FB MSBS Grot
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The MSBS Grot (, ) is a family of modular rifles developed and manufactured by FB Radom. Early prototypes were known as the ''MSBS Radon''. There are two variants of the MSBS Grot:
assault rifle An assault rifle is a select fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge, intermediate-rifle cartridge and a Magazine (firearms), detachable magazine.C. Taylor, ''The Fighting Rifle: A Complete Study of the Rifle in Combat'', F.A. Moyer '' ...
(in conventional and bullpup configurations) and
designated marksman rifle A designated marksman rifle (DMR) is a modern telescopic sight, scoped high-Accuracy and precision, precision rifle used by infantry in the designated marksman (DM) role. It generally fills the engagement effective range, range gap between a serv ...
. Both variants use the same lock and the modular structure ensures the interchangeability of parts and accessories. The MSBS is intended to ultimately replace the
FB Beryl The karabinek szturmowy wzór 96 "Beryl" (English: ''assault rifle pattern 1996 "Beryllium"'', abbreviated kbs wz. 96) is a Polish 5.56mm assault rifle, designed and produced by the FB "Łucznik" Radom, Fabryka Broni Radom. The rifle r ...
as the Polish
service rifle A service rifle (or standard-issue rifle) is a rifle a military issues to its regular infantry. In modern militaries, this is generally a versatile, rugged, and reliable assault rifle or battle rifle, suitable for use in nearly all environments ...
.


