# Heckler & Koch HK33
The **Heckler & Koch HK33** is a 5.56x45mm selective-fire assault rifle developed by the West German company [Heckler & Koch](https://www.edgepedia.org/heckler-and-koch) in the mid-1960s as a scaled-down version of its 7.62x51mm G3 battle rifle, using the same [roller-delayed blowback](https://www.edgepedia.org/roller-delayed-blowback) operating system.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/) It was the company's first 5.56mm design.[2](https://www.imfdb.org/wiki/HK53) [West Germany](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-germany)'s own military did not adopt it as a standard service rifle, but it became a strong export success, taken up by the armed forces of Malaysia, Chile, Thailand, and other countries, and it was also used by some West German police and security units.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | 5.56x45mm NATO / .223 Remington[3](https://salw-guide.bicc.de/en/weapon/view/127/hk33) |
| Operating system | Roller-delayed blowback, selective fire, two-piece bolt with delaying rollers[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/) |
| Dimensions and weight | 919 mm overall, 390 mm barrel, 3.9 kg empty (HK33); retractable-stock HK33A3 measures 740 mm folded[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/) |
| Rate of fire | Cyclic rate about 750 rounds per minute[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/) |
| Feeding | Detachable box magazines of 25, 30, or 40 rounds (20- and 40-round magazines also documented in US Army intelligence literature)[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/) • [4](https://www.dia.mil/FOIA/FOIA-Electronic-Reading-Room/FileId/161478/) |
| Production | Start of production disputed: 1963 per the SALW Guide, 1968 per other sources; dropped from the HK catalog in 2000; produced under license in Turkey by MKEK[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/) • [5](https://gunsmagazine.com/guns/the-hk33/) |
| Distribution | Found in 27 countries according to the SALW Guide database[3](https://salw-guide.bicc.de/en/weapon/view/127/hk33) |
## Design and operation
The HK33 is virtually identical in design to the G3 apart from the caliber: a stamped-steel receiver, a two-piece bolt with rollers that delay the blowback of the operating parts, and the same modular layout of push-pin assembly used across HK's roller-locked family.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/) • [6](https://development.weaponsystems.net/system/1494-Heckler%20%26%20Koch%20HK%2033) The delayed-blowback method traces back through the CETME rifle to the wartime [StG 45(M)](https://www.edgepedia.org/stg-45-m) design, and many HK 33, HK 53, and G3 parts are interchangeable.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/) • [4](https://www.dia.mil/FOIA/FOIA-Electronic-Reading-Room/FileId/161478/)
**Modularity.** Pushing out a couple of pins allows the user to swap between fixed and collapsible stocks, and the fire-control unit offered safe, semiautomatic, full-automatic, and burst options; trigger groups with 0-1-3 (safe, single shot, three-round burst) settings were available.[5](https://gunsmagazine.com/guns/the-hk33/) • [7](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1494-Heckler%20%26%20Koch%20HK%2033) HK's proprietary claw-type mounts allow telescopic sights on any version, full-length rifles can launch rifle grenades from the combination muzzle compensator/flash hider, and they can take a bayonet or an under-barrel 40 mm grenade launcher such as the HK79A1.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/) Like other HK weapons of the era, the HK33 used the polygonal barrel profile the company perfected in the 1960s.[8](https://s3.amazonaws.com/hk-manuals/files/Catalogs/Civilian/HK_50_Year_Anniversary_Catalog_2000.pdf)
## Variants
The main versions are the HK33A2 with a fixed polymer buttstock and the HK33A3 with a retractable metal buttstock, plus carbine versions with shorter barrels designated HK33K (HK33KA2 and HK33KA3 with fixed or retractable stocks).[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/) • [9](https://www.salw.lv/materials/catalogues/en/1.machine-guns-automatic-and-semiauto.pdf) An "E" in the name identifies export models and a "K" a shortened model; the later export production was marketed as the HK33E.[3](https://salw-guide.bicc.de/en/weapon/view/127/hk33) • [7](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1494-Heckler%20%26%20Koch%20HK%2033) The HK33SG/1 variant adds an improved target trigger and is designed for use with a telescopic sight.[5](https://gunsmagazine.com/guns/the-hk33/)
