In Fiction
Appearance
Long black hair and an elegant and perfectly balanced figure are the main traits of this queen-like weapon. Being a transfer student, she still wears her old school uniform. Based on her plastic furniture, and wide handguard, we can infer she's a G3A3. Do note however, she does not use the 4 position rotary rear diopter drum sight, and opts for an HK21 rear sight with a 1.2km range marks due to her obsession with accuracy and precision shooting (At least she admits defeat that she can't see jack at a kilometer).
Personality
An honor role student that has a respectable rivalry with Sig. Has to take care of her siblings staying at the Academy dorms. Like her ability to fire, she never wastes herself on useless words or actions; sometimes is a bit of a klutz. She is the eldest of her many sisters being quintessentially their caretaker and the head of the household outside of the factory in Germany. Many of her sisters have a very similar appearance to her in reference to HK's many firearms being scaled down variants of the G3A3 itself (Most popular examples being the MP5 and the HK33). She cares for their safety and will take action whether they're threatened by outsiders or if they fight amongst themselves.
In Real Life
The tireless workhorse of the cold war, this baby has been putting large holes in commies and brown people alike and has seen an endless service history in all fronts of the world whether it be the frozen far north to the tropical humid environments of southeast asia. Governments love her all around to the point that they'll make a thesis regarding her superiority over her rivals like the FAL and the AKM (poortugal pls). Derived from the Spanish CETME B rifle (which they co developed with Spain), the krauts had her out of necessity for their new army since FN Herstal and the Belgian government refused to give them license productions of G1 FALs as a middle finger for the previous administration's occupation and looting of their facilities.
Performance and History
The history of the G3 can be traced back to the ending days of WWII where Mauser engineers of Light Weapon Development Group (Abteilung 37) were studying how to simplify the Stg. 44 by developing a roller locked, longstroke gas rifle known as the Maschinenkarabiner Gerät 06. The discovery of the roller delayed blowback action lead to the development of the MKb Gerät 06H (H being an abbreviation for halb verriegelt or "half-locked"), thus finalizing development with the rifle being adopted and redesignated as the Stg 45(M). Due to the dire situation of Germany in the late war and how the Oberndorf Mauser factory was at risk of being captured by the allies, the Führer ordered a total transfer of the factories components, parts and plans to a train where it would be relocated for producing troop trial rifles in secret factories hidden in the alps of Austria. Despite the attempt, it failed and the train was captured under American and British glow in the dark CIA/MI6 Kaffers. Upon technically kidnapping the mauser engineers at gunpoint and their supply of components, the allies (Specifically, US, Britain and France) then force them to build samples for testing in the Netherlands post WWII. This then sets the basis for further refinement of the weapon under the hands of Ludwig Vorgrimler and Theodor Löffler who did their work in France. Mr. Vorgrimler later worked for uncle Franco in Spain for the development of an intermediate cartridge rifle involving his roller delayed blowback bolt system since France was too busy shitting up Indochina to adopt his collaborative product with Mr. Löffler.
Long story short, the West German border guard, the Bundesgrenzschutz, were interested in Vorgrimler's works in Spain regarding their Modelo 2 rifle (CETME A1) and wanted a 7.62 NATO variant (They got a close enough variant to mess around with chambered in 7.62x51 CETME known as the CETME A2). Heckler n Koch were tasked with developing the CETME A2 to the Bundesgrenzschutz specification such as it being chambered in 7.62 NATO, shooting semi and full auto in a close bolt, creating a new handguard and improving the ergonomics of the rifle but the BDS ruined the party in 1956 by adopting the FAL from FN Herstal and naming her the G1 instead. Luckily for HK, the Bundeswehr was recently organized and was seeking a new rifle for their test trials featuring the G2 (SG 510), and the G4 (AR10) since FN gave them the finger to license the G1. Designating the CETME B as the G3, the German government had to offer the Dutch firm Nederlandse Wapen en Munitiefabriek 20mm ammo contracts for the Luftwaffe in exchange for production licenses for it as they held the production and sales rights outside of Spain. Both Rheinmetall and HK were assigned production of the G3, however, the latter had better developmental ties and held the group of engineers who previously worked on the CETME, therefore, HK made a deal with Rheinmetall to back off from MG3 production contracts in exchange for full development and production of the G3 in 1969. By 1977, the German government passed down full ownership of the rights to produce the G3. As we know, the whole G3 series faced a series of refinement both from HK's own requests of the bundeswehr to that of the international customers worldwide before finalizing on the very G3A3 and A4 variants that we all love and cherish to this day. Two samples of the earliest G3s are shown below.