History

The MSBS program was in development since 2007 by the
Military University of Technology The Military University of Technology () is Poland's civil-military technological academic institution, located in Warsaw's Bemowo district. It was established in 1951. The University's rector-commander is Brig. Gen. Przemysław Wachulak. The ...
(WAT) in
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
with cooperation from the firearms manufacturer Fabryka Broni Radom, and was designed to replace the
FB Beryl The karabinek szturmowy wzór 96 "Beryl" (English: ''assault rifle pattern 1996 "Beryllium"'', abbreviated kbs wz. 96) is a Polish 5.56mm assault rifle, designed and produced by the FB "Łucznik" Radom, Fabryka Broni Radom. The rifle r ...
as the standard-issue service rifle of the Polish Armed Forces. During initial tests conducted by the Military University of Technology, the MSBS-5.56 and its counterpart
HK416 The Heckler & Koch HK416 is an assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO Cartridge (firearms), cartridge. It is designed and manufactured by the German company Heckler & Koch. Although the design is based on the AR-15 class of firearm (sp ...
were subjected to comparative testing of the barrel and hand-guard for overheating during an intensive firing schedule. According to the tests, MSBS yielded the better results of the two rifles despite having a relatively light and longer barrel profile. Additional tests have also shown that MSBS is less susceptible to jamming when using lower quality ammunition or when it is insufficiently maintained, and had a more manageable recoil when fired in full-auto compared to other
assault rifles An assault rifle is a select fire rifle that uses an intermediate-rifle cartridge and a detachable magazine.C. Taylor, ''The Fighting Rifle: A Complete Study of the Rifle in Combat'', F.A. Moyer ''Special Forces Foreign Weapons Handbook'', ...
chambered in the 5.56 cartridge, such as FB Beryl, HK416,
FN SCAR-L The FN SCAR (SOF (Special Operations Forces) Combat Assault Rifle) is a family of Gas-operated reloading#Short stroke, gas-operated short-stroke gas piston automatic rifles developed by Belgian manufacturer FN Herstal (FN) in 2004. It is constru ...
or
CZ BREN 2 The CZ 805 BREN is a gas-operated modular assault rifle designed and manufactured by Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod. The modular design enables users to change the calibre of the weapon to 5.56×45mm NATO or 7.62×39mm intermediate cartridges b ...
. One of the main design characteristics of the MSBS-5.56 is the modular weapon system. If necessary, a soldier can sacrifice, for example, one standard
assault rifle An assault rifle is a select fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge, intermediate-rifle cartridge and a Magazine (firearms), detachable magazine.C. Taylor, ''The Fighting Rifle: A Complete Study of the Rifle in Combat'', F.A. Moyer '' ...
to quickly repair a
light machine gun A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridge (firearms), cartridges of the same caliber as the othe ...
during a firefight. Another feature of the MSBS Grot is barrel changeability, as found on the
Steyr AUG The Steyr AUG () is an Austrian bullpup assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO intermediate cartridge, designed in the 1960s by Steyr-Daimler-Puch, and now manufactured by Steyr Arms GmbH & Co KG. The AUG was adopted by the Austri ...
. This means a soldier may be able to adapt their rifle based on the environment they are in, such as converting a
carbine A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and ligh ...
to a designated
marksman rifle A designated marksman rifle (DMR) is a modern scoped high-precision rifle used by infantry in the designated marksman (DM) role. It generally fills the engagement range gap between a service rifle and a dedicated sniper rifle, at around . DMRs a ...
, in order to engage targets at a greater range. The benefits of this feature allow an
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...
to have fewer specialised weapons. MSBS may also be used with components other than the ones manufactured domestically, and it is the first Polish rifle fully compliant with the NATO standards. The MSBS-5.56 features fully ambidextrous controls and
Picatinny rail The 1913 rail (MIL-STD-1913 rail) is an American rail integration system designed by Richard Swan that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It forms part of the NATO standard STANAG 2324 rail. It was originally used for mount ...
, and it may also be fed from standard
STANAG magazine A STANAG magazine or NATO magazine is a type of detachable firearm magazine proposed by NATO in October 1980. Shortly after NATO's acceptance of the 5.56×45mm NATO rifle cartridge, Draft Standardization Agreement ( STANAG) 4179 was proposed i ...
s. Currently, the rifle is in service with the Polish Territorial Defence Forces and is scheduled to replace
FB Beryl The karabinek szturmowy wzór 96 "Beryl" (English: ''assault rifle pattern 1996 "Beryllium"'', abbreviated kbs wz. 96) is a Polish 5.56mm assault rifle, designed and produced by the FB "Łucznik" Radom, Fabryka Broni Radom. The rifle r ...
as the primary
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
weapon and
service rifle A service rifle (or standard-issue rifle) is a rifle a military issues to its regular infantry. In modern militaries, this is generally a versatile, rugged, and reliable assault rifle or battle rifle, suitable for use in nearly all environments ...
of the
Polish Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland (, ; abbreviated SZ RP), also called the Polish Armed Forces and popularly called in Poland (, roughly "the Polish Military"—abbreviated ''WP''), are the national Military, armed forces of the Poland, ...
. Following the adoption of the MSBS-5.56 by the Polish military, the ''Grot'' moniker has been added to the MSBS name in honor of the
Home Army The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...
commander, General Stefan "Grot" Rowecki. During the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
10,000 Grot C16A2 rifles were sent to the
Ukrainian military The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...
. On May 9, 2022, the public was informed about the conclusion of an agreement between the Polish Armaments Group and an undefined
East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
n country for the supply of an unspecified number of MSBS Grot assault rifles chambered for 7.62×39mm rounds as specified by the customer, along with 40 mm grenade launchers and optical sights DCM-1 Szafir manufactured by PCO S.A. The Grot A3 was publicly presented at the Grotowisko 2024 small-arms conference, held in
Zegrze Zegrze is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Serock, within Legionowo County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Serock, north-east of Legionowo, and north of Warsaw. The villa ...
from June 22 to 23, 2024. Its development was based on lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine. In January 2025, a photo appeared on the X website (formerly Twitter) showing small arms captured by soldiers of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
from
M23 rebels The March 23 Movement (), often abbreviated as M23 and also known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army (), is a Congolese Rwandan-backed rebel paramilitary group. Based in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it operates ...
- among them a Grot carbine powered by 7.62 x 39 mm ammunition.


