Ak 5
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Barrel
- 450 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.90 kg
- Introduced
- 1986
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Ak 5 (Automatkarbin 5) is the standard-issue assault rifle of the Swedish Armed Forces, a licensed and modified version of the Belgian FN FNC. Chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, it is a gas-operated, rotating-bolt rifle adapted for the subarctic Swedish climate with enlarged controls, an oversized trigger guard for gloved use, and a folding stock. Unlike the original FNC, the Ak 5 omits the three-round burst mode, offering semi-automatic and fully automatic fire only.
Selected after Sweden trialed candidates including the Galil and the FNC, the Ak 5 entered service in 1986 and replaced the older 7.62mm Ak 4 (a license-built Heckler & Koch G3) as the Swedish military's primary infantry rifle.
Numerous modernized variants have been fielded: the Ak 5B marksman rifle with a 4x telescopic sight, the Ak 5C with Picatinny rails and a collapsible stock, and the shortened Ak 5D for vehicle crews and special units.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Bofors Carl Gustaf
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Country
- Sweden
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1986
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 450 mm
- Overall length
- 1008 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.90 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 4.50 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 910 m/s
- Effective range
- 400 m
- Rate of fire
- 675 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Folding stock
Rotating bolt
Ambidextrous controls- Cold weather handling
Winter trigger guard
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 3.90 kg | 3.60 kg | Heavier than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 156 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 1008 mm | 920 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 157 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 450 mm | 449 mm | Near the median |
| Magazine capacityAmong 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 30 | 30 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Ak 5
How much does the Ak 5 weigh?
The Ak 5 weighs 3.90 kg (8.60 lb) empty and 4.50 kg (9.92 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Ak 5?
The Ak 5 is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO.
How many rounds does the Ak 5 hold?
The Ak 5 holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Ak 5?
The Ak 5 is 1008 mm (39.7 in) long overall, with a 450 mm (17.7 in) barrel.
Who makes the Ak 5?
The Ak 5 is made by Bofors Carl Gustaf (Sweden). It was designed by FFV Ordnance (based on the FN FNC by FN Herstal).
When was the Ak 5 introduced?
The Ak 5 was introduced in 1986.
How does the Ak 5 operate?
The Ak 5 uses a gas operated action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Swedish Armed Forces
- 1986
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/ak-5-fnc' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "ak-5-fnc", "name": "Ak 5", "manufacturer": { "id": "bofors", "name": "Bofors Carl Gustaf", "countryCode": "SE", "foundedYear": 1943, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "7b7c5f744c5636cfeea50b983a9b519e6dd919653934268a7504a67b3780a869" }, "category": { "id": "assault-rifle", "name": "Assault Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in intermediate cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "SE", "year_introduced": 1986, "barrel_length_mm": 450, "weight_empty_g": 3900, "action_type": "gas_operated"}