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An HK imported G3 for the US civilian market shipped in 3 years post its adoption in the Bundeswehr. It's built in the G3A2 aesthetic and has the same specifications for the Bundeswehr albeit without a full auto FCG. Also dumb editor tool wouldn't let me fix the damn title, fix your shit wikia
Indonesian Air Force Collapsing-Stock G3
A Rheinmetall production G3, this one was contracted to the Indonesians, it's quite arguably a kraut CETME B at this early point of production.
The overall performance of the roller blowback design is without a doubt one of the most accurate and robust operating systems to date despite its violent extraction and the reputation of retarded blowbacks to eat brass (Take it as a plus or minus, at least you won't have old Elmer Fudd huffing spent ejected brass behind your back.). Quite the fun fact, such a violent action and a semi sealed design does a good enough job of preventing external debris from accessing the working bits of the rifle (infamous InrangeTV mud tests, anybody?). The overall inline design and the lack of a gas system contributes to a pleasant handling of recoil and an ease of manufacturing respectably. Overall, it's quite the modular design that even faces upgrade kits and easy rail installation from both military and civilian models to get on with the times just like the M16 has faced.
Design Details & Availability
Close bolt roller delayed blowback and selective fire, 'nuff said.
Bolt and Features
As a roller delayed blowback, the G3 uses a two piece semi rigid bolt consisting of a bolt head complimented by rollers and an angular locking piece. During its unlocking sequence (Ex:The bolt opens and ejects the spend cartridge), the rollers on the bolt head are cammed inwards from a flank in a barrel extension, propelling it rearward at a velocity greater than that of the bolt, which remains closed until the round has left the barrel and pressures inside the bore have been reduced to a safe level before withdrawing together with the bolt carrier. Her ejector is located in the trigger housing that is supported by a spring. The rifle is hammer fired and usually has a three position fire control group containing "E" or "1" position – semi auto ("Einzelfeuer"), "F" or "20" – full auto ("Feuerstoß"), "S" or "0" – as safe ("Sicher"). The trigger itself is quite heavy at around 11-12lbs (50-55N) due to the Bundeswehr's drop safety requirement to ensure the rifle is grunt proof from Han's retarded boot antics. Supplementary trigger packs include a four position one that incorporates a three round burst mode and the universal (as in reading comprehension) trigger pack that use bullet pictograms to indicate its firing modes.The bolt features an anti-bounce mechanism known as the "bolt head locking lever" that prevents it from bouncing off the barrel's breech surface by sporting a spring-loaded claw mounted on the bolt carrier that grabs the bolt head as the bolt carrier group goes into battery, effectively ratcheting it into place with enough friction that prevents the carrier from rebounding. Bear in mind that this requires more force to unlock the bolt. There is no bolt hold open in your standard G3s and the ejector is located in the trigger housing. The G3 is fitted with low iron sights, sporting a four position rotary rear diopter drum sight that has an auxiliary V notch for quick target acquisition/low light conditions calibrated at 200m and the rest being apertures for 200-400m adjusted at 100m increments. The receiver has recesses to set up a claw mount for optics but most models nowadays tend to have its receiver top welded with picatinny rails.
