The WEIZE (Weiche Ziele, lit. "soft target") was a family of Swiss prototype assault rifles that were developed by Waffenfabrik Bern.
History[]
The WEIZE program was designed in the late 1970s in response to a commission from the Swiss Army for a new assault rifle to replace the aging StGW.57. The WEIZE was offered in a variety of different configurations, including a short-barreled carbine and a bullpup modification, and variants were made for both the experimental 6.45×48mm cartridge and 5.6mm Gw Pat 90 (5.56×45mm NATO). The WEIZE rifles were trialed by the Swiss Army in the 1980s but ultimately they were beaten out by the SG 550, which was adopted as Switzerland's service rifle in 1990. Consequently, development of the WEIZE program ceased.
The variants of the WEIZE program consisted of:
- SG C42 - Long-barreled assault rifle in 5.6mm Gw Pat 90 (5.56×45mm NATO)
- SG E22 - Long-barreled assault rifle in 6.45×48mm XPL Swiss
- MP C41 - Short-barreled carbine in 5.6mm Gw Pat 90 (5.56×45mm NATO)
- MP E21 - Short-barreled carbine in 6.45×48mm XPL Swiss
The SG prefixes stood for "Sturmgewehr", the Swiss terminology for assault rifles, whereas the MP prefixes stood for "Maschinenpistole", the Swiss terminology for submachine guns. The MP C41 and MP E21 were not actually submachine guns, but were designed to fill a similar role.
Design[]
The WEIZE rifles were gas-operated assault rifles, constructed largely from stamped sheet steel with polymer furniture. The weapon's unusual ergonomics were designed to facilitate for winter gloves.
Gallery[]
