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When France was looking to replace the MAS 49/56 rifle for military service in the 1970s, it tested all of the major rifle options available. These included the Colt M16, FN CAL, and HK33. The HK required some modification to meet French military requirements, specifically the capability to launch rifle grenades. The model 33F was developed specifically to meet these requirements – first as a modified standard HK33, and later as a factory production run. The modifications made include a reinforced magazine well, 4-position fire control gourd (including 3-round burst), a reinforced stock attachment, grenade range rings on the barrel, and a mounting bracket for a rifle grenade sight.
Apparently the HK33F performed very well in trials, but it was ultimately deemed politically unacceptable to adopt a German rifle for the French Army (a policy which has changed now, 50 years later…). Instead, the domestic FAMAS was chosen, along with the SIG-Manurhin 540 purchased in limited numbers for the Foreign Legion.
A second type of 33F came about from the program, however. Berlin police wanted HK33 rifles, but treaty prohibited West German arms from entering Berlin in East Germany. The loophole found was to send the parts to MAS in France, where they were assembled and marked HK33F, thus making them French origin gun which could be sent to Berlin. These rifles had none of the French grenade launching adaptations, and were completely standard HK33s except for the use of heavy barrels. MAS eventually added the G3, HK33, and MP5 to its export catalog in the late 1970s and sold quantities to a number of small countries in the French sphere of influence (including Haiti, Burkina Faso, Lebanon, and others).
Many thanks to the IRCGN (Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale) for allowing me access to film these rather rare HK variants for you!
“(…)4-position fire control gourd (including 3-round burst)(…)”
I did not know that such shape of lever has own name – gourd.
Anyway, mode designation are 0, 1, F, 3. Digits are quite obvious, but which Français word was shortened to give F?
Other competitor mentioned FN CAL https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/belgium-assault-rifles/fn-cal-eng/ also sported a 4 position safety / fire selector, and allows for single shot, 3-round burst and full automatic fire
Manurhin-built SG 540s were procured by the Armée de Terre for OPEX generally and not just the Legion; the rifles are widely photographed with the 9eme DIMA in Lebanon starting in 1978, for example.
Jean Huon once had a photo of the trials model of FN CAL attached to this article [https://smallarmsreview.com/the-famas-assault-rifle/]; it was the fifth image, but apparently no longer hosted and I can’t conjure it up with a wayback machine pull either. The trials rifle had the same distinctly French grenade rings and leaf sight, as well as a unique contoured pistol grip that closely resembled that of the FAMAS F1. If anybody has a copy of that image or knows where to find it, I’d be thankful.
Given the French predilection for “theft of intellectual property” when it comes to small arms, it’s entirely possible that that pistol grip started out as an FN idea before they glommed on to it for the FAMAS…
It would have been interesting if Ian could have field stripped the standard and F series HK33 guns to compare the S-E-F and S-1-F-3 trigger boxes since I’m pretty sure the latter must have been radically different from HK’s current ambidextrous 4 position trigger packs.
I’m looking at that retractable stock, and the first thing that comes to mind is “That can’t be the same standard stock that HK had on everything else…”
The ones I’ve handled and fired were all much flimsier than I’d want to try firing rifle grenades off of, which then leads to the next question, were these HK33F versions reinforced, somehow? Or, were the French just resigned to replacing them periodically?
Maybe I just underestimated the strength of the design. I don’t think so, though.
To the speculative eye it suggests something like the two-tiered approach taken with the HK416F, where you procure a shorter « pouge rifle » for the usual suspects. In the current iteration, the fusil court cannot fire rifle grenades at all; here perhaps, « better to have it and not need it » et c.
Careless entry, should read « pogue rifle »
Take it from a real one, no such thing as a “pog”
I have maintained that that retractable stock was the work of a Sadist , on a HK 91 it is brutal . small area and the metal diamonds to rend flesh …
I had a German try to explain/justify that stock to me, once upon a time.
While he was bleeding copiously from the cheek where the siderail had cut him. He looked about like someone who’d gone to Heidelberg for his Mensur, and I’m thinking that might have been the ultimate goal… Fashionable facial scarring.
old fencer Otto approves !
Today’s kinder woker Germans have lost too much face for scarring to find any purchase.
Could be , are you man enough to shoot this gun .
I fired the folding stock one, once mind, in full auto… 5.56mm I thought, ewww… Thats worse than the Sa80 in full auto.
Hk53 I think,actually, so that might have made it more “Juddery” shorter barrel.