Heckler & Koch PSG1

PSG1
The PSG1
Type	Sniper rifle
Place of origin	West Germany
Service history
In service	1972–present
Used by	See Users
Production history
Designer	Heckler & Koch GmbH
Designed	1970s
Manufacturer	Heckler & Koch GmbH SEDENA (licensed)
Produced	1972–present
Variants	PSG1A1 MSG90 MSG90A1
Specifications
Mass	7.2 kg (15.87 lb)
Length	1,230 mm (48.4 in)
Barrel length	650 mm (25.6 in) 600 mm (23.6 in) (MSG-90)
Width	59 mm (2.3 in)
Height	258 mm (10.2 in) with telescopic sight
Cartridge	7.62×51mm NATO
Action	Roller-delayed blowback
Muzzle velocity	868 m/s (2,848 ft/s)
Effective firing range	800 m (2,625 ft)
Feed system	5, 10 or 20-round detachable box magazine. 50 round drum also compatible.
Sights	Hensoldt ZF6x42PSG1 telescopic sight with illuminated reticle

The PSG1 (Präzisionsschützengewehr, German for "precision target rifle") is a semi-automatic sniper rifle designed by the German company Heckler & Koch of Oberndorf am Neckar.

Development

This rifle is said to have been developed in response to the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics. The West German police units could not engage the terrorists quickly enough to prevent them from killing their hostages. H&K was then commissioned to create a high accuracy, large magazine capacity, semi-automatic rifle for police and military use.^{[citation needed]}

In addition, the rifle has been licensed for local production in Pakistan by Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) as the PSR-90 and Mexico by SEDENA as the Morelos Bicentenario.

Design details

The PSG1 is mechanically based on the G3 rifle and features a low-noise bolt closing device (similar to the forward assist on many M16 rifles). Its shot-to-shot variation is expected to be better than 1 minute of angle (MOA) with match ammunition. Although this level of accuracy is unremarkable in modern semi-automatic rifles, it was claimed that the PSG1 was "one of the most accurate semi-automatic sniper rifles in the world."

PSG1s are not supplied with iron sights but come equipped with the Hensoldt ZF6x42PSG1 scope with an illuminated reticle. The scope has a built-in range adjustment feature which can be adjusted from 100 to 600 m.

It has a heavy free-floating barrel with polygonal rifling and an adjustable stock. The stock is of high impact matte black plastic and has a high degree of adjustment. It is adjustable for length, and includes a pivoting butt cap and a vertically-adjustable cheekpiece. The forend is fitted with a T-way rail for sling swivel or tripod.

The rifle also features a removable and adjustable trigger unit, for further individual fitting of the rifle. The trigger pull can be modified and the whole assembly is removable from the pistol grip. The pistol grip is of a target-style with an adjustable palm shelf.

Another notable characteristic of the PSG1 is that after firing, the cartridge casing is ejected with substantial force, reportedly enough to throw it approximately 10 meters to the side (SVD rifle also has a similar tendency). While this is generally not an issue for law enforcement snipers, it greatly compromises the military use of the rifle, because it would easily give away the sniper's position. The brass is also difficult to find for clearing the area of usage marks afterwards, due to the wide area in which it could have landed. Not only does this rifle eject brass some distance, but it crimps the casing severely, meaning most casings cannot be reused.

The PSG-1's official silencer is from Brügger & Thomet (B and T).

Variants

PSG1A1

The PSG1A1 variant was introduced by Heckler & Koch in 2006, and features two major improvements. First, the cocking handle was relocated a couple of degrees counter-clockwise. This was due to the fact that when locked rearward, it often physically interfered with the long scopes often used on the rifles. The second modification involved the replacement of the outdated Hensoldt scope. Non-police users often found the scope's 600 m range limitation and simple crosshairs inadequate for their needs. In addition, the rechargeable batteries are difficult to recharge and to find replacements. A final fault is that Hensoldt does not service the scope in the United States. For these reasons, the PSG1A1 has been outfitted with a Schmidt & Bender 3-12x50 Police Marksman II scope, mounted on 34 mm (1.3 in) rings. To remedy brass ejection a brass catcher must be installed.

MSG90

The MSG90 is a militarized variant of the PSG1, that is both strengthened and lightened. The PSG1 and MSG90 have different trigger packs. The MSG90 uses a modified version of the push pin trigger packs of H&K roller locked select-fire assault rifles. The composite shoulder stock of the MSG90 is adjustable for height (cheek), length of pull (shoulder), and is smaller and lighter than that of the PSG1. MSG90s have a slightly shorter contoured barrel to help with harmonic stabilization and consistent whip instead of the PSG1's heavy barrel, but remain free-floating. As a result, these particular MSG90 A1's have a threaded barrel capable of attaching a suppressor, which is an advantage over the PSG1.

