quiet you could rip it inside of a car.
You need to shoot mp7a2 sd against a pig in a Bristol protection. After a magazine with full Auto you have fine pulled pork.
I like the beautiful aesthetics and the compactness of the HK53
Like a Eastern Krinkov
I have been disassembly HK33 when I was Thai Reserve Officer Training Corps Student.
Bravo Sir. Would love to see a full length review of the entire grey room in your in-depth style of detail. Thank you again.
The hk33 is the gun that I use at my work in the chilean marines and IT is just lovely
Malaysian army bought them to replace the SLRs (which was a wee bit too big for an average malaysian back then) and they were quickly retired in favor of M16s and the stocks were transferred/dumped to police.
Most Malaysian soldiers who served in the 60s and 70s loved the L1A1. The bullet was big and could cut through brush.
I've been waiting for this one!
Great video Ian! I've been hoping you would do a video on the HK53 for a long time.
Epic, I've been wanting a video on both of these
I wish other companies gave this level of access/kept this level of back catalogue.
This seems to fit the style of the short M4 ued today. For urbam or tight vehicle mounted troops, the compact and even subcompact forms seem very smart. The Russians loved their subguns since the city fighting in WW2. It is hard to get a weapon system which works well for shots across the room , or across the block. Thanks for another great video.
Ian, if you want to examine one of the H&R made HK33s, I remember that when I worked at the Patton Museum in Ft. Knox in the late 1970's, they had one in their collection.
Honestly dude, how do you push these out so fast? Love it!
I wonder if Ian saw my comment on the UMP video calling the HK33 the "forgotten middle-child" of H&K rifles, or if it's just a case of thinking alike... Poor thing definitely fits the description! About time it gets some love.
It's a shame though, Europe had such a deadset facination with 9mm, i'm glad atleast the SAS got a hold of the 5.56's. sometimes you'd think people'd jump on diverse, widely accepted ammo, but i guess sometimes people just want one caliber at those times.
@@CallofDutyBlackOps28 It had nothing to do w/ 'deadset facination', 9mm + MP5 are used all over Europe but mainly by Police + Security Forces and overpenetration + collateral damage concerns are taken very serious - maybe hard to grasp for Americans prone to overkill cowboy approaches. How many unarmed civilians are killed by cops in the US per year compared to Europe?
@@CallofDutyBlackOps28 I looked it up during the video, and while the HK33 was adopted as the standard arm of a few militaries across the world, it has seen a lot of use in special forces and police units, including Europe, but also in Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia and the Americas, especially when you include the very popular HK53.
Honestly, if the HK33 wasn't sandwiched between the G3, MP5 and G36, it would probably be considered an extremely popular gun in its own right, but its relatives are all such giants.
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine Today there's such a variety of special ammo, but those 9mm's are standard for more than 40y, but they are slowly move to modern PDW's and 5.56's [for special units] but 9mm's are still used by regular police and police in Europe are not 'Militarized' like in the US.
@@brokenspine66 can we talk about the .50 cal if you want to talk about overkill?
i was on about Variety weapons, and if people understand, 9mm also can under preform where the 5.56 would Just be right on the dot. which is why i say "it's a shame" because when you've got two weapons and you have enemies in your front that you see no visable 9mm confrontational damage to, yeah... that Variety would help. So that's a nice call out for me being an American, when all i'm really doing is facinated why the 5.56 models weren't as successful.
The 53 was my favorite gun back in Battlefield 3
Ian just makes my shopping list longer with every video
In 2008,went to a range that has full automatic small arms to rent.Picked HK33 and started out first with semi auto mode.The first shot,the empty shell casing was stuck half way out of the ejection port.Was told by the range employee watching behind me to cease fire.Then,decided to choose M4 to fire.
To be honest. I´d prefer a HK53 over a G36 any day of the week.
