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The Grot rifle, also known as the MSBS, is a modular assault rifle developed by the Polish arms manufacturer Fabryka Broni. It was developed as part of Poland's Project Titan, aimed at producing advanced ground combat equipment to give their infantry a technological advantage over potential Russian invasion. The rifle's development closely tracks Poland's transition from their old Soviet-style weapons to their new place in the world as a major NATO player. The Grot is flexible enough to excel in various forms of combat, from trench warfare to long-range tree line shooting.
The rifle is highly modular and can be adapted to different terrains and situations, with the ability to easily change barrels, stocks, grenade launchers, and caliber conversion kits. It is currently being used by the Polish military and is gradually replacing older rifles. The Grot saw its first combat use in Ukraine, where 10,000 of them were shipped to Ukrainian forces in response to Russia's invasion. Ukrainian soldiers have praised the rifle for its ergonomics and reliability in extreme conditions.
The Grot is gaining popularity in other countries as well, with an order being placed by an unspecified nation in East Africa. The rifle is known for its modularity and adaptability, but militaries remain hesitant to let soldiers modify their weapons. The Grot draws inspiration from the FN SCAR and early concepts of the Remington ACR for its layout and ergonomics. The rifle's ability to quickly change barrels means soldiers can easily switch to a different cartridge in the field, which was a big focus for the engineers at FB due to the mixed calibers still in use throughout Poland's forces.
However, the rifle had early reliability and durability issues, which were found to be caused by manufacturing quality control issues and improper training and expectations at the unit level. The newer A2 variant has tightened manufacturing controls and made other improvements. Some reported problems seem to come from institutional and personal sources instead of the weapon itself.
Overall, the Grot rifle is a highly adaptable and modular assault rifle that is gaining popularity in various countries. It is a major export product for Poland, positioning them as a leading arms manufacturer in Europe. However, concerns remain about FB Radom's ability to meet production goals if the rifle remains as popular as it is today.
Poland's infantry needed a new primary rifle that would give them a technological advantage over a potential Russian invasion. In order to accomplish this, they turned to their very own domestically produced Grot rifle. . 0000000000018 It does everything their previous old Soviet-style AKM cannot. 00:15. 860. 0000000000018 --> 00:19. 640 But honestly, it wasn't an entirely smooth ride to get here. 00:19. 640 --> 00:24. 80. 00000000000364 There were all kinds of challenges that needed to be solved by Poland along the way. 00:24. 80. 00000000000364 --> 00:27. 340 Early teething issues threatened to sink the Grot's reputation. But what about the Polish defense industry's ability to manufacture at that scale? And defense industry management held the weapon's release for years.
The concept here is that the Grot is flexible enough to excel the various forms of combat. 0000000000073 a Polish soldier might encounter. 00:41. 980. 0000000000073 --> 00:47. 620. 0000000000073 From trench warfare to long-range tree-line to tree-line shooting out in open fields. 00:47. 620. 0000000000073 --> 00:53. 300 The Grot was introduced in 2017 alongside the founding of their brand new military branch called the Territorial Defense Force as part of a major modernization overhaul plan. . 9999999999927 The rifle's development actually closely tracks Poland's transition from their old01:02. 819. 9999999999927 --> 01:08. 420 Soviet-style weapons to the nation's new place in the world as a major NATO player.
Today, over 10,000 Grot rifles have been shipped to Ukrainian soldiers to help defend against Russia where it's been given stellar performance reviews. . 99999999998545 One thing the Grot is not is bulletproof. . 0000000000146 Because this British soldier fighting in Ukraine had a Russian bullet go straight through his rifle. 01:24. 940. 0000000000146 --> 01:29. 380. 00000000001455 Bullet goes in, bullet comes out. 01:29. 380. 00000000001455 --> 01:33. 740. 0000000000146 Now that, that was a very close shave. 01:33. 740. 0000000000146 --> 01:38. 620 So let's find out why the Polish Grot is the perfect weapon for their forces. . 00000000001455 Welcome back spare parts army, I'm your average infantryman Chris Cappie. 01:42. 100. 00000000001455 --> 01:46.
060 In order to understand where the beautiful Polish Grot rifle comes from, we need to look. 0000000000146 at what came directly beforehand. . 9999999999854 You see, Poland's military and arms manufacturing history is heavily defined by its place in01:52. 619. 9999999999854 --> 01:55. 139. 99999999998545 the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War. 01:55. 139. 99999999998545 --> 02:01. 419. 99999999998545 Polish factories produced AKM and AK-74 variants throughout the latter half of the 20th century02:01. 419. 99999999998545 --> 02:04. 699. 9999999999854 until Poland regained its independence in 1990. 02:04. 699. 9999999999854 --> 02:10. 220 Poland had been producing and using the old Kalashnikov-style weapon for the past 60 years.
