Heckler & Koch HK11
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 450 mm
- Weight, empty
- 8.15 kg
- Introduced
- 1971
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Heckler & Koch HK11 is a 7.62x51mm NATO magazine-fed light machine gun built on H&K's roller-delayed blowback action shared with the G3 battle rifle. The magazine-fed counterpart to the belt-fed HK21, it feeds from 20-round G3-pattern box magazines or an 80-round drum, with a quick-change barrel and folding bipod for the light support role.
Because the HK11 shares its roller-delayed action and 7.62mm magazine with the G3 rifle, a squad armed with G3s could feed its support gunner straight from their own rifle magazines, a logistics trick H&K marketed heavily to budget-conscious militaries.
The HK11A1 introduced 30-round magazine compatibility; the HK11E added a three-round-burst mode, lengthened barrel and improved sights. Greek state arsenal EBO produced a licensed variant designated EHK11A1.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Heckler & Koch
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- Germany
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1971
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 450 mm
- Overall length
- 1030 mm
- Weight, empty
- 8.15 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Roller delayed blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 20
- 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
- 800 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3040 J
- Effective range
- 600 m
- Maximum range
- 1200 m
- Rate of fire
- 800 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.
Quick change barrel
Folding bipod
Magazine fed- Interchangeable with g3 magazines
Fluted chamber
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 32 7.62x51mm NATO machine guns | 8.15 kg | 10.51 kg | Lighter than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 32 7.62x51mm NATO machine guns | 1030 mm | 1149 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 32 7.62x51mm NATO machine guns | 450 mm | 559 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 20 | 50 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Its place in the rankings
Answers
Questions about the Heckler & Koch HK11
How much does the Heckler & Koch HK11 weigh?
The Heckler & Koch HK11 weighs 8.15 kg (17.97 lb) empty. It is the 6th lightest of 32 7.62x51mm NATO machine guns in the catalogue.
What caliber is the Heckler & Koch HK11?
The Heckler & Koch HK11 is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
How many rounds does the Heckler & Koch HK11 hold?
The Heckler & Koch HK11 holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Heckler & Koch HK11?
The Heckler & Koch HK11 is 1030 mm (40.6 in) long overall, with a 450 mm (17.7 in) barrel.
Who makes the Heckler & Koch HK11?
The Heckler & Koch HK11 is made by Heckler & Koch (Germany). It was designed by Heckler & Koch.
When was the Heckler & Koch HK11 introduced?
The Heckler & Koch HK11 was introduced in 1971.
How does the Heckler & Koch HK11 operate?
The Heckler & Koch HK11 uses a roller delayed blowback 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
- Hellenic Armed Forces
- Greece
- Malaysian Armed Forces
- Malaysia
- Bangladesh Armed Forces
- Bangladesh
Provenance
Confidence in this record
70%
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/hk11' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "hk11", "name": "Heckler & Koch HK11", "manufacturer": { "id": "heckler-koch", "name": "Heckler & Koch", "countryCode": "DE", "foundedYear": 1949, "website": "https://www.heckler-koch.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "updatedAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "version": "ae60994f5b45d604da21fcd14b728cfa9d2e62000c92e596de4c48c4be768979" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "DE", "year_introduced": 1971, "barrel_length_mm": 450, "weight_empty_g": 8150, "action_type": "roller_delayed_blowback"}