Variants

The following variants were designed based on the requests from the Polish Armed Forces to replace currently used firearms such as the AKM,
FB Beryl The karabinek szturmowy wzór 96 "Beryl" (English: ''assault rifle pattern 1996 "Beryllium"'', abbreviated kbs wz. 96) is a Polish 5.56mm assault rifle, designed and produced by the FB "Łucznik" Radom, Fabryka Broni Radom. The rifle r ...
,
FB Mini-Beryl The FB Mini-Beryl is a Polish compact assault rifle (carbine) derived from the FB Beryl service rifle and chambered for 5.56×45mm. It was developed in parallel with the wz. 96 Beryl by the FB "Łucznik" Radom, Fabryka Broni in Radom and int ...
, and
Pallad grenade launcher The Pallad (also known as the wz. 1974) is a 40 mm Polish underslung grenade launcher, developed for use with the AKM assault-rifle and intended to replace the kbkg wz. 1960 grenade-launcher rifle. The name of the weapon reflects the Po ...
. The MSBS GROT is a selective fire modular assault rifle which is capable of semi-automatic, 3-round burst and fully automatic fire. It has a cyclic rate of fire of around 700–900 rounds per minute. Currently only the MSBS Grot C in assault rifle, carbine, configuration with a grenade launcher, MSBS Grot R and MSBS Grot S are available. The MSBS Grot B, and the machine gun and designated marksman rifle configurations are not yet produced. Conversion kits between variants are also not yet available. Conversion kit to change the calibre to 7.62×39mm is available. * MSBS Grot C (, ) is the classic configuration of the MSBS-5.56, chambered in either
5.56×45mm NATO The 5.56×45mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 5.56 NATO, commonly pronounced "five-five-six") is a rimless bottlenecked centerfire intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal. It consists of the SS109, ...
or 7.62×39mm cartridge with a folding and retractable stock. ** MSBS-5,56A0 - initial production, 1,000 produced. ** FB-M1 (MSBS-5,56A1) - first production batch: modified charging handle and additional strap mount point on the
picatinny rail The 1913 rail (MIL-STD-1913 rail) is an American rail integration system designed by Richard Swan that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It forms part of the NATO standard STANAG 2324 rail. It was originally used for mount ...
. ** FB-M2 (MSBS-5,56A2) - second production batch: longer
handguard A barrel shroud is an external covering that envelops (either partially or full-length) the barrel of a firearm to prevent unwanted direct contact with the barrel (e.g. accidental collision with surrounding objects or the user accidentally touch ...
to cover the gas block, reinforced
firing pin A firing pin or striker is a part of the firing mechanism of a firearm that impacts the primer in the base of a cartridge and causes it to fire. In firearms terminology, a striker is a particular type of firing pin where a compressed sprin ...
for dry fire practice, improved
pistol grip On a firearm or other tools, a pistol grip is a distinctly protruded handle underneath the main mechanism, to be held by the user's hand at a more vertical (and thus more ergonomic) angle, similar to how one would hold a conventional pistol. ...
and
buttstock A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock, or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attac ...
. * MSBS Grot B (, ) – is similar to the MSBS Grot C but in bullpup configuration. The MSBS Grot was designed to share a universal upper receiver for both the classic and bullpup configurations, which leads to the ease of conversion by simply swapping the lower receiver. * MSBS Grot R – is the representative variant of the MSBS Grot designed to be used by honor guards which has been adapted to fire blanks and withstand drills. With the modularity of the MSBS Grot, the barrel can be swapped to fire live ammunition. * MSBS Grot S – civilian semi-automatic only variant of the MSBS Grot without the bayonet-mount, available with 4 different variants of barrels: 10.5-, 14.5-, and 16-inch in .223 Remington and 16-inch in 7.62×39mm. Both the MSBS Grot C and MSBS Grot B are planned in 5 different configurations and have many common interchangeable parts and can be converted from one to the other: *Assault rifle – a standard assault rifle configuration with barrel. *Assault rifle with underbarrel grenade launcher – similar to the assault rifle configuration but with a 40×46mm underbarrel grenade launcher equipped. *Carbine – a short barrel variant with a barrel. *Carbine with underbarrel grenade launcher – similar to the carbine configuration but with a 40×46mm underbarrel grenade launcher equipped. *Machine gun – essentially an automatic rifle variant for both Grot C and Grot B. It features a heavier barrel fitted with a flash hider, and the bayonet-mount was removed. This variant is meant to be used with high-capacity magazines. Surefire MAG5-60 were used for demonstration purposes. *Designated marksman rifle – a designated marksman rifle variant fitted with a lighter and more precise 16 in (410 mm) and 20 in (508 mm) barrel, and has a two stage trigger group. ;Polish military adoption Since the Polish ministry of defence ordered 53,000 of the MSBS assault rifles, Fabryka Broni has introduced a military naming designation for the MSBS series. Grot – After the official adoption of the MSBS-5.56 by the Polish Armed Forces, the Grot name was added. C, B, R, S – ''variants'': classic, bullpup, representative, sport (semi-auto civilian). Denoted after the Grot designation. 10, 16, 20 – ''barrel lengths'', in inches. So far only the 16 in (406 mm) has been adopted by the Polish military. C, G, M, PS – ''configurations'': carbine, variants with grenade launcher, automatic rifle, designated marksman rifle. Denoted after the barrel length designation. FB – Fabryka Broni, the manufacturer of this weapon system. M(x) – number of series (x stands for the generation, for examples, ''M1'' means first generation, ''M2'' is second generation, ''M3'' is planned third generation). The ''M2'' was developed to address the issues found on the early production models. The bullpup configuration did not receive the M2 upgrade due to the lack of interest from the Polish military. The changes included a longer upper receiver with M-LOK compatible handguard and heat stop covers, a quick-detach sling mounting points, FB made pistol grip instead of previous Magpul pistol grip due to shortage during mass production, reinforced buttstock, reinforced secondary sights, strengthened, thicker charging handle, reinforced firing pin (not interchangeable with the old one from M1), FB made polymer translucent magazine, new lock (not interchangeable with the old one from M1), and new slide (not interchangeable with the old one from M1).