But transitioning from the Soviet-style communism to a free market wasn't easy and Polish arms manufacturers struggled with Fabraka Brony, declaring bankruptcy in the year 2000. I'm sorry if I said that Polish company name wrong. In the past, the company was also used to produce non-military equipment. Most notably, you had their sewing machines and typewriters, but those parts of the company were deemed unprofitable and were shut down by the year 2000. Even during this transition period, FB made excellent modernized AK variants like the Tantel and Beryl rifles. From 1997 to the late 2010s, the 1996 Beryl rifle formed the standard issue for Poland's forces. It's basically a fully up-to-date AK design that could be produced in old Soviet calibers.
0000000000291 like the 7. 62x39 and the 5. 45, as well as the NATO 5. 56 cartridge. 03:01. 420. 0000000000291 --> 03:06. 780 But the design was limited by the 21st century standards with old ergonomics, low rail real estate for attachments, and each separate caliber required a separate production line. This might not sound like a big deal, but it's an extremely limiting factor for the flexibility required by modern soldiers. If you can't easily slap attachments onto the weapon, you're at a huge disadvantage today. So in 2007, the Polish Military University of Technology began working with Fabrika Brony to produce and replace the Beryl. With a Western-focused design philosophy, it's not a coincidence that Poland also began.
9999999999709 an ambitious future soldier systems project around the same time called Project Titan,03:41. 179. 9999999999709 --> 03:44. 940 which was their own version of the US Army's Land Warrior program. Components of the program included advanced GPS, radios, next-generation helmet displays with personal computers, laser attachments, and night vision fighting equipment. So the new rifle program became a part of this Project Titan. That kind of ground combat that would happen in Poland could vary widely from either trench warfare or highly mobile close quarters combat, or even long distance tree-line to tree-line shootouts. . 9999999999709 A highly trained Polish infantryman with a rifle that can take advantage of flexible04:12. 899. 9999999999709 --> 04:19. 219.
9999999999709 optics and laser designators for night fighting will win out over a less adaptable Soviet-style04:19. 219. 9999999999709 --> 04:20. 219. 9999999999709 weapon. 04:20. 219. 9999999999709 --> 04:23. 860 As we've seen in the war in Ukraine, a lot of Russian forces don't even have night fighting capabilities with their weapon. However, there are problems when it comes to technology, expense, and time to field. . 0000000000582 The expensive Polish infantry modernization project dragged on through delays because04:35. 200. 0000000000582 --> 04:39. 300 the technology wasn't mature enough and it turned out that there was going to be budget cuts. . 0000000000582 This held up the adoption of FB's fancy new Western-style Grot rifle, while the military04:45. 520. 0000000000582 --> 04:51.
180 organization worked out details of their larger program. . 0000000000582 So help me God you weren't followed were you?04:53. 460. 0000000000582 --> 04:54. 780. 0000000000582 I was careful. 04:54. 780. 0000000000582 --> 04:55. 780. 0000000000582 Stealthy. 04:55. 780. 0000000000582 --> 04:57. 900. 0000000000582 We've got the goods though, right? This right here?. 9999999999418 AK-47 goat gun. 05:00. 539. 9999999999418 --> 05:03. 340 This will take out any target that you need. . 9999999999418 Working bolt, working magazine. 05:05. 219. 9999999999418 --> 05:07. 659. 9999999999418 Yeah, I'm a rogue agent. 05:07. 659. 9999999999418 --> 05:14. 060 So not only do I have really, really evil terrorists after me, my own government is after me. . 9999999999418 This morass that I find myself in. 05:17. 359. 9999999999418 --> 05:23. 299.
9999999999418 And that's why I can only go to you, an honest, decent goat gun dealer. 05:23. 299. 9999999999418 --> 05:25. 060 That's alright, I got what you need. Shotgun attachment and a silencer. Not really what I need. I'm going to be doing close combat. You know what, maybe they're a little bit too big for you. This 1911 goat gun. That's slide locks. I just flagged myself a little bit just now. That's okay. Maybe you might want to consider getting one or two or maybe more of these for your dad. Dad? Dad, that's not the line. What the heck? I'm just curious to know, your dad's coffee table is rather bare. A goat gun.