It has a nice old school look
You never life fired a G36 I suppose? I love the G3-Style rifles from HK and fired thousands of rounds from them since the mid `80 as a soldier and privat. But today the G36 is the much better rifle
The roller delayed action isn't well suited to 5.56. it kicks pretty hard, doesn't do too well in mud, and will always be heavier than an AR-15/AR-18 operating mechanism. Which includes the M4, M16, G36, L85, HK416. The HK33 in general was an unreliable system
The main issue is the relative small size of the bolt, and the round, despite the 5.56 round being very high pressure. The 7.62Nato round in the G3 was similarly pressured, but a much larger system. This creates issues in a blowback operating system
Weasle Really? That’s sad to hear. I would have thought it would have minimal recoil due to it’s weight and because the mp5 is known for having hardly any :(
@@Skrenja Similar to what happens with the G3. Kicks harder than most rifles, especially compared to AR systems. However the G3 was a robust and reliable system in 7.62Nato. The HK33, or any of it's counterparts, were never particularly reliable. This comes down to how small the bolt is relative to the high pressure of the 5.56 round, which is generally not suitable for blowback systems. Blowback in rifle calibers always tend to be iffy. There's also the detriment of heavier bolts and buffer springs, extremely stiff bolts and charging handles, the sorts the G3 is known for.
I'm seeing StG44/45 heritage with alot of MP5 in it
Im on my third year of thailand's reserve officer training corps and heading the 5 day camp to finish up. Hope I get to handle one of these at least once, it'll make the effort worth it
awesome was waiting for you to cover these guns... nice
It also comes with either 3 EMP grenades, or even better: 4 exploding suicide drones!
I love the sub machine gun version better because it looks just like an MP5
My grandfather has one of the 33’s. It’s a ton of fun at the range
Hahaha about one hour before this was posted I was searching the channel for HK33. I was disappointed that there was no video."
Right on time, Ian.
Ian- it shows how long it takes to make a reliable gun
Sten gun- am i a joke to you?
The sten gun is no joke.
The sten magazine however....
The Sten was a simplification of an already existing weapon. The whole experimenting was done in the MP 28. It was also a simple blowback open bolt SMG, making it simpler still.
The sten was literally just a spring, some pipes and wire. Were talking about GUNS here
@@TheRealColBosch I'm going to have to use that phrase some time.
The Watcher I second that
A comparison between The HK53 and the Swedish AK5c (FN FNC) would be cool.
Or maybe a modernization of the two.
Beautiful pieces, I absolutely love HK designs.
And the HK53 absolutely makes sense, the compact form factor with the power of 556.
When ever Ian does an HK video, particularly from this location, I get a very strong need to play Shadowrun.
Read a book titled „The Operators: On the Streets with Britain‘s most Secret Service“ about the elite 14th Intelligence Company on OP’s in Northern Ireland. Reportedly, they were issued the HK53, among other HK weapons.
it looks very stg44 with that larger magazine
The HK53 lust looks like an MP5 that grew up a bit.
Like usual, a great video.
In Sweden Before 1990, G3 (AK-4) in 7,62x51 was standard. The airborn rangers, and some others, (fallskärmsjägare) had the G3 although with collapsing stock similar, or perhaps the same, like the smg in the video.
"Here's the HK53 completely field stripped"
I was taught (on the G3) to also disassemble the bolt because it needs cleaning on the inside with all the slag that builds up because of the blow back system.
Either way, i would never just clean the outside of the bolt, the inside really matters a lot and so does the chamber. I hated those chambers by the way, but the gun works really well (with the right ammunition) regardless so that's a plus.
If people say AR-15 is a dirty rifle, give 'em some HK roller delayed blowback guns like G3, MP5, or this one.
Does the fluted chamber make it that much harder to clean?
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine But like pigs, they love the filth...
@@coryhall7074 Yes, not so much the flutes themselves but EVERYTHING gets gunpowder (mixed with any excess oil) residue on it and it kinda jams up. Especially on cold temperatures.
It still works but it gets all kinds of funky after a few mags.
Having the proper ammo (fresh stuff that burns right) means the rifle will operate regardless of how dirty it is but as i said, it starts doing strange things.
You can hold down full auto on it and it goes BAM BAM BAM BAM .. BAM BAM BAM BAM ........ BAM BAM BAM .. BAM.
And if you have a shell casing catcher on it, the shells will all exit the gun at different speeds and angles. Without the catcher on those shells still exit fine, but since the catcher is there AND the shells exit "strangely" when the gun is dirty, you get all kinds of jams. So you clean the gun for an hour and it works for about two mags and then, with the catcher on, it just stops working as the shells bounce back into the chamber.
