The Krieghoff automatic rifle was a German prototype automatic rifle that was developed by Krieghoff.
History[]
The Krieghoff automatic rifle was designed to fulfill a Luftwaffe commission for a lightweight automatic rifle for paratroopers. The design work on this gun was done by Heinrich Krieghoff and it was completed by 1942, upon which it was submitted for Fallschirmjäger trials against a rival design from Rheinmetall, designed by Louis Stange. The Rheinmetall gun was ultimately selected for adoption and was taken into service as the FG 42. Consequently all development of the Krieghoff rifle ceased.
Only a few prototypes of the Krieghoff automatic rifle were produced, strictly for trial purposes. An example exists at the Defence Technology Museum in Koblenz, Germany.
Design[]
The Krieghoff automatic rifle operated on a gas piston with a vertically-moving breech block. It was fed by box magazine from the left side of the receiver. The barrel was fitted with a large muzzle brake and bipod.
Gallery[]