The sighting system utilizes the multipurpose Weaver rail system rather than the STANAG 2324 claw mount for affixing sighting systems which can be purchased separately. This same rail mounting system is used on the HK21E, HK23E, and G41 (discontinued) series.

The barrel is weighted at the muzzle to aid harmonic stabilization of barrel whip to enhance accuracy. The addition of a flash suppressor adds to the overall length.

In the US

Due to its high cost and import ban, the number of PSG1s in the United States is (as of 2005) fewer than 400, mostly in the hands of wealthy private collectors, and currently sells for between US$12,000 and US$15,000. Contrary to popular belief, very few American law enforcement agencies make use of the PSG1; however, the MSG90 can be found in many different units.^{[citation needed]}

Users

Country	Organization	Model	Quantity	Date	Reference
Albania	Special forces	-	-	_
Brazil	Special Forces of Brazilian Army, Air Force, Marines,many law enforcement units	PSG-1	_	_	[citation needed]
Bulgaria	Military Police of Bulgarian Army	PSG-1A1	_	_	[citation needed]
Denmark	Danish special forces have in a few public events in the 1990s been photographed with MSG90 versions but they are now obsolete.	MSG90	_	_	[citation needed]
Finland	Karhu Team (Special Operations Unit of the Helsinki police department)	PSG-1	_	_
France	1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment of the French Army	MSG90	_	_
Hong Kong	Special Duties Unit	_	_	_	_
India	National Security Guard MARCOS Indian Army	-	_	_
Indonesia	Komando Pasukan Katak (Kopaska) tactical diver group of the Indonesian Navy	MSG90	_	_
	Komando Pasukan Khusus (Kopassus) special forces group of the Indonesian Army	MSG90	_	_
Iraq	Iraqi Armed Forces	MSG90A1	_	_
Lithuania	Lithuanian Armed Forces	MSG90A1	_	_
Luxembourg	Unité Spéciale de la Police intervention unit of the Grand Ducal Police	PSG1	_	_
Macau	Grupo de Operações Especiais (Macau)	_	_	_	[citation needed]
Malaysia	11th Grup Gerak Khas (GGK) Counter-Terrorism Army Squad of the Malaysian Army	MSG90A1	_	_
	Pasukan Khas Laut (PASKAL) Maritime Counter-Terrorism Squad of the Royal Malaysian Navy		_	_
	Pasukan Khas Udara (PASKAU) Counter-Terrorism Air Force Team of the Royal Malaysian Air Force	PSG1A1	_	_
	Pasukan Gerakan Khas Counter-Terrorism Police Squad of the Royal Malaysia Police		_	_
Mexico	Standard marksman rifle of the Mexican Army Also used by the Policía Federal	MSG90SDN	_	_
Netherlands	Dienst Speciale Interventies (DSI) Unit Expertise & Operationele Ondersteuning police snipers of the Korps landelijke politiediensten Special Intervention Service.	PSG1	_	_
Norway	Hærens Jegerkommando (HJK), Army Special Forces Command and Marinejegerkommandoen (MJK), Navy Special Forces Command.	MSG90	_	_
Pakistan	Used by the Pakistan Army. Produced under license by Pakistan Ordnance Factories	PSR90	_	_
Republic of Korea	Republic of Korea Naval Special Warfare Brigade	MSG90 PSG1	_	_
Spain	Grupo Especial de Operaciones of the Spanish police	_	_	_
Taiwan	_	_	_	_
Thailand	Royal Thai Navy SEALs	PSG1	_	_	[citation needed]
United Kingdom	Used as a precision (sniper) rifle by specialist firearms officers in the British police	PSG1	-	_
United States	Hostage Rescue Team of the Federal Bureau of Investigation	PSG1	_	_
	Delta Force - 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D)		_	_	[citation needed]
Vietnam	Special force of Vietnam People's Police	PSG1	_	_

See also

• DSR-50
• FD-200 sniper rifle
• SVD

External links

• Heckler & Koch—official page
• PSG1 on Mel's SniperCentral
• HKPro
• 2008 Heckler & Koch Military and LE brochure
• Video of operation on YouTube (Japanese)
• Hk MSG90 Video