| HK 512 | |
| Origin: | Germany Italy |
| Type: | Shotgun |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Used By: | See Users |
| Designer: | Luigi Franchi |
| Design Date: | 1970s |
| Manufacturer: |
|
| Production Date: | 1980s–present |
| Number: | Around 1,500 made[1] |
| Variants: | See Variants |
| Weight: | 81NaN1 (28" barrel) |
| Length: | Varies with model |
| Part Length: | 18inches to 30inches |
| Cartridge: | 12 gauge |
| Action: | Semi-automatic, gas-operated |
| Feed: | 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.
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 Police Supply, which sold 263 shotguns.[3]
The HK 512 is a semi-automatic shotgun that uses a Franchi gas recoil system as the shotgun was manufactured by Franchi for H&K due to their business relationship at the time. This is not to be confused with the inertia recoil mechanism manufactured by Benelli that H&K later imported into the USA. 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 to vertically string pellets, making it more effective against human targets and minimizing collateral damage as this was specified by GSG9.
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]
Austria: EKO Cobra[4]
Germany: GSG-9[2]
Portugal: The HK502 used by the GOE.[5] [6]
Spain: Grupo Especial de Operaciones[3]
MalaysiaThe following variants are made for the HK512:[1]
Around 1,500 HK512s were made before production ended.[1]
Indonesia