FB MSBS Grot

FB MSBS Grot 5.56
MSBS Grot C 16 FB-M1 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle
Type	Assault Rifle
Place of origin	Poland
Service history
Used by	Polish Territorial Defence Forces Representative Honor Guard Battalion of the Polish Armed Forces Polish Border Guard
Production history
Designer	Adam Gawron, Bartosz Stefaniak, Grzegorz Misiołek, Maciej Sajdak
Designed	2007
Manufacturer	FB "Łucznik" Radom
Produced	2007–2017 (prototypes) 2018–present
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	3.7 kg (8.2 lb) (MSBS Grot C) 3.4 kg (7.5 lb) (MSBS Grot B)
Length	980 mm (39 in) (MSBS Grot C, stock extended) 720 mm (28 in) (MSBS Grot B)
Barrel length	406 mm (16.0 in)
Width	65 mm (2.6 in)
Cartridge	5.56×45mm NATO 7.62×39mm
Action	Short-stroke gas piston, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	700–900 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	890 m/s
Effective firing range	500 m (547 yd)
Feed system	30-round detachable STANAG magazines, 60-round casket magazine (5.56×45mm NATO)
Sights	Integrated Picatinny rail for various optical sights and Picatinny attachable iron sights

The FB Radom MSBS Grot (Polish language: Modułowy System Broni Strzeleckiej „Grot” , English: Modular Firearm System "Spearhead") is a modular assault rifle developed and manufactured by FB "Łucznik" Radom.

There are two basic variants of the rifle that are based on a common upper receiver; a conventional layout assault rifle and a carbine. The MSBS is the first machine carbine fully designed and produced completely in Poland since World War II as well as the largest firearms sale contract taken on by the Polish arms industry since 1989.

History

The MSBS rifle was in development since 2007 by the Military University of Technology in Warsaw in cooperation with the firearms manufacturer FB Radom. The external design of the rifle was conceived by a separate team of engineers (Adam Gawron, Bartosz Stefaniak, Grzegorz Misiołek, and Maciej Sajdak).

Currently, the rifle is in service with the Polish Territorial Defence Forces and is scheduled to replace FB Beryl as the primary infantry weapon and service rifle of the Polish Armed Forces. Following the adoption of the rifle by the Polish military, the Grot moniker has been added to the MSBS name in honor of the Home Army commander, General Stefan "Grot" Rowecki.

Variants

Soldiers of the Territorial Defence Force (WOT) with MSBS Grot rifles

The MSBS Grot C and MSBS Grot B (Bullpup).

The following variants were designed based on the requests from the Polish Armed Forces to replace currently used firearms such as the AKM, FB Beryl, FB Mini-Beryl, and Pallad grenade launcher.

• MSBS Grot C (Polish language: klasyczny

, English: classic) is the classic variant of the rifle chambered in either 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge with a folding and retractable stock.

• • MSBS-5,56A0 - initial production, 1,000 produced.
  • FB-M1 (MSBS-5,56A1) - first production batch: modified charging handle and additional strap mount point on the picatinny rail.
  • FB-M2 (MSBS-5,56A2) - second production batch: longer handguard to cover the gas block, reiforced firing pin for dry fire practice, improved pistol grip and buttstock.
• MSBS Grot B (Polish language: bezkolbowy

, English: bullpup) – will be the bullpup variant of the rifle chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge.

• MSBS Grot R – is the representative variant of the rifle designed to be used by honour guards which has been adapted to fire blanks and withstand drills. With the modularity of the rifle, the barrel can be swapped to fire live ammunition.

The MSBS GROT is a selective fire modular assault rifle which is capable of semi-automatic, 3-round burst and fully automatic fire. It has a cyclic rate of fire of around 700–900 rounds per minute.

Both the Classic and Bullpup variants are planned in 5 different configurations and have many common interchangeable parts and can be in future converted from one to the other.:

• Assault rifle – a standard assault rifle configuration with 16 in (410 mm) barrel.
• Assault rifle with underbarrel grenade launcher – similar to the assault rifle configuration but with a 40×46mm underbarrel grenade launcher equipped.
• Carbine – a short barrel variant with a 10 in (250 mm) barrel.
• Carbine with underbarrel grenade launcher – similar to the carbine configuration but with a 40×46mm underbarrel grenade launcher equipped.
• Squad automatic weapon – a variant equipped with a heavy profile 16 in (410 mm) barrel.
• Designated marksman rifle – is equipped with a 16 in (410 mm) barrel and a two stage trigger group.