Barrel and Feeding
The barrel contains a 4 right hand groove 1:12in (1:305mm) twist rate and has a flash suppressor that can mount a bayonet or launch STANAG 22mm rifle grenades (Other than the frogs, who else uses rifle grenades?). The barrel is free floated, contains polygonal rifling and is fluted to assist in case extraction due to its high pressures. The G3 feeds from straight, 20 round aluminum or steel box magazines but surplus 30 round south african and german mags exists as well as a 50 round drum made by HK(albeit, rare and expensive). Aftermarket magazines of 5-40 round capacity exists and are made of either steel, aluminum or modern plastics, as well as 50 round drum mags. The G3 sports either a button and/or paddle mag release.
Accessories and Variants
Your usual expected accessories for the G3 tend to be a sling and cleaning kit, as well as removable bipods in some handguard designs. Bayonets are usually for sale separately, as well as the plethora of optics and claw mounts available in the aftermarket. If you're a man of money and love NFA items, the HK79 40mm underbarrel grenade launcher is just for you as well as any kind of screwable sound suppressor. Other cheaper accessories include a blank firing adapter, a .22lr conversion kit for training, and a straight blowback UB marked bolt for using plastic training ammo. There are many variants of the G3 out there whether it be licensed from HK or unofficially made by gunsmiths of all nationalities,whether they be private or state sponsored, we're gonna be sticking with kraut made versions as a means of keeping things simple.
G3: Original model based on the CETME Model B. It had a wooden stock and handguard or the perforated metal handguard with a bipod and a dual aperture rear flip up sight like the CETME.
G3A1: G3 with a single stage collapsing stock and a dual aperture rear flip up sight like that of the CETME B. (Not to be confused with American custom made G3A1s using a side folding stock. These are not official HK nomenclature).
G3A2: G3 with a four position rotary diopter rear drum sight, still uses wooden furniture.
G3A3: The most well known version. Drum sights, a fixed plastic buttstock, and a free floating plastic handguard. The handguard comes in a slim, ventilated version and a wide version offering optional attachment of a bipod.
G3A3A1: Ambidextrous variant of the G3A3 that uses a brass deflector. This is an official German Army designation, not an HK factory one.
G3TGS: A G3A3 with a 40mm HK79 under-barrel grenade launcher. TGS stands for Tragbares Granat System meaning Portable Grenade System.
G3A4: The G3A4 uses drum sights, plastic furniture and a single position, collapsible stock. Entered service in 1974 for frontline infantry units.
G3A4A1: Ambidextrous variant of the G3A4 that has a brass deflector. This is an official German Army designation, not an HK factory one.
G3KA4: Carbine version of the G3. It uses an HK33 handguard, features drum sights, a retractable stock, and a 315 mm (12.4 in) barrel, cannot fit bayonets nor launch rifle grenades.
G3KA4A1: Ambidextrous variant of the G3KA4 that has a brass deflector. This is an official German Army designation, not an HK factory one.
G3A3Z/A4Z: Designated Marksman variants of the G3A3/A4 outfitted with a claw mounted optic. Z stands for Zielfernrohr meaning Telescope.
G3SG/1: A modified/accurized rifle for sharpshooter/sniper use. The SG"stands for Scharfschützengewehr meaning Sharpshooting Rifle. These rifles were individually selected from the G3 production line for outstanding accuracy during test-firing and were then modified with trigger packs boasting a lighter trigger pull (even if it retained its full auto components, the selector was disabled from reaching there), a dual-stage heavy buffer to dampen recoil, a lengthened handguard with integrated bipods and a stock sporting a semi adjustable cheek riser. Its trigger pack is extensively known to be much superior than the PSG1's.