It would be a little accent. . 9999999999418 If you want a goat gun, you could click the link in the description and get one today06:06. 419. 9999999999418 --> 06:08. 700 for you or a family member. You get a goat gun for me, dad. . 9999999999418 So it wasn't until 2016 when Poland began forming their new territorial defense forces06:16. 419. 9999999999418 --> 06:21. 500 that the new rifle was properly detached from the larger Project Titan and could be adopted as part of the TDF deployment. The TDF are like a kind of army national guard that are seen as one of the front lines of defense against an invasion of Poland.
Giving the latest and greatest rifle to this new unit might seem counterintuitive because they're not the full-time active duty or special forces soldiers necessarily. So to see them get the best and newest equipment might seem kind of odd. There's a few theories behind this. Maybe it was a budget quirk where it was attached to give them or a way to give extra legitimacy to the new unit or the fact that they held on to the budget for that part of the weapon. The following year, the MSBS Grot officially became part of the Polish regular military, equipping the new TDF brigades and slowly replacing the older Beryl rifle in regular units.
This must have went well because in 2017 at the MSPO, International Defense Industry Exhibition, this is where Poland signed an agreement for the delivery of more than 53,000 units of the Grot C-16 FB M1 rifles belonging to the MSBS 556 family. The contract was worth reportedly more than $117 million USD. Right away, many analysts thought that this would be impossible for the Polish company FB to produce. This meant FB would need to replace tons of their existing machine equipment and invest $21 million into a new modern manufacturing line. And that's exactly what they did, proving the naysayers wrong and scaling up production. 0000000000582 of the Grot rifle. 07:46. 640. 0000000000582 --> 07:50. 400.
0000000000582 We keep saying that the Grot is Western, but what does that really mean?07:50. 400. 0000000000582 --> 07:55. 900. 0000000000582 The Grot, which means arrowhead or spear point in Polish, is a modular design that uses a07:55. 900. 0000000000582 --> 08:01. 360 universal receiver that can be easily reconfigured into different variants, barrel lengths, and calibers. Poland's transition from Warsaw Pact to NATO means there's still a lot of mixed calibers in use throughout the nation's forces, so having a standardized rifle that could be quickly switched to a different cartridge in the field was a big focus for the engineers at FB. . 0000000000582 The Grot draws a lot of inspiration from the FN SCAR and early concepts of the Remington08:23. 320. 0000000000582 --> 08:25.
720 ACR for its layout and ergonomics. . 0000000000582 One of the main design characteristics of the MSBS family of rifles is that modular08:30. 760. 0000000000582 --> 08:31. 760. 0000000000582 weapon system. 08:31. 760. 0000000000582 --> 08:36. 560. 0000000000582 For instance, a soldier can use parts from one standard rifle to quickly repair a light08:36. 560. 0000000000582 --> 08:38. 360 machine gun version of the Grot. During combat, the rifle's ability to quickly change barrels means they can adopt based on the environment they're fighting in.
We saw in the conflict in Ukraine how soldiers were fighting one day on the front lines in close combat near Kiev, and the next day a few weeks later, they're fighting in the southeast of the country in wide open fields at long distances. Troops can now outfit their weapons barrels based on the terrain that they find themselves in on that month. While AK designs that FB was used to manufacturing in the past used rivets and welds to hold the rifles together, this makes weapons that can't be easily modified or adapted.
By contrast, the Grot holds itself together with heavy-duty screws, lugs, and cross pins that are much more user-friendly and allow soldiers and armorers to quickly change or replace barrels, stocks, grenade launchers, and caliber conversion kits. The Grot also stands out as one of the only production military rifles in the world capable of easily swapping between a conventional rifle layout and a bullpup configuration. Just take the same upper receiver and replace the lower and barrel assembly and voila, instant bullpup rifle. And that was a part of their original plan, but we'll see it didn't quite pan out yet. Early controversies. Like most brand new weapon systems, there were reports of early reliability and durability issues with the MSBS Grot.
The story was circulated around social media of cracked polymer parts, broken stocks, slings coming loose, and jammed cartridge casings. Soldiers from the front line's units training on the rifle had low qualification rates at the range, with many reporting that the weapon would fail to fire entirely. There was also an element of inter-service rivalry, as front line units were unhappy with the TDF units who were getting issued the latest and greatest weapon, while they were stuck with decades-old Beryl and Tantal rifles. An investigation after these early reports of failures found that the source of these complaints was a complicated mix of manufacturing quality control issues, as well as improper training and expectations at the unit level.
