Hunter's Guide

The G3 Rifle
By Charlie Haley

Somewhat more controversial in this part of the world than its highly regarded
sibling, the FN-FAL rifle, the G-3 was a parallel development with its roots in the
German small arms industry of 1945.

A

new rifle, the SG 45, was under
development but never
completed in that turbulent final
year of World War II. After the end of the
war, the designer completed his work in
Spain in the form of the CETME rifle. The
Germans had a long look at the CETME,
decided they liked what they saw and the
design came back home to Germany. It
was worked over by Heckler & Koch and
adopted as the G-3 in 1959 (incidentally
ousting the FAL, which was in service
with the Germans at the time).
The FN rifle was standard issue in the
then Rhodesian armed forces, but the G3 started to appear in 1976 as a substitute
standard rifle. Facing sanctions and an
arms embargo, the G-3 was cheaper and
easier to obtain. Troops used to the finely
made FN found it hard to get used to, as
the G-3 was of very “tinny” appearance
and was not as robust. Butts broke, foreends rattled and some were chronic
jammers. Paradoxically, others swore by
the G-3, finding it accurate and reliable. A
friend of mine, who had access to virtually
any rifle he liked, used a G-3 by choice. A
German pen-pal of mine had used the
G-3 during his national service in the
Bundeswehr, and stated that he had never
heard of a G-3 breaking a butt, let alone
anything else. What was one to think??
The mystery cleared up somewhat when
I had occasion to examine a Heckler &

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The G3 Rifle.

Koch HK 91 rifle, the West German made
semi-auto civilian legal version of the
G-3. This was a different beast. The finish
was smoother, the plastic butt and foreend were far more robust, and the action
of the working parts was generally more
positive. The G-3’s in this part of the
world are mainly of Portuguese origin,
where they are made under licence, and
were obtained (naturally) via
Mozambique. They are not quite the same
as the German product. Nonetheless, the
G-3’s which performed so well for their
aforementioned owners were Portuguese
rifles, so a blanket condemnation is
definitely out of line. Most performed just
fine, but some individual specimens gave
trouble and tarnished the image of the
rest.
Interestingly enough, those who
spoke highly of the G-3 all obtained theirs
new, and took the time to thoroughly
clean out the packing grease, smooth and

polish the working parts and generally
look after them. Furthermore, the bolt
mechanism of the G-3 is considerably
more difficult to strip and assemble for
cleaning and lubrication than the FN bolt,
hence it is not done so often. Add this to
the fact that the G-3 operating system
deposits a lot of fouling on and around
the bolt and we see a pattern emerging.
The G-3 is a generally reliable design, but
is vulnerable to long term abuse and
neglect. German or Portuguese, the G-3 is
a homely looking critter compared to the
FN. It takes advantage of modern
manufacturing techniques, with many
stampings and spot welds, hence the recycled tin can appearance. The method of
operation is also quite different, as it
operates not by gas but by recoil. The bolt
locks into the receiver by means of two
roller bearing locking lugs, a system
pioneered by the fearsome German MG 42
machine gun. As the bolt moves forwards,
African Hunter Vol. 6 No. 2

these locking rollers move out into
corresponding recesses behind the
chamber. Upon firing, recoil tries to move
the bolt rearwards, but before it can do so
the roller bearings must first be forced
back inwards. This happens under
tremendous mechanical disadvantage,
causing sufficient delay to allow the
pressure to drop before the bolt fully
opens. This system can best be described
as a sort of "delayed blowback" rather
than a true locked breech. With this
system, initial bolt movement can be quite
violent, and to overcome this the chamber
is fluted. Gas flows down the flutes and
“floats” the fired case out on a cushion of
gas, which eliminates stuck cases and
extractors ripping chunks of rim off. All
this ensures that the empty cases are
ejected virtually into the next province,
and (if you ever find them again) are of
seriously grungy appearance, fluted and
streaked with powder residue. Amazingly,
cases fired from G-3 rifles are readily reloadable, but don’t expect gasps of
admiration from anyone as to the
appearance of your reloads! That which
resembles a gas tube above the barrel
merely houses the bolt carrier extension
and cocking handle mechanism.
All in all, just what are the pros and
cons of this strange beast, the G-3? Well,
for one thing it is significantly shorter and
thus handier than an FN (specifically,
1025mm as opposed to 1090mm). It is,
however, slightly heavier. That the FN
rifle was significantly more reliable than
the specimens of G-3 found in this part of
the world I have established to my
complete satisfaction, but would add that
the story does not end there. Judicious
tuning of the G-3 can make it a wonderfully
reliable rifle, and a spot of cleaning and
correct lubrication will help considerably
as well. I have test fired a great number of
G-3’s (of varying stages of dilapidation),
and have found them prone to two equally
exasperating stoppages. The one occurs
when loading a new magazine, and when
releasing the bolt the working parts fail to
lock positively. Sometimes, re-cocking
will rectify, but I found that, if a suitably
hard floor surface was available, rapping
the muzzle upon such surface would
bounce the bolt forwards and into battery.
(Do NOT try this stunt in the bush on soft
soil, as the muzzle will clog with dirt!). The
second stoppage occurs when, upon
firing, the bolt would only partially come
to the rear and stick. Now it was time to
unlatch the cocking handle, find some
suitable flat edge or corner, brace cocking
handle upon said corner and push hard
on the rifle. Opening the breech by hand
African Hunter Vol. 6 No. 2