The **HK53** is an ultra-compact version with a 211 mm barrel, developed in the mid-1970s. Heckler & Koch advertised it as a submachine gun even though it fires the 5.56mm rifle cartridge; it weighs 3.0 kg empty and cannot fire rifle grenades, mount an under-barrel grenade launcher, or take a bayonet.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/) • [10](https://gunspec.io/en/firearms/hk-hk33) A US Army intelligence handbook of the period describes the HK 33 and HK 53 as reduced-size versions of the G3 differing mainly in the much shorter barrel of the latter.[4](https://www.dia.mil/FOIA/FOIA-Electronic-Reading-Room/FileId/161478/)
## Service and licensed production
The HK33 was marketed primarily to export customers, including Thailand, Malaysia, and Brazil, as European nations were slower to adopt the new 5.56mm caliber.[11](https://luxuscap.com/resources-on-guns/heckler-koch/smaller-caliber-the-hk33/) Thailand purchased 40,000 rifles and a license to manufacture 30,000 more.[12](https://armourersbench.com/2019/03/24/heckler-koch-hk33/) In Thai military and law enforcement service the rifle was adopted as the Type 11 in the 1990s, produced at the Royal Thai Army Ordnance Corps compound in Bangkok; the Ordnance Corps later moved toward licensed manufacture of the TAVOR TAR-21.[13](https://smallarmsreview.com/worth-the-effort-royal-thai-army-ordnance-corps-museum/) Trade reporting likewise records that Thailand manufactured German HK33 rifles, known locally as the Type 11.[14](https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/cis/center-for-securities-studies/resources/docs/SAS-Trade-Update-2019.pdf)
**Turkey.** In January 1998 the Turkish state manufacturer MKEK signed a licensed production agreement with HK worth USD 18 million to produce 200,000 HK33 5.56mm assault rifles over ten years, with some sources indicating up to 500,000 rifles; the HK33 was intended to replace the 350,000 license-built G3s then in Turkish Army service.[15](https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/Small-Arms-Survey-2002-Chapter-01-EN.pdf) In 2000 the German government approved a license for Fritz Werner to install an ammunition plant in Turkey producing 5.56mm ammunition for the HK33.[15](https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/Small-Arms-Survey-2002-Chapter-01-EN.pdf)
## American connections
In the mid-1960s Harrington & Richardson produced a modest number of license-built copies of the HK33 in the United States, marked "H&R T223"; H&K worked with H&R as its US representative, which did final assembly on a small number of trials rifles.[5](https://gunsmagazine.com/guns/the-hk33/) • [16](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hr-t223-in-vietnam-before-the-hk33/) US Navy SEALs used a few T223s in the latter stages of the [Vietnam War](https://www.edgepedia.org/vietnam-war) and were most taken with the rifle's generous 40-round magazines and reliability.[5](https://gunsmagazine.com/guns/the-hk33/)
**Civilian semiautomatic versions.** Before the 90-series existed, HK sold the 40-series "paramilitary" rifles: the HK41 and HK43 were semiautomatic-only G3 and HK33 rifles originally intended for German reservist purchase.[17](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hk43-the-5-56mm-paramilitary-rifle/) The first semi-auto version was imported into the USA in 1974 as the HK43 and was quickly replaced by the HK93.[18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVP9ykLIV14) In the 1970s H&K-USA imported the HK91 (G3) and HK93 (HK33) as the "90-series" for the civilian market.[19](https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2017/4/26/roller-delayed-revival-the-heckler-koch-sp5k/) Roughly 18,000 HK43/93 rifles were imported before the 1989 import ban, about a third as many as the HK91.[20](https://www.swatmag.com/article/made-america-century-international-arms-c93-rifle/) Importation of the 90-series ended in 1989 when the rifles were included in an ATF list of rifles deemed to no longer have a "sporting purpose," following an executive order under President Bush.