The investigations faulted very little about the design itself, instead pointing to improper tolerances during manufacturing that were quickly fixed. One of the leading causes of parts breakages was actually the sling mounts, with Polish. 0000000001164 manufacturing using the simple Cold War-era sling designs, the new quick-detach sling10:59. 400. 0000000001164 --> 11:04. 920. 0000000001164 mounts FB went with were much more complex to manufacture, and it was easy for out-of-spec11:04. 920. 0000000001164 --> 11:07. 40. 000000000116415 mounts to make it onto a rifle. 11:07. 40. 000000000116415 --> 11:11. 440 These faulty sling mounts would fail at the worst possible time, and the rifle would fall into rocks or concrete surfaces from shoulder height, cracking or breaking charging handles, magwells, optics, and flash hiders.
Early Polish tests described the rifle as more reliable than the famous HK416, which is of course well known for being designed and in use by many US special forces teams like Delta Force, and it's rumored to be the rifle that took out Bin Laden himself. During initial tests conducted by the Military University of Technology in Poland, the MSBS. 0000000001164 family of rifles, the Grot, found that its counterpart, the HK416, was subjected to comparative11:43. 780. 0000000001164 --> 11:48. 920. 0000000001164 testing of the barrel and handguard for overheating during an intensive firing schedule. According to the tests, MSBS yielded the better results of the two rifles despite having relatively light and longer barrel profile.
Additional tests have shown that the MSBS is less susceptible to jamming when using lower quality ammo or when insufficiently maintained, and it had a more manageable recoil when fired in full-auto compared to other assault rifles chambered in the 5. 56 cartridge. . 9999999998836 However, details later came out that these tests were not performed consistently. For example, dust and sand tests had some rifles lubricated and other rifles dry, which can affect results very heavily. Nonetheless, current versions of the Grot are well-liked even when operating in extreme conditions during the Ukrainian winter. But it's likely that both the HK416 and the Grot are both highly proficient rifles, and we're splitting hairs here over which is better.
They're both kings, okay? The newer A2 variant that was produced of the Grot as a result of this investigation12:46. 280. 0000000001164 --> 12:50. 160. 00000000011642 would tighten manufacturing controls for the sling mounts, extend the front handguard to12:50. 160. 00000000011642 --> 12:55. 840 cover the adjustable gas valve, and strengthen the bolt and firing pin, as it was found repeatedly dry firing placed a lot more stress on the firing pin than normal shooting. . 0000000001164 A lot of the reported problems with the new rifle seemed to come from institutional and13:04. 520. 0000000001164 --> 13:08.
480 personal sources instead of anything to do with the weapon itself, as a former Warsaw Pact military officer and enlisted soldier had a very AK mentality ingrained into them from decades of military tradition. This led to training and maintenance regimen that wasn't suited for the new rifle. . 9999999998836 For example, training on the small backup iron sights on the Grot, instead of the holographic13:24. 439. 9999999998836 --> 13:29. 320 optics that were meant to be the weapon's primary sights, led to low qualification rates.
Polish military institutions were also slow to adapt to the weapon's modularity and design features with a myth starting in the service that the quick change barrel would lose accuracy if detached because it was only secured by barrel lugs instead of riveted in place. This quickly led to excessive fouling of the weapon as critical portions of the barrel and receiver weren't designed to be easily reattached without proper disassembly. Combined with another myth that this new space-age weapon was self-cleaning, pictures of rusty MSBS rifles became common. It's important to remember though that Polish soldiers aren't stupid, and American soldiers fell prey to the same myth of a self-cleaning weapon in Vietnam when the M16 was first adopted.
Soldiers are creatures of habit by necessity. Repetitive training makes procedures second nature, so we act instantly in combat without having to think first and lose crucial time when bullets are flying. But sometimes these habits are slow to adapt, and the Polish military is no exception. As another example, Warsaw Pact militaries relied heavily on conscripts that were notorious. 0000000001164 for poor training and low discipline. 14:30. 300. 0000000001164 --> 14:35. 240 As a result, units would lock away weapons' manuals so conscripts would lose them or get them dirty, preventing officers from having nice and shiny manuals to show off during inspections.
Guns were designed to be simple anyway, so why risk a manual when training was all done by hand? This tradition didn't translate well to the new Polish military or the new rifle. The Grot doesn't take a lot of training to become proficient in, but it does have a little more complexity than the AK system soldiers were used to. . 0000000001164 Without manuals to keep and references for themselves, recruits were being trained on15:01. 920. 0000000001164 --> 15:06. 760 improper techniques and never corrected until something on the rifle broke or malfunctioned.
