Heckler & Koch HK36
Produced by Heckler & Koch
The HK36 was an experimental assault rifle introduced by Heckler & Koch in the early 1970s. At the time, research in small-caliber military cartridges had become more popular thanks to the United States' adoption and combat use of the M16 and its 5.56×45mm round. The HK36 rifle fired a 4.6×36 mm round whose bullet has a "spoon point" (German: Löffelspitz) designed by CETME's Dr. Gunther Voss. Low bullet weight and the straight-line layout of the rifle reduced recoil, while the high velocity of the round gave it an almost flat trajectory out to 300 metres (330 yd), which was also the limit of its effective range. Beyond that point, the bullet lost velocity very quickly.