DESIGN
After world war 2 Germany needed a new rifle
in the calibre 7.62x51mm NATO. Although Germany
selected the FAL, Belgium did not want to
deliver weapons to post nazi Germany. The
German had to come up with a solution, that
solution was the G3. It became the standard
rifle in German service.
The G3 is based upon the Spanish CETME. It
uses the famous Heckler & Koch delayed
roller locking system, which is very reliable
and accurate, but expensive. Many other Heckler
& Koch weapons are based upon the G3:
the HK33, HK21, MSG90, G41, PSG-1 and last
but not least the MP5. |
| G3 with shorter barrel and retractable shoulder
stock. ‘K’ stands for Kurz, or short. It
makes no sence mounting a fixed stock. |
| The basic, full-size G3. The G3A3 has a fixed
stock, the G3A4 a retractable one. |
| Normal G3 with a 4x scope and bipod, used
by marksman. ‘ZF’ stands for Zielfernrohr,
or scope. |
| G3 with cheekpiece, better barrel, 1.5-6x
scope and bipod. Used for sniping. It still
has the ability for automatic fire, very
unusual for a sniper rifle. |
PERFORMANCE
The G3 is the best of all battle rifles,
with the Belgian FAL and American M14 as
competators. The G3 is the most expensive
of the three, because of its roller-locking
system. It is the most accurate and reliable
battle rifle there is. Some countries even
replaced the FAL by the G3. Although the
G3 is better, many countries bougth the cheaper
FAL.
Although the G3 can fire automatic, it is
vertually always used semi-automatic, because
of its heavy recoil. The lack of being able
to fire automaticly is a drawback, unlike
the AK-47 it can not be used to storm a position.
The sniper variants are quite effective because
of the high accuracy. Although their maximum
range is about 500 to 700 meters, it is very
lethal within that range. The G3 can be fitted
with a wide variaty of attachments, of which
the bipod, scope, silencer and HK79 are the
most important ones.
USE
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G3A3, G3ZF, G3-K and G3SG/1 , being replaced
by G36 |
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G3A4 |
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G3A3 |
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G3A3 |
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G3A3; used only in very small numbers |
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G3A4 |
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