The HK G3 was and continues to be a robust and reliable weapon system. By Staff Writer
The HK G3 (or Gewehr 3) is a successful assault rifle design produced by the German firm of Heckler & Koch with the Federal Republic of Germany in 1961. The G3 itself was based on the Spanish CETME rifle which in turn was based on the World War Two-era German designed Mauser StuG 45 gun.
The HK G3 was a highly manufactured and licensed weapon system that became the standard rifle of many NATO countries including the German Army. The base weapon was converted in many other variants and had provisions for a grenade launcher, flash suppressor and bayonet.
The G3 chambered the heavy 7.62mm NATO round and fired 20-round box magazines from a delayed blowback system. The G3's design characteristics were not overly impressive, though the system as a whole was reliable and robust, two good characteristics to feature in your frontline assault rifle. Though no longer fielded by the German Army (replaced in 1997), it is still found as frontline weapons in other countries around the world.
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Image Courtesy of the United States Department of Defense
1959
Designation:Heckler & Koch HK G3 Classification Type:Assault Rifle Manufacturer:Heckler & Koch GmbH / Rheinmetall - Germany; DIO - Iran; FBP - Portugal; Hellenic Arms - Greece (Among Others) Country of Origin: Germany
Operators: Angola; Argentina; Azebaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Bhutan; Bolivia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Brazil; Brunei; Burkino Faso; Bruma; Burundi; Cambodia; Canada; Chad; Chile; Colombia; Cyprus; Denmark; Djibouti; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; El Salvador; Ethiopia; Estonia; France; Gabon; Ghana; Georgia; Germany; Great Britain; Guyana; Greece; Haiti; Iceland; Indonesia; Iran; Ireland; Italy; Ivory Coast; Jordan; Kenya; Kuwait; Latvia; Lebanon; Libya; Lithuania; Malawi; Malaysia; Mauritania; Mexico; Morocco; Myanmar; Niger; Nigeria; Norway; Netherlands; Pakistan; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Portugal; Qatar; Rhodesia; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Somalia; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Sweden; Tanzania; Thailand; Togo; Turkey; Uganda; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Yemen; Zaire; Zambia; Zimbabwe
Variants
Gewehr 3 - Base production model with wooden buttstock.
Gewehr 3A1 - Retractable buttstock
Gewehr 3A2 - Rotary rear-sight
Gewehr 3A3 - Final production model; Front sight modification; Improved flash suppressor.
Gewehr 3A3Z 'zielfernrohr' - Telescopic sights added.
Gewehr 3A4 - Similar to 3A3 with folding stock.
Gewehr 3A6 - Iranian-produced and licensed variant.
Gewehr 3A7 - Turkish-produced and licensed variant.
Gewehr 3A7A1 - Turkish-produced and licensed variant of German G3A4 model.
Gewehr 3SG/1 - Special accurized sniper rifle version of the G3.
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