Gustav Weapon Reviews

 

 

 

About The Carl Gustav Recoilless Rifle

The Carl Gustav is an 84 mm man-portable multi-role recoilless rifle produced by Saab Bofors Dynamics (formerly Bofors Anti-Armour AB) in Sweden. The first prototype of the Carl Gustav was produced in the mid 40's, and while similar weapons of the era have generally disappeared, the Carl Gustav remains in widespread use today. British troops refer to it as the Charlie G, while Canadian troops often refer to it as the 84 or Carl G. In US service it is officially known as the RAWS or Ranger Antitank Weapons System, but often called the Goose or simply the Carl Johnson by US soldiers. In Australia it is irreverently known as Charlie Gusto or Charlie Gutsache (guts ache, slang for stomach pain). In its country of origin it is officially named Grg m/48 (Granatgevär or grenade rifle, model 48) but is sometimes nicknamed Stuprör (drainpipe) because the weapon mainly consists of a long tube.

 

 

What exactly is the Gustav Rifle?

The basic weapon consists of the main tube with the breech-mounted Venturi recoil damper, with two grips near the front and a shoulder mount. The weapon is fitted with iron sights, but is normally aimed with the attached 3x optical sight with a 17 degree (300 mrad) field of view. Luminous front and rear sight inserts are available for the iron sights when aiming at night, but an image intensification system may also be used.

The Carl Gustav Rifle can be fired from the standing, kneeling, sitting or prone positions, and a bipod may be attached in front of the shoulder piece of the rifle. An operating handle called a "Venturi lock" is used to move the hinged breech to one side for reloading. The weapon, or Gustav Rifle is normally operated by a two-man crew, one carrying and firing the weapon, the other carrying ammunition and reloading.

 

Storing The Carl Gustav Rifle

Storage of the Carl Gusatv Rifle can be difficult. Fortunately, a tactical weapons storage rack can store up to four Gustav Rifles on one weapon rack. This will be the most efficient and maximized storage unit for storing large Carl Gustav Rifles.