The good news is that they function with quite a bit of fouling in them (at least my two did - I started out with an AG3 with collapsing stock and then that one was taken from me and I got a fairly new one with fixed stock half way through my service). In fact; rain or shine, +30 or -40, dirty or clean... my guns would chug merrily along, and the only way they would tell you they were feeling ignored was that they would start extracting rearwards - a fairly mild form of protest, tbh, compared to what some other guns can get up to. "Functional" is not the same as "passing inspection" though...
The second one shot quite accurately too. We got along quite well.
And now my two girls are both dead. :(
Having shot the HK53, the only thing that stands out is the muzzle flash and the concussion.
Me too, fired a British one; maybe not the best, but a very fascinating weapon.
I got to fire the HK 53 along with some other fun stuff back in 2009, it's a really nice "smg".
Ive Always wanted an hk53. I looove the idea of an mp5 in .223/556. Such an attractive firearm
*Ian uploads new video
*me sitting behind pc...my food is in the oven
...im sorry....lasagna....you just have to hold out
In that cause I watch this on my phone so I can get my food out of the oven
@@Panzer_Runner look, no one cares, the video is openly available to watch NOW, and that's what he meant when he said "upload".
@@bl4cksp1d3r What did he said?
Btw my lasagna made it! Slighlty overcooked tougj
why not eat lasagna AND watch Ian, I'll be able to build my own gun after I'm out of quarantine!
You play a risky game
Drool.. i've had a fetish for the HK53 for years.
Not sure if you care, but your videos are really & truly helping me in this odd time. So I thank you deeply.
The HK53 was used by helicopter crews in Northern Ireland, Specifically the Wessex Helicopter pilots of 72 Sqn. They had a rack between the seats in the cockpit that held two of them.
Hey Ian, this rifle was regularly adopted by Brasil's airforce. Whyle the army kept them Fals and the Marine forces chose the M16. Nowadays they ALL are still being used but the 3 combat forces are ALL adopting the New released Imbel IA2, in 5,56 and 7,62x51 versions.
That room is the definition of gun porn. Lucky Ian.
Less than one day and almost 95000 views. Way to go Ian.
Larry Vickers mentioned in a video that one issue with the HK33/53 was that it was really easy to work the charging handle just enough to push it out of battery, but not enough to notice it.
Also, if memory serves, most of the Brazilian service ones ended up in the hands of the Brazilian Air Force. Not sure exactly why. Maybe they preferred their FAL variant for everyone else because of the bigger cartridge?
I'm a simple man. I see an HK video - and I pull my chair out to watch the video.
Holy Krautsalat that playlist made my day :)
Wonderful. Thank you for this Ian I have been waiting for the HK33 to be covered for some time, having spent many years using the variants professionally. Its not just a good FW production its pretty much the only meaningful commentary on the HK33 grouping. Amazing to see how long the system was in gestation. As a suggestion, you could have commented more on the spread of smaller commercial government contracts which the 33 attracted, there was at least one notable omission ?
Yeees!! Finally!! I was waiting for this video for months!!!
Someone: "Which weapon class do you mostly focus your development resources on?"
H&K: "Yes"
İan thank you for this video. İt reminds me "my baby" . i used hk 33 many years ago. My gun was so called "factory version".
I was late for work, then I opened your video, now I'm later
I've a very similar HK93 looking rifle made in Spain. Have to get it out of the safe and try it out. Don't recall it being heavy.
God I love my 93 recoil is so light I need to get a folding stock
So sexy with a folding stick.
Fookin laser sights
If your ever in the norfolk area i work at a shipyard. I know a lot of guys who would love to talk about guns haha. Your videos always cheer me up in these gloony times !
The Air Force here in Brazil adopted the H&K33 for its infantry and security force (airbase police and such). Growing up in AF bases around the country, I ended up very familiar with the rifle, which was widely beloved by the users.
In this matter, the Air Force was actually more forward-looking than the army, which insisted on the 7.62 FAL (produced locally by Imbel) for quite a while.