Grot 762N

Grot 762N is a semi-automatic
designated marksman rifle A designated marksman rifle (DMR) is a modern telescopic sight, scoped high-Accuracy and precision, precision rifle used by infantry in the designated marksman (DM) role. It generally fills the engagement effective range, range gap between a serv ...
chambered in
7.62×51mm NATO The 7.62×51mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 7.62 NATO) is a rimless, straight walled, bottlenecked, centerfire rifle cartridge. It is a standard for small arms among NATO countries. First developed in the 1950s, the cartridge had first be ...
cartridge. The MSBS-7.62N project began in the end of 2015 when Polish Military of Defence announced analytical works for the replacement program of their
SVD Dragunov The SVD (СВД; ), GRAU index 6V1, is a semi-automatic designated marksman rifle/sniper rifle chambered in the 7.62×54mmR cartridge, developed in the Soviet Union. History The SVD was designed to serve in a squad support role to provide prec ...
marksman rifle and supplement the
bolt-action Bolt action is a type of manual Action (firearms), firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt (firearms), turn-bolt via a cocking handle, bolt handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the firearm (a ...
TRG-22 and
Tor Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Toronto, Canada ** Toronto Raptors * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor ...
sniper rifles currently in service. It was led by the team of Fabryka Broni Łucznik-Radom and Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna (WAT) engineers. The Grot 7.62N has two different configurations; one with a 508 mm (20 in) barrel with a fixed adjustable stock and the other with 406 mm (16 in) barrel with the MSBS Grot C's adjustable side-folding stock. Both configurations are part of the MSBS family and some of the parts of the Grot 762N, such as the stock, handguard, pistol grip, and trigger are interchangeable between 5.56mm and 7.62mm models. The Grot 7.62N is designed as a semi-automatic rifle but project engineers declared that a fully automatic configuration can be developed if required.


