The Ak 4 is a Swedish version of the German Heckler & Koch G3 assault rifle. It was selected during the early 1960´s to replace the Swedish submachine gun Kpist Mod 45 and the Swedish semi-automatic rifle Ag 42.

The idea was to get a new and modern assault rifle with the impact and power as the Ag 42 and the full auto capacity of the Kpist Mod 45. Among the competitors of the HK G3 assault rifle was the Belgian FN FAL and the American M-14 assault rifle. After a number of different test in various environments the HK G3 rifle was chosen and modified on 40 accounts and thereafter renamed to Ak 4 (in Swedish: Automatkarbin 4, in English Assault rifle 4).

The Ak 4 was manufactured between 1965-70 at the Carl-Gustaf Rifle factory and at Husqvarna weapons factory and after that until the end in 1980 only at the Rifle factory in Eskilstuna

The Ak 4 has now been more or less replaced in the Swedish Armed Forces by the lighter and smaller caliber Ak 5 (5,56 mm, .223 Remington). But the AK 4 is still in service with the Swedish Home Guard and some other army units.