Heckler & Koch FABARM FP6
Encyclopedia
The Heckler & Koch Fabarm FP6 is a pump-action
combat shotgun
that was manufactured by the Italian
firearms company Fabbrica Bresciana Armi S.p.A. (FABARM) and merchandised by Heckler & Koch
. It was intended for civilian and law enforcement use.
in 1998, Heckler & Koch replaced their entire line of shotguns with those manufactured by FABARM. The line featured hunting and sport shotguns in over-and-under, side-by-side, semi-automatic autoloaders and pump shotguns including youth models. For military, law enforcement and home defense use, H&K
released four variants of the FP6 model.
for mounting optics or accessories and the bottom forward edge of the forend is also drilled to accept an accessory rail. With the exception of the short-barreled model, FABARM shotguns are sold with their Tribore barrel which is a deep-drilled, machined barrel with three separate internal bore profiles. Beginning at the chamber and forcing cone, the bore is enlarged to .7401" to soften recoil while the second profile is in the middle of the barrel gradually choking down to .7244" to emulate a cylinder bore profile to increase velocity. The final bore is the FABARM choke system which consists of standard choking followed by a cylinder profile at the muzzle which serves to improve shot patterns and distribution. The muzzle is threaded to accept one of five different chokes or a muzzle brake/compensator. Some models were sold with a ventilated barrel shroud.
Features of the weapon include a chrome-plated trigger, slide release, and shell carrier. There is also an oversized triangular push-button safety. The trigger group is held in the receiver by two pins which makes removal for cleaning and maintenance very easy. Some models have a flip-up frontsight (which serves as a low-profile sight when closed) while others have a small blade sight. Other models were issued with ghost-ring sights.
The forend and buttstock are synthetic black polymer with the latter having a synthetic rubber recoil pad mounted on the end. One model was issued instead with a heavy wire gauge folding stock and pistol grip. Models were available with either a black anodized protective finish, matte finish, or were finished in carbon fiber
.
Pump-action
A pump-action rifle or shotgun is one in which the handgrip can be pumped back and forth in order to eject a spent round of ammunition and to chamber a fresh one. It is much faster than a bolt-action and somewhat faster than a lever-action, as it does not require the trigger hand to be removed from...
combat shotgun
Combat shotgun
A combat shotgun is a shotgun that is intended for use in an offensive role, typically by a military force. The earliest shotguns specifically designed for combat were the trench guns or trench shotguns issued in World War I...
that was manufactured by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
firearms company Fabbrica Bresciana Armi S.p.A. (FABARM) and merchandised by Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch GmbH is a German defense manufacturing company that produces various small arms. Some of their products include the SA80, MP5 submachine gun, G3 automatic rifle, the G36 assault rifle, the HK 416, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the USP series of handguns, and the high-precision...
. It was intended for civilian and law enforcement use.
History
Upon severing business association with BenelliBenelli (firearms)
Benelli Armi SpA is an Italian firearm manufacturer founded in 1967, located in Urbino, Italy, best known for high quality shotguns used by military, law enforcement and civilians all over the world. Particularly famous is the Benelli M3 12 gauge, used extensively by American SWAT teams...
in 1998, Heckler & Koch replaced their entire line of shotguns with those manufactured by FABARM. The line featured hunting and sport shotguns in over-and-under, side-by-side, semi-automatic autoloaders and pump shotguns including youth models. For military, law enforcement and home defense use, H&K
Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch GmbH is a German defense manufacturing company that produces various small arms. Some of their products include the SA80, MP5 submachine gun, G3 automatic rifle, the G36 assault rifle, the HK 416, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the USP series of handguns, and the high-precision...
released four variants of the FP6 model.
Design details
The machined receiver is manufactured from lightweight Ergal 55 alloy and is drilled and tapped for scope mounting. Three of the four variants were sold with an attached Picatinny railPicatinny rail
The Picatinny rail or MIL-STD-1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail or a "Tactical Rail" is a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform. A similar system is the Weaver rail mount.-Description:...
for mounting optics or accessories and the bottom forward edge of the forend is also drilled to accept an accessory rail. With the exception of the short-barreled model, FABARM shotguns are sold with their Tribore barrel which is a deep-drilled, machined barrel with three separate internal bore profiles. Beginning at the chamber and forcing cone, the bore is enlarged to .7401" to soften recoil while the second profile is in the middle of the barrel gradually choking down to .7244" to emulate a cylinder bore profile to increase velocity. The final bore is the FABARM choke system which consists of standard choking followed by a cylinder profile at the muzzle which serves to improve shot patterns and distribution. The muzzle is threaded to accept one of five different chokes or a muzzle brake/compensator. Some models were sold with a ventilated barrel shroud.
Features of the weapon include a chrome-plated trigger, slide release, and shell carrier. There is also an oversized triangular push-button safety. The trigger group is held in the receiver by two pins which makes removal for cleaning and maintenance very easy. Some models have a flip-up frontsight (which serves as a low-profile sight when closed) while others have a small blade sight. Other models were issued with ghost-ring sights.
The forend and buttstock are synthetic black polymer with the latter having a synthetic rubber recoil pad mounted on the end. One model was issued instead with a heavy wire gauge folding stock and pistol grip. Models were available with either a black anodized protective finish, matte finish, or were finished in carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
.
Operation
The forend is connected to dual action bars which cycle the bolt when pulled back towards the receiver. As it travels to the rear, the shell latch is pushed out of the way by a camming surface on the action bar allowing a cartridge to drop into the carrier while the remaining shells in the magazine tube are held by the cartridge retaining latch. As the forend is returned, the action bars bring the bolt forward while the carrier aligns the shell before seating it into the chamber. After the shell is fully seated, the action bars continue forward forcing the locking bolt into a recess which is on top of the barrel extension causing the action to lock into battery. Upon firing the weapon, the slide unhooking lever releases and the action is allowed to cycle, extracting and ejecting the spent shell while cocking the hammer and releasing the next round from the magazine.Accessories
All FP6 shotguns are sold with a choke adjustment wrench, owners manual and a hard plastic vacu-formed impact case. Additional accessories available from H&K include an assortment of chokes, muzzle brakes/compensators, magazine tube extensions, pistol grips and folding stocks. There is an adapter you can buy to put on the receiver for the FP6 to accept Remington 870 stocks such as BlackHawk and Knoxx stocks.Variants
H&K released four variants of the FP6.- Standard FP6 (H&K 40621HS) featuring a 20" Tribore barrel, black protective finish, perforated heatshield, small front blade sight, fixed synthetic buttstock, and a rounded forend.
- Carbon fiber finish model (H&K 40621CF) featuring a 20" Tribore barrel, no heatshield, receiver-mount Picatinny rail, small front blade sight, fixed synthetic buttstock, and a rounded forend.
- Folding stock and pistol gripped model with a 20" Tribore barrel, no heatshield, receiver-mount Picatinny rail, and a large flip-up blade sight.
- Tactical short-barreled model, the FP6 Entry (H&K 40621T), featuring a 14" barrel, matte finish, perforated heatshield, receiver-mount Picatinny rail, large flip-up blade sight, fixed synthetic buttstock, and a contoured forend. This variant has a 33.75" overall length and is regulated by the National Firearms Act as a Title IINational Firearms ActThe National Firearms Act , 73rd Congress, Sess. 2, ch. 757, , enacted on June 26, 1934, currently codified as amended as , is an Act of Congress that, in general, imposes a statutory excise tax on the manufacture and transfer of certain firearms and mandates the registration of those firearms. The...
firearm in the United States.