FB Beryl
Polish 5.56mm assault rifle, standard-issue of the Polish Armed Forces.
The FB Beryl, officially designated the karabinek szturmowy wzór 96 "Beryl" (assault rifle pattern 1996 "Beryllium"), is a Polish 5.56mm assault rifle built by Fabryka Broni Radom. It became the standard service rifle for the Polish Armed Forces, taking over from the 5.45×39mm FB Tantal and 7.62×39mm AKM.
Development on a new rifle and carbine chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO round began in 1995, though Radom had already produced a working 5.56mm rifle and carbine since 1991, known as the wz. 1991 (a rechambered wz. 88 Tantal). Specifications for the new weapon were approved in February 1995, and a prototype batch of 11 Beryl rifles was made that December. After successful evaluation in 1997, it was adopted as the 5,56 mm karabinek szturmowy wz. 1996, with serial production starting in 1999. By 2011, over 45,000 Beryls were in inventory, roughly half of all assault rifles in the Polish Army. In May 2016, FB "Łucznik" Radom received an order from the Polish Army for 26,000 Beryls and Mini-Beryls, though the split between the two was not specified. Outside Poland, 80 wz. 96A Beryls and 10 wz. 96A Mini-Beryls were donated to Lithuania in May 2000, including ten rifles with Pallad grenade launchers and ten with CWL-1 scopes and integrated laser rangefinders. These were used by the special forces unit SOJ Aitvaras in Afghanistan until 2002 or 2003.
The Beryl’s design and operating system are similar to the Tantal, with differences driven by the new cartridge: the barrel, receiver housing, buttstock, foregrip, muzzle device, sight system, and magazine. With an adapter, it can accept standard M-16 NATO magazines. The 457mm barrel has six right-hand grooves and a 1:9 inch twist. Its external profile from breech to front sight base matches the Tantal, but from the foresight base forward, the barrel tapers to a smaller diameter at the muzzle to mount a flash suppressor. This flash hider can launch rifle grenades and has a slight taper at the front for a bayonet, with six side ports arranged in pairs asymmetrically around its circumference to stabilize the weapon during continuous fire. Inside, threading at the muzzle allows a blank-firing attachment. A cut-out mid-length on the flash hider holds a ring retainer spring to secure a rifle grenade.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Poland
- Is Ranged
- Yes
- Service
- 1997–present
- Wars
- War in Afghanistan / Kosovo Conflict / Iraq War / EUFOR Tchad/RCA / Boko Haram insurgency
- Design Date
- 1995–1996
- Manufacturer
- FB Radom / Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria
- Unit Cost
- $1,570
- Production Date
- 1999–present
- Variants
- wz. 96 Beryl / wz. 96 Mini-Beryl / Beryl M762 / Beryl M545 / Beryl-Commando / "sport variants" (multiple models)
- Weight
- 3.35 kg / (without magazine)
- Length
- 943 mm / (stock extended) / 742 mm / (stock folded)
- Part Length
- 457 mm
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Development work on a new service rifle adapted to the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge began in 1995, though a functioning 5.56mm rifle and carbine variant had been available from Radom since 1991 as the wz. 1991. Specifications were approved in February 1995, and a prototype batch of 11 Beryl rifles was produced in December that year. The weapon was evaluated and adopted into service in 1997 as the 5,56 mm karabinek szturmowy wz. 1996, with serial production starting in 1999. By 2011, over 45,000 were in inventory, accounting for about half of the assault rifles in the Polish Army. In May 2016, an order for 26,000 Beryls and Mini-Beryls was announced.
The Beryl's design and operation are similar to the Tantal rifle, with differences in the barrel, receiver housing, buttstock, foregrip, muzzle device, sight system, and magazine. The 457 mm barrel has a flash hider that can mount and launch rifle grenades, and the receiver includes a top-mounted Picatinny rail for optical sights. The side-folding tubular metal stock is coated with thermal polymer shrink film, and later models feature a collapsible stock. The handguard may include Picatinny rails and an integral vertical foregrip. The sighting system is similar to the Tantal's but adds twin cuts for mounting optical sights such as the PCS-6 night sight, CK-3 reflex sight, LKA-4 telescopic sight, and CWL-1 scope. The most used additional sight is the EOTech 552 holographic weapon sight and PCS-5M night sight. The magazine is plastic and not interchangeable with Tantal magazines. The safety switch is trapezoid-shaped and does not act as a fire selector; a separate switch on the other side of the receiver performs that function.
Variants include the kbs wz. 96A (standard), wz. 96B (with fixed foregrip and rails), wz. 96C (new buttstock, rails, handguard, and foregrip), wz. 96D (configurable from A, B, and C elements), Beryl M545 (5.45×39mm export proposal), and Beryl M762 (7.62×39mm export variant bought by Nigeria). The Beryl was also used to create the Mini-Beryl carbine.
Reader's Guide
The FB Beryl became the standard Polish rifle, replacing earlier Soviet-caliber designs and modernizing the Polish Armed Forces with NATO-standard ammunition. Its adoption marked a shift from the 5.45×39mm and 7.62×39mm rounds to the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge, aligning Poland with Western allies. The rifle's design retained the familiar AK operating system while incorporating improvements such as a Picatinny rail for optics, a flash hider capable of launching rifle grenades, and a side-folding stock. By 2011, the Beryl accounted for about half of the assault rifles in the Polish Army, with over 45,000 in inventory. A 2016 order for 26,000 additional rifles underscored its continued role. The Beryl also saw limited export, with 90 units donated to Lithuania for special forces use, and the M762 variant was purchased by Nigeria. The rifle's modularity, with variants allowing different stocks, handguards, and rail systems, contributed to its longevity and adaptability.
Did You Know?
- The Beryl's flash hider has six side ports arranged asymmetrically to stabilize the weapon during continuous fire.
- The Beryl's magazine is not interchangeable with the magazine of the kbk wz. 1988 Tantal.
- The Beryl was used to create a carbine variant known as the Mini-Beryl.
- In Iraq, some Beryls were field-modified with wooden foregrips from the PM md. 63.
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