Currently only conventional layout assault rifle, carbine, representational and semi-auto versions are available. Bullpup layout, grenade launcher, squad automatic weapon and designated marksman rifle are not produced. Modules for conversion between versions also are not available. Conversions kit to caliber 7.62×39mm is available.

Since the Polish Military of Defence ordered 53,000 of the MSBS assault rifles, Fabryka Broni has introduced a military naming designation for the MSBS series.^{[citation needed]}

Grot – After the official adoption of the rifle by the Polish Armed Forces, the Grot name was added.

C, B, R, S – variants: classic, bullpup, representative, sport (semi-auto civilian)

10, 13, 16, 20 – barrel lengths, in inches.

G, M, PS – configurations: assault rifle with grenade launcher, light machine gun, marksman rifle

FB – Fabryka Broni, the manufacturer of this weapon system.

M(x) – number of series (x stands for the generation, for examples, M1 means first generation, M2 is second generation, M3 is planned third generation)

MSBS-7.62N derivative

MSBS-7.62N
Type	Designated Marksman Rifle
Place of origin	Poland
Production history
Manufacturer	FB "Łucznik" Radom
Specifications
Cartridge	7.62×51mm NATO
Action	Short-stroke gas piston, rotating bolt
Feed system	20-round detachable SR-25 magazines
Sights	Integrated Picatinny rail for various optical sights and Picatinny attachable iron sights

The MSBS-7.62N is a semi-automatic sniper rifle/designated marksman rifle chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge.

The MSBS-7.62N project began in the end of 2015 when Polish Military of Defence announced analytical works for the replacement program of their SVD Dragunov marksman rifle and supplement the bolt-action TRG-22 and Tor sniper rifles currently in service. It was led by the team of Fabryka Broni Łucznik-Radom and Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna (WAT) engineers.

The MSBS-7.62N has two different configurations; one with a 508 mm (20 in) barrel with a fixed adjustable stock and the other with 406 mm (16 in) barrel with the MSBS Grot C's adjustable side-folding stock. Both configurations are part of the MSBS family and some of the parts of the rifle, such as the stock, handguard, pistol grip, and trigger are interchangeable between 5.56m and 7.62m models.

The MSBS-7.62N is designed as a semi-automatic rifle but project engineers declared that a fully automatic configuration can be developed if required.

In September, 2019 the MSBS-7.62N was officially announced at MSPO 2019, but since 2021 its production has still not been started.

Users

• Poland: Used in secondary units. As of January 2021 total 40 520 variant M1 delivered and additional around 30,000 variant M2 are on order.
  • Territorial Defence Force: 69,000 Grot C 16 FB-M1 and C 16 FB-M2 are on order. Around 39,000 delivered as of January 2021. First batch delivered on 30 November 2017.
  • Polish Land Forces: C16 FB-M1
  • Border Guard: 713 Grot C 16 FB-M1 and C 10.5 FB-M1. First batch delivered on 21 December 2018.
  • Representative Honor Guard Regiment: 490 Grot R 20 FB-M1

See also

• List of assault rifles
• List of battle rifles
• List of bullpup firearms

Other sources

• (in Polish) Pierwszy pokaz MSBS-5,56 in: Altair, 12 December 2009
• (in Polish) Nowa polska broń – MSBS-5,56 in: Altair, 15 December 2009
• (in Polish) MSBS-5,56 już strzela in: Altair, 16 December 2009
• (in Polish) Rodzina MSBS-5.56 W Czerwcu in: Altair, 22 March 2010
• (in Polish) Nowy MSBS-5,56 in: Altair, 9 August 2010
• (in Polish) MSBS-5,56 w nowej szacie in: Altair, 5 October 2010
• (in Polish) Giwera przyszłości in: Polska zbrojna, 30 December 2008
• (in Polish) MSBS-5,56 w Pułtusku in: Altair, 4 June 2011
• (in Polish) MSBS do amunicji 7,62mm x 39 in: Altair, 21 September 2014
• (in Polish) Prototypy karabinów MSBS-7,62 na MSPO in Altair, 9 January 2016

External links

• Fabryka Broni "Łucznik" Radom home page