Blitz & Keckler

Blitz & Keckler

Type	Aktiengesellschaft
Traded as	BKAG
Industry	Firearms
Founded	1953
Founder	Eduard Keckler Gustav Alberg Jochen Weirich
Headquarters	Valfitz , Ostlichtor
Key people	CEO: Franz Gruber
Revenue	₰157 million (2019)
Operating income	₰11.1 million
Net income	₰11.9 million
Total assets	₰211 million
Total equity	₰121.3 million
Number of employees	2,750

Blitz & Keckler is a Ostlander defense manufacturing company that manufactures handguns, rifles, submachine guns, and grenade launchers primarily for the Bodentruppen, the ground forces component of the Reichstreitkräfte. It was founded by Eduard Keckler, a firearms designer and engineer who worked for Reich Ausrüstung Gesellschaft before breaking from the company over design and creative differences. He founded Blitz & Keckler in 1949 along with Gustav Alberg and Jochen Weirich. The company is headquartered in Valfitz.

B+K has a history of innovation in firearms, being one of the first firearms firms to incorporate polymers in weapon designs, and also developed modern polygonal rifling, noted for its high accuracy, increased muzzle velocity and barrel life. In addition, it is the sole producer of roller-delayed blowback firesrms within Ostlichtor, a system of firearms operation actually conceptualized by Keckler while working for RAG, and first developed by Keckler as part of B+K. The system of operation was first introduced on the company's Blitz & Keckler Sturmgewehr 61 assault rifle, which was adopted by the Bodentruppen in 1964, and standaerized across the Reichstreitkräfte in 1967.

History

Initially, Gustav Alberg proposed the name "Blitz" for the entity he, Keckler and Weirich were creating. However, Keckler opposed the idea, preferring instead to include, at the very least, his own surname in the firm's title. In 1951, Keckler agreed to the name Blitz and Keckler, and that the company's logo would feature a prominent lightning bolt with a minimalized "H".

Designation system

BK developed a designation system for its firearms prior to its establishment in 1953. The system breaks down as follows:

• The first number indicates the weapons fire mode

Fire mode	Designator
Manual	1
Select-fire	2
Semiautomatic	3
Automatic	4

• The second number indicates the weapons caliber

Caliber	Designator
7.62x41 mm	1
7.65×21 mm	2
5.6×15 mm	3
6.35×16 mm	4
7.65×17 mm	5
9×17 mm	6
6.5x49 mm	7
18.5 mm	8
11.43×19 mm	9

• The third number is the last two digits of the year it entered production

Product list

Pistols

• BK 2270 7.65×21 mm select-fire handgun used by the Ostlander military as the Automatischepistole 70 (AP-70). It is commonly issued to flight crew of the Luftangriffskräfte as a personal defense weapon.
• BK67 series A series of small handguns developed and produced by B+K in the late 1960's intended for both the civillian and law enforcmenet market.
  • BK 3367 chambered in 5.6×15 mm
  • BK 3467 chambered in 6.35×16 mm
  • BK 3567 chambered in 7.65×17 mm
  • BK 3667 chambered in 9×17 mm
• BK 3265: First pistol to utilize B+K's roller delayed blowback system, intended for both law enfrocement and civillian markets.  
  • BK 3965: Version of the BK 3265 chambered in 11.43×19 mm. Entered production in 2010
• BK 3907: 11.43×19 mm handgun intended for the civilian market.

Submachine guns

• BK 2266: 7.65×21 mm submachine gun in use by the Ostlander military as the Maschinenpistole 66 (MP-66)

Shotgun

• BK 3898: Semi-automatic 12 gauge shotgun in use by the Ostlander military as the Sturmjagdgewehr 98 (SjG-98)

Rifles

• BK 3161 7.92×57 mm battle rifle. Known as the Sturmgewehr 61 (StG-61) in military service
  • BK 3261-2: 1963 production version with sliding metal stock. Adopted by the military as the StG-61E1. Was intended for airborne forces but was quickly replaced by the StK-68
  • BK 3161-3: 1964 improvements to the design featuring a new rear sight and free-floating barrel as well as plastic solid buttstock and handguard replacing the original wooden furnature. Handguard modified to accept bipod attachment. Entered service in 1965 as the StG-61E2. Most widely produced variant of the StG-61 series.
  • BK 3161-4: Version designed with ambidextrous trigger group and brass deflector, was accepted into service but no new designation was assigned as existing rifles were simply modified.
  • BK 3161-5: 1981 version with new trigger group allowing for three-round burst capability and again replacing the fixed plastic stock with a single position sliding buttstock. Currently in service as the StG-61E3
• BK 2768 6.5x49 mm carbine intended for use by parachute and airborne forces. Accepted into military service as the Sturmkarabiner 68 (StK-68). Features a sliding metal buttstock, and lacks both a bayonet lug and the ability to fire rifle grenades.
• BK 2781 6.5x49 mm assault rifle intended to replace the StG-61 in Ostlander military service. Has not been accepted into service at this time due to doctorial considerations by the Reichstreitkräfte. Has seen some use with special forces of the Bodentruppen and is known as the Sturmgewehr 81 (StG-81) in the Ostlander military.  
• BK 3163: 7.92×57 mm semi-automatic only copy of the BK 2161 battle rifle intended for the civilian population.
• BK 3170: 7.92×57 mm sporting and hunting carbine
• BK 3172: 7.92×57 mm sniper rifle in use by the Ostlander military as the Präzisionsschützengewehr 72 (PSG-72)
• BK 3190: 7.92×57 mm target rifle intended for civilian target shooting and hunting markets. It is functionally a close copy of the BK 3172
• BK 3782: 6.5x49 mm semi-automatic only assault rifle. A copy of the BK 2781 intended for the civilian market.
• BK 3787: 6.5x49 mm sporting carbine intended for the civilian target shooting market.

Machine guns

• BK 4160: 7.92×57 mm general purpose machine gun adopted by the Ostlander military as the Maschinengewehr 60 (MG-60)
• BK 2163 7.92×57 mm select-fire general purpose machine gun often used by special forces of the Bodentruppen. In service as the Maschinengewehr 63 (MG-63)

Grenade launchers

• BK 496: 40 mm automatic grenade launcher in use by the Ostlander military as the Granatmaschinenwaffe 96 (GMG-96). Is missing a designation number as no B+K designation exists for 40 mm grenades, hence BK 496.