Users

* :
Polish Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland (, ; abbreviated SZ RP), also called the Polish Armed Forces and popularly called in Poland (, roughly "the Polish Military"—abbreviated ''WP''), are the national Military, armed forces of the Poland, ...
, 184,000 planned by 2026. ** Territorial Defence Force, 53,000 in 2017. * : On September 1, 2023, PGZ concluded a contract for the supply of MSBS Grot rifles with an unspecified East-Central African country. On January 31, 2024, the Defense24 portal listed Rwanda as the recipient of Polish rifles, but it is not certain whether the deliveries concern Grot or other rifles. In 2024, photos circulated on the web showing a Rwandan soldier with a 7.62x39 Grot fitted with a GP grenade launcher. * : 10,000 Grot C16 FB-M1 and A2 variant assault rifles donated to the
Ukrainian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...
during the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
. In 2023, it was announced that an unspecified number of Grot C16 A2 rifles had been ordered by Ukraine, but later on such claims have been denied. * : Unknown quantity sold to Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).


Non-state users

*
March 23 Movement The March 23 Movement (), often abbreviated as M23 and also known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army (), is a Congolese Rwandan-backed rebel paramilitary group. Based in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it operates ...
* Ingush Liberation Armyhttps://x.com/war_noir/status/1935001174194749445


See also

*
FB Beryl The karabinek szturmowy wzór 96 "Beryl" (English: ''assault rifle pattern 1996 "Beryllium"'', abbreviated kbs wz. 96) is a Polish 5.56mm assault rifle, designed and produced by the FB "Łucznik" Radom, Fabryka Broni Radom. The rifle r ...
*
FN SCAR The FN SCAR (SOF (Special Operations Forces) Combat Assault Rifle) is a family of gas-operated short-stroke gas piston automatic rifles developed by Belgian manufacturer FN Herstal (FN) in 2004. It is constructed with modularity for the United ...
*
Remington ACR The Adaptive Combat Rifle (ACR) (known initially as the Masada) is a modular assault rifle designed by Magpul Industries of Austin, Texas. In late January 2008, Bushmaster Firearms International entered into a licensing agreement with Magpul w ...


References


Other sources

*
Pierwszy pokaz MSBS-5,56
' in:
Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila (constellation), Aquila and the list of brightest stars, twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinisation of name ...
, 12 December 2009 *
Nowa polska broń – MSBS-5,56
' in:
Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila (constellation), Aquila and the list of brightest stars, twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinisation of name ...
, 15 December 2009 *
MSBS-5,56 już strzela
' in:
Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila (constellation), Aquila and the list of brightest stars, twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinisation of name ...
, 16 December 2009 *
Rodzina MSBS-5.56 W Czerwcu
' in:
Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila (constellation), Aquila and the list of brightest stars, twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinisation of name ...
, 22 March 2010 *
Nowy MSBS-5,56
' in:
Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila (constellation), Aquila and the list of brightest stars, twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinisation of name ...
, 9 August 2010 *
MSBS-5,56 w nowej szacie
' in:
Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila (constellation), Aquila and the list of brightest stars, twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinisation of name ...
, 5 October 2010 *
Giwera przyszłości
' in:
Polska zbrojna 200px, Border Protection Forces troops read Polska Zbrojna ''Polska Zbrojna'' (Armed Poland) is a monthly magazine on military and military history, published in Poland. It is the largest regular publication in Poland focusing on that specific su ...
, 30 December 2008 *
MSBS-5,56 w Pułtusku
' in:
Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila (constellation), Aquila and the list of brightest stars, twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinisation of name ...
, 4 June 2011 *
MSBS do amunicji 7,62mm x 39
' in:
Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila (constellation), Aquila and the list of brightest stars, twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinisation of name ...
, 21 September 2014 *
Prototypy karabinów MSBS-7,62 na MSPO
' in
Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila (constellation), Aquila and the list of brightest stars, twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinisation of name ...
, 9 January 2016 *
Complete family of MSBS-5,56 rifles
' 5, June 2018


External links


Fabryka Broni "Łucznik" Radom home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Msbs Radon 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifles 7.62×39mm assault rifles Designated marksman rifles Assault rifles of Poland Military equipment introduced in the 2010s Weapons and ammunition introduced in 2018