[19](https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2017/4/26/roller-delayed-revival-the-heckler-koch-sp5k/) • [18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVP9ykLIV14)
## Production history and decline
Sources differ on the start of production: the BICC SALW Guide states the HK33 entered production in 1963,[3](https://salw-guide.bicc.de/en/weapon/view/127/hk33) while Modern Firearms and GUNS Magazine date full-scale production to 1968.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/) • [5](https://gunsmagazine.com/guns/the-hk33/) HK dropped the weapon from its catalog in 2000, while MKEK continued to produce it in Turkey.[5](https://gunsmagazine.com/guns/the-hk33/) The rifle was briefly superseded in the HK catalog by the similar G41, and the polymer-framed G36 of 1997 ended its role; the HK33 had been hoped to compete with the M16, but at roughly a pound and a half heavier than a comparable M16A1 it found only a limited audience.[5](https://gunsmagazine.com/guns/the-hk33/) Semiautomatic 5.56mm versions, such as the Century Arms C93 built from surplus-pattern parts, remain available from foreign and domestic producers.[5](https://gunsmagazine.com/guns/the-hk33/) • [20](https://www.swatmag.com/article/made-america-century-international-arms-c93-rifle/)
## References
1. [HK 33 / HK 53, Modern Firearms](https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/germany-assault-rifles/hk-hk33-i-hk53-eng/)
2. [Heckler & Koch HK33, Internet Movie Firearms Database](https://www.imfdb.org/wiki/HK53)
3. [HK33, SALW Guide, Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies](https://salw-guide.bicc.de/en/weapon/view/127/hk33)
4. [ST-HB-07-163-74, The 5.56-mm Heckler and Koch HK 33 and HK 53 Assault Rifles, Defense Intelligence Agency FOIA Reading Room](https://www.dia.mil/FOIA/FOIA-Electronic-Reading-Room/FileId/161478/)
5. [The HK33, GUNS Magazine (Will Dabbs, May 2023)](https://gunsmagazine.com/guns/the-hk33/)
6. [Heckler & Koch HK 33, Weaponsystems.net](https://development.weaponsystems.net/system/1494-Heckler%20%26%20Koch%20HK%2033)
7. [Heckler & Koch HK 33, Weaponsystems.net](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1494-Heckler%20%26%20Koch%20HK%2033)
8. [Heckler & Koch: 50 Years of Leading, 2000 Anniversary Catalog](https://s3.amazonaws.com/hk-manuals/files/Catalogs/Civilian/HK_50_Year_Anniversary_Catalog_2000.pdf)
9. [Machine guns, automatic and semiautomatic rifles catalog, SALW (Latvia)](https://www.salw.lv/materials/catalogues/en/1.machine-guns-automatic-and-semiauto.pdf)
10. [Heckler & Koch HK33 specs, GunSpec.io](https://gunspec.io/en/firearms/hk-hk33)
11. [The HK33: Evolution of Firearms Testing, Luxus Capital](https://luxuscap.com/resources-on-guns/heckler-koch/smaller-caliber-the-hk33/)
12. [Heckler & Koch HK33, The Armourers Bench](https://armourersbench.com/2019/03/24/heckler-koch-hk33/)
13. [Worth the Effort: Royal Thai Army Ordnance Corps Museum, Small Arms Review (Miles Vining, 2020)](https://smallarmsreview.com/worth-the-effort-royal-thai-army-ordnance-corps-museum/)
14. [Trade Update 2019: Transfers, Small Arms Survey / CSS ETH Zurich](https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/cis/center-for-securities-studies/resources/docs/SAS-Trade-Update-2019.pdf)
15. [Small Arms Survey 2002, Chapter 1](https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/Small-Arms-Survey-2002-Chapter-01-EN.pdf)
16. [H&R T223: In Vietnam Before the HK33, Forgotten Weapons](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hr-t223-in-vietnam-before-the-hk33/)
17. [HK43: The 5.56mm "Paramilitary" Rifle, Forgotten Weapons (Ian McCollum, 2024)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hk43-the-5-56mm-paramilitary-rifle/)
18. [HK33 & HK93 Deep-Dive, Mishaco (YouTube, 2023)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVP9ykLIV14)
19. [Roller-Delayed Revival: The Heckler & Koch SP5K, American Rifleman (2017)](https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2017/4/26/roller-delayed-revival-the-heckler-koch-sp5k/)
20. [Made in America: Century International Arms C93 Rifle, SWAT Magazine](https://www.swatmag.com/article/made-america-century-international-arms-c93-rifle/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Firearms and ammunition › Rifles and carbines › Battle and service rifles › Titles A to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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