for nick: the G36

I rmember Nick was asking me the other day why RvS's G36K uses a red dot sight.... well, the Heckler und Koch G36 is one of my favorite weapon designs.

The G36 fires from either a special 30 round magazine or 100 round C-Mags*.

In raven shield, the G36K fires from either a 30 round M16 magazine or 100 round Beta C-Mag. This means the G36Ks employed have been modified to accept STANAG 4179 compliant magazines rather then translucent mags produced by H&K for the weapon. While C-Mags are rare, this is actually a realistic part of RvS -> because Rainbow Six is (initially) was best supported by the United States of America and Great Britain. (The M16 and SA80 use this type of magazine).

The G36 family of rifles have a cyclic rate of about 800 Rounds Per Minute: whatever the games level of accuracy to real life weapons is with regard to fire rate, you can empty RvS's G35K pretty darn fast!

There are 4 principal variants that I know about: the G36 which is the full rifle. A shorted (kurz) version known as the G36K and a compact version suitable for room entry*, known as the G36C. There is also the MG36, which is essentially a G36 fitted with a heavier barrel (good) and a 100 round C-Mag, creating a very lethal squad automatic support weapon.

The G36 has a "complex" sighting arrangement, compared to what you'll find on the M16 family.

The standard package for a G36 rifle is adjustable. In the single-scope configuration, eye piece is connected to a fairly conventional 3,5X adjustable optic. The view looks like a bar from left to right, with a circle in the centre with a vertical bar added within the circle to create a cross hair. Smaller crosses below the circle and instrumentation help gauge the range / drop to a man sized target at different ranges.

The centre of the "cross" in the circle is meant to represent a man sized target at about 200 metres; the edges of the circle help at 400 metre ranges. The left and right edges of the circle for moving target, the lower edge of the circle for a man sized target at 400 metre. Below the circle are smaller crosses for 600 and 800 metres. Someone with more understanding about adjustable sights would have to fill in the stuff in the lower south-west of the scope, and hwo the effect the ranging of the other elements because I don't have an optical sight to play with.

I believe the top of the carry-handle above the optical sight can be used like pistol sights at spitting distance, but there is another option. An over and under dual optical sight configuration is possible.

When so configured, the upper eye piece looks into a ambient light / battery powered 1,5X "Red Dot" sight made for close range shooting - here's Johnny! Below that, would be the 3,5X sight noted above.

The smaller G36C forgoes the integrated optical sight the G36, and uses rail mounted open sights instead - like the Spec Ops unlock in BF2 does. There are also the "Export" versions, people probably remember this best as the 'G36E' from Battle Field 2: Special Forces. As far as I know the MG36E / G36E / G36KE are only frighted with iron sights and a 1,5X Red Dot optic rather then the standard 3,5X.

The G36K as found in Raven Shield as can clearly be seen from it's 1st person textures, does not have the 1,5X Red Dot scope attached. There is only textures for the standard sight built into the receivers carrying handle. (I'll never understand the "handle" part, who carries a rifle like a suit case?). So unless I am totally wrong, Raven Shield got the G36K wrong or they must have been looking at a G36KE when they made the game. Because we get a Red Dot sight at the same 3,5X or 4X magnification of other AR scopes in the game. Which is almost as bad as the SA80 having an AUG

The G36 has a flash suppressor; the full rifle can accept a bayonet or bipod that the shortened variants can not handle. I haven't heard of anyone dying of bayonet wounds in modern warfare since the 1st Marines stabbed a few china men in Korea, but hey... some people h ave this thing about bayonets. All weapons to my knowledge can have take the 40mm AG36 "Anbaugranatwerfer" or attached grenade launcher. From what I've been told, you can also stick the universal tactical light from the Universale Selbstladepistole (USP) on a G36K and use it for your tactical light ;-).

Being a highly modular weapon, although the basic trigger groups on the G36 rifle can be changed; RvS uses a 3-Round burst trigger group. I would prefer a "Navy" group like that found on many MP5Ns... hehe.

The scopes on the AUG, L85A1, TAR-21, and MTAR-21 in Raven Shield, being stories of their own.... but I think I've only seen 1 or 2 game that got the G36 scope right (Razor Unit), and a couple mods (SWAT 3 / Ghost Recon) that added it.

Foot notes:

*Beta C-Mag

Basically all weapons in RvS that are chambered in 5.56/7.62 NATO use the Beta C-Mag for their "High Capacity Magazines". Most weapons chambered in 9x19 Parabellum also use C-Mags in RvS; weapons that don't include the stick mags of the 9x19mm Steyr TMP (Taktische Maschinenpistole/Tactical Machine Pistol) from Austria and makes of Uzi from Israel.

* Entry gun

An "entry gun" is what a SWAT team deploys up front (i.e. on the point) when it goes through a hot door. Often it's an MP5, short barreled shotgun, or even a pistol should the situation call for it.

In the days of SWAT 3, I usually used an AKS-74U or HK53 (5,56mm) for the task: compact like an MP5 but much harder punch. in RvS, my favorite is a Sig P228 pistol witted with hi capacity magazines and JHP.