MSG3: Another G3 sniper/marksman variant for the Bundeswehr, featuring a longer 600 millimetres (23.5 in) barrel, a newer telescopic sight mount that uses the same claw mounting points on the receiver though it does not allow the use of the iron sights with the mount in place.It retains several parts of the G3 rifle, like the wide plastic handguard with removable bipods, and a non strengthened receiver. It contains the same trigger pack as a PSG1, an adjustable stock for height and length like that of the MSG90 and an enhanced cocking handle that allows better leverage and grip to chamber a new round. MSG stands for Militärisches Scharfschützen Gewehr meaning Military Sniper Rifle.
PSG1: Another accurized sniper variant of the G3 sporting free-floating 650mm (25.6 in) long barrel with polygonal rifling, a strengthened receiver using welded rails over the channels where a retractable buttstock would slide as a means to reduce torque produced from the recoil, a bolt built around tighter clearances and a crisper trigger pack allowing a lighter 3lb (13 N) trigger pull. Other features include a fully adjustable buttstock, the choice of a bipod or tripod and a pistol grip that's adjustable for different hand sizes. There are no irons in this rifle as its primary purpose requires optics. This rifle was more intended for paramilitary/law enforcement snipers but also suited for the precision shooting market if the collector wasn't a filthy poor. PSG 1 stands for Präzisions Scharfschützengewehr 1 meaning Precision Sniper Rifle 1.
PSG1A1: An updated variant of the PSG1, sports a slightly relocated cocking handle so when it's in the open position, it won't interfere with the sniper's vision regarding the front of his scope as well as a different scope with better quality control.
MSG90: Arguably the military variant of the PSG1 and a helluva lot more robust and cheaper to produce in comparison, it hosts a slightly shorter 600 millimetres (23.5 in) long barrel, the same adjustable stock as stated earlier in the MSG3, however, unlike the MSG3, it comes with its HKtm "Silent Bolt Closure Devicetm" (It's really just a forward assist) and a reinforced receiver like the PSG1. Another different feature unlike that of the MSG3 is a weight added towards the muzzle to aid the harmonic barrel whip as a means of min maxing the accuracy of the weapon. Other than that the same PSG1 trigger pack, same enhanced cocking handle, and a removable scope mount for use of the iron sights, it's more or less has the same concept as the MSG3. The 90 refers to the year it was initially produced
MSG90A1: A variant originally commissioned by the US Marine's in 1997 for their designated marksmen in Security Forces and FAST team first designated as the MSG90-DMR, six prototypes were developed and shipped for trials by 1998 only to be turned down because it couldn't be retrofitted for the beefier .300 Winchester Magnum cartridge. Instead, the glow in the dark feds from the US Department of Defense security decided to adopt the reject from the crayon munchers. Instead of a weight, the barrel is now threaded for flash and sound suppressors, a smaller cocking handle is utilized, you can now use your irons without removing the scope mount and the rear irons are of the HK21E/23E variety instead of the classic rotary drum sight.
Gallery
Availability
Where do we begin. From parts kits to fully assembled rifles, G3s are comparable to the AR15 are in terms of a stuff market (That is if you're from the land of Amerifats, I dunno about you Europeans but I'm certain HK shat parts kit for you all). From HK91s, HK41s, and SR9s to the SAR 3 and 8 gayreek g3s imported by Springfield Armory (note: You require to not be a peasant poor for these options), to buying from PTR Industries. Budgets vary form a couple thousand to around 800-900 bucks. We could lump in Century Arms C308 but they're more like CETME Cs assembled in a luck roll than a G3. Alternatively, you can buy from custom gunsmiths online that assemble roller delayed blowbacks for a living (costs about 1K range at most) to assembling your own from parts kits costing around 300-600 USD range (Not included are the prices of tools required if you don't have them). For the europoors over in yurope, I'm certain yall got T*rks and the Pakis Ordnance Factory introducing their products aside from Lux Def-Tec making their own models and genuine HK parts kits lying everywhere.
Sources
https://www.hkpro.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=87:the-grandfather-g3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrKhJC35QRA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEPwmYcCPFs