Rheinmetall RH-70

The RH-70 was an experimental bullpup assault rifle developed in 1970 by Rheinmetall-Industrie-GmbH of West Germany. It was an entry for a possible 5.56x45mm replacement of the 7.62x51mm G3 battle rifle in German service. The magazine and the grip are quite close to one another (the space between the rear side of the grip and the magazine curve form somewhat of a "Thumbhole") however still allows the entire bolt to be placed in the rear of the weapon inside the stock, like in all bullpups, yet moving the ejection port much more forward and allowing both right and left-handed operation independently.

The RH-70 was made for studying and developing the bullpup concept of a rifle in the small 5.56x45 caliber with the G3 system. The barrel is 20mm longer and the whole rifle is 235mm shorter than a standard HK G3 rifle.