Heckler & Koch HK512

HK 512
HK 512
	HK512 as used by the Royal Malaysian Police.
Type	Shotgun
Place of origin	Germany; Italy
Service history
Used by	See Users
Production history
Designer	Luigi Franchi
Designed	1970s
Manufacturer	Heckler & Koch (Final Assembly); Franchi S.p.A. (Initial Assembly);
Produced	1980s–present
No. built	Around 1,500 made[1]
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	8 lb (3.6 kg) (28" barrel)
Length	Varies with model
Barrel length	18 in (460 mm) to 30 in (760 mm)
Cartridge	12 gauge
Action	Semi-automatic, gas-operated
Feed system	7 round tubular magazine

The Heckler & Koch HK 512 is a semi-automatic shotgun of Italian origin. It was developed and produced by Franchi at the request of Heckler & Koch, which took care of marketing and sales.[2]

The HK 512 was one of the first semi-automatic shotguns developed for law enforcement use.

History

The HK 512 was known to be sold in limited quantities in the United States due to an overrun from a law enforcement contract to Kiesler[lower-alpha 1] Police Supply, which sold 263 shotguns.[3]

Design

The HK 512 is a semi-automatic shotgun that uses a H&K recoil system, which was also used in the Benelli Super 90 series.[1] The stock and forearm are made of wood and the rest of the gun is made out of metal. The smoothbore barrel is fitted with a choke that acts as a shot diverter, making it more effective against human targets.

The HK512 is designed for use by police and military forces; indeed, the use of standard sporting cartridges, shells with reduced charges, or plastic training rounds will cause the HK-512 to malfunction. The safety is made in the form of a cross-bolt button, located behind the trigger.[2]

The muzzle of the gun incorporates a shot diverter, which acts as a muzzle device that allows the shotgun to fire oval-based shot patterns instead of round-based shot patterns.[2] Because of this shot diverter, the HK-512 also cannot fire tear gas or signal cartridges.[3] The diverter can be adjusted for either horizontal or vertical dispersion.[2]

The HK 512 can fire 12 gauge 2.75-inch shotgun shells. The tubular magazine holds seven rounds. Only buckshot rounds can be fired due to the muzzle device.[1] The use of low powered rounds causes the HK 512 to malfunction.[1]