PTR-63, the HK33 for Everyone

PTR Industries has been showing / teasing their new .223 / 5.56mm PTR-63 rifle platform for the past couple of SHOT Shows. All the people who'd been asking for an HK33 / HK93 or G41 replica got a bit of a surprise, however.

Designed to take standard AR magazines, the PTR-63 certainly took this and the bolt-hold-open capability from the G41, but that's about where the similarity ended. In other respects, it kept the HK33 / 93 style front handguard, and the HK paddle style magazine release - and deleted the forward assist mechanism of the G41. Where the PTR-63 departs from both the HK33 / 93 and the G41 is in its use of a new design of lower receiver / fire control unit that allows the use of AR pistol grips. The PTR-63 is therefore a hybrid of the HK33 / 93 and G41 designs–which achieves the perfecting of both the HK33 and G41 platforms that HK never managed.

Let's rewind for a bit of history now to understand that last bit more fully. 

Heckler & Koch introduced the HK33 in 1968. It used H&K's famous roller-delayed blowback operating system and was essentially the 7.62x51mm G3 rifle scaled down to use the 5.56x45mm cartridge that was becoming popular by that time. The Federal German Armed Forces of West Germany had already invested heavily in developing and issuing the G3 rifle only about 10 years earlier and therefore had no interest in switching to the 5.56mm rifle. Consequently, the HK33 was primarily built for the export market, with only limited adoption by the German police, and it was successful internationally. Several countries around the world adopted the HK33, including Turkey and Malaysia, and it was also nearly being adopted by France–getting beaten by the indigenously designed FAMAS rifle instead. Production of the HK33 in Germany ceased in 2000.

At the start of the 1980s, the 5.56x45mm cartridge was being considered as a replacement for 7.62x51mm as the standard NATO caliber. In response to this trend, Heckler & Koch developed a modernized version of the HK33 that became type-classified as the G41 that was intended to replace the 7.62mm G3. The G41 included several features that were an improvement on the HK33, such as ambidextrous controls, a redesigned bolt assembly for reduced recoil, and compatibility with both older .223 Remington/5.56×45mm M193 and newer NATO-standard SS109 ammunition. 

Out of a desire to make the G41 more familiar to users of the M16, HK also included a forward assist, bolt hold-open/release mechanism, compatibility with M16 / STANAG magazines, and a triangular shaped front handguard that was also reminiscent of the M16A1 handguard. However, the Bundeswehr did not actually adopt the G41, nor was it as commercially successful as the HK33. The G41 always suffered from reliability issues and couldn't beat the already popular and proven AR platform in terms of weight or ease of use either.

In developing the PTR-63, PTR Industries have gone back to the drawing board to overcome the shortcomings of both the HK33 / 93 and G41. The result is a STANAG-compatible roller-delayed blowback rifle that truly combines the legacy of both HK and AR platforms. The PTR-63 combines the classic sleek lines of the HK33 / 93 series with a fixed Picatinny rail on the upper receiver, an HK-compatible MLOK front handguard, various stock options, standard AR-15 magazine compatibility, a polymer fire-control housing that accepts AR grips, and an AR-style bolt hold-open device. It also includes an AR-style push-button magazine release, as well as an HK-style paddle type mag release. The rifle uses the HK style cocking handle on the left-hand side of the rifle, which allows the shooter to use the traditional 'HK slap' for loading the first round, and the AR-style bolt-hold-open device for faster reloads with subsequent magazines.

Whatever the reliability issues were with the G41, PTR seems to have overcome them with their rifle. Late one afternoon at the SHOT Show, after many rounds had already been fired through it, I had the opportunity to fire one of these rifles, and it functioned perfectly, even with a suppressor. In a world of endless AR clones, it's nice to see a practical alternative–with some classic retro-style panache thrown in to the bargain!

The PTR-63 has an MSRP of $1,799.00, and shipments will begin next month. You can find more details about the rifle on the PTR Industries website.