While a rigid command structure has yet to make use of the Grot's modularity, enforcing age-old rules against soldiers adapting or modifying weapons that was supposed to be one of the new weapon's strengths, interestingly, Poland noticed a lot of these issues cropped up less often among the new TDF forces who naturally didn't have a lot of ingrained. 9999999998836 experience on older weapon systems and could train and appreciate the Grot for the brand15:28. 319. 9999999998836 --> 15:29. 960 new design that it is. As mentioned earlier, the Grot is currently equipping the new Polish territorial defense units and gradually replacing older rifles in the branches of the Polish military.
As of 2023, 17,000 rifles were delivered to the Polish military and the country expects to receive 70,000 more by the end of 2026. The Grot saw its first combat use in Ukraine when Poland shipped 10,000 of them to Ukraine in response to Russia's unprovoked invasion. . 9999999998836 Ukrainian forces have issued glowing reviews of the rifle, posting videos on social media15:58. 819. 9999999998836 --> 16:03. 280 about how much they love the weapon's ergonomics and reliability in extreme conditions. Due to the assault rifle's popularity and the Russo-Ukrainian war's proximity to Poland, Warsaw announced they plan to send a total of 88,000 rifles to Ukraine by 2026. In addition to the 70,000, they've ordered for their own military.
In May of 2022, an order was placed by an unspecified nation in East Africa for the16:21. 920 --> 16:27. 79. 99999999988358 Grot in 7. 62x39mm along with an underbarrel grenade launcher and optics to go along with16:27. 79. 99999999988358 --> 16:28. 79. 99999999988358 the rifle. 16:28. 79. 99999999988358 --> 16:33. 100 As of April 2023, there is only public speculation about which country it might be, but nothing is confirmed yet. So at 8. 2 pounds, the Grot is a bit heavier than other Western rifles, making it more fatiguing to carry on patrol, but shooting comfort of the rifle is reportedly excellent. There's also smaller versions of it at 7.
5 pounds, has a fire rate of 700-900 rounds per minute in fully full send mode, full auto. Max effective range for the rifle, if you're a crack shot and the stars are aligned correctly, is around 800 meters when chambered in 5. 56, and the Picatinny rail can accept the full17:02. 180 --> 17:08. 99. 99999999988358 range of NATO optics and sighting systems, which is a huge, huge, I can't emphasize how17:08. 99. 99999999988358 --> 17:12. 900. 0000000001164 much that's an important piece of this puzzle, being able to use night fighting capabilities,17:12. 900. 0000000001164 --> 17:16. 780 but having laser range finders and laser pointers on your weapon.
The Grot also changes from the long stroke gas piston system of the AK series to a Western. 9999999998836 style short stroke gas piston with adjustable settings for normal use, adverse conditions,17:27. 619. 9999999998836 --> 17:31. 300 meaning if you find yourself in a filthy, muddy trench for three months and your weapon is just dirty as all heck, you can adjust the gas to cycle the weapon more easily. The MSBS family of rifles is currently produced in 5. 56 with a conversion kit available for the AK-47 7. 62x39mm round. . 99999999976717 This makes it easier to cross load ammunition, as we've seen in Ukraine, there's often a17:49. 379. 99999999976717 --> 17:50. 780 shortage of ammo. Plans for a heavier 7.
62x51mm NATO version are currently in the works at FB. They state that the company is able to make conversion kits in other calibers as needed in the future. The Grot is one of the youngest military service rifles out there. The Grot is already earning a reputation for great handling and reliability in combat. It's interesting that the rifle's modularity and adaptability were great selling points when it first was adopted, but militaries remain hesitant to let soldiers fiddle around with their rifles beyond what's strictly necessary. When I was in the military, there was something called an armorer level adjustment, so only an armorer could make that change. And now we have to kind of rethink that whole mentality.
As Poland positions itself as one of the premier arms manufacturers in Europe, in the next decade, the Grot may become one of the most popular rifles in the world, as orders already seem to be pouring in. If the rifle stays as popular as it is today, FB could have a tough time meeting production goals of fulfilling their Polish military obligations alongside all the export orders as well. . 99999999976717 I'm your average infantryman, Chris Cappie. 18:53. 399. 99999999976717 --> 18:54. 320 Thank you for watching. .
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