The G3 bolt disassembled.

The G3 working parts. Note the roller locking lugs.

pressure on the cocking handle alone
when such a stoppage happens requires
the hand and finger strength of a gorilla.
Such misbehaviour normally results from
a lack of maintenance, however, and it is
amazing the dirt and crud a G-3 will tolerate
before pulling such stunts. Nonetheless,
the G-3 is one modern battle rifle which, in
my opinion, could have benefited from a
bolt forward assist mechanism of some
sort.
One particular virtue of the G-3 was its
accuracy. The sights certainly helped in
this - the “circle within a circle”picture of
the rear peep coupled with the circular
foresight protector certainly aided in the
acquisition of a rapid but precise sight

picture. I will admit to never coming
completely to terms with the close range
“V” sight on the rear drum (finding that
the resultant sight picture was more of an
insinuation rather than a precise picture),
but the G-3 was certainly capable of
accurate shooting. “Aha!” I hear you cry,
“Then why wasn’t (and isn’t) the G-3
used in service rifle competition? All we
see are FN’s, and if the G-3 is so all-fired
accurate, how come no-one uses it?” A
good question, and the answer lies in the
sights. The FN foresight is finely
adjustable for elevation, whereas the only
elevation controls on the G-3 are the
coarse adjustments on the rear sight in
100 metre gradients. This makes the FN
much more suitable for fine target work,

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but is no condemnation of the G-3 sighting
system as a more than adequate practical
field sight. The plastic stocking system of
the G-3 comes as a shock to the
traditionalist. The small of the butt is a
particularly weak area, and any attempt to
launch rifle grenades with the butt braced
on the ground will undoubtedly result in
a prematurely foreshortened rifle.
Nonetheless, a modicum of care and
attention will ensure that all remains intact.
I have also seen fore-ends braced by the
addition of asbestos cloth between it and
the barrel. This is a good idea, as not only
is the annoying rattle stopped but the
hand is also protected from heat. The
barrel radiates a fair amount of warmth
after a few rounds rapid fire!
Field stripping for maintenance is fairly
straight-forward, aside from the
aforementioned bolt. Even this is mainly
a question of technique, so please take
heed, as it is important for proper cleaning!
Firstly, as always, remove the magazine
and check that the rifle is unloaded.
Remove the two pins securing the butt to
the receiver. The two holes in the butt
behind the sling swivel are there for you
to put the pins into so you don’t lose
them. Pull the butt off the receiver. Pull the
cocking handle back and remove the
working parts. This is all extremely simple
and straight-forward. Now comes the fun
part. Grab the bolt, and twist it a quarter
turn anti-clockwise (as you are looking at
the bolt face). It will then spring free,
followed by the firing pin, the firing pin
spring and the locking piece. All these
parts can now be cleaned and lubricated,
as they will be found to be liberally coated
with carbon gunk after firing. Now it comes
time to re-assemble the bolt, which is the
reason most people don’t disassemble it
in the first place. It is not enough to simply
trot out the familiar cop-out “Re-assemble
in reverse order”. A couple of tips are in
order. Firstly, it will be noted that a sprung
loaded arm is interfering with the
replacement of the bolt. Secondly, it will
immediately become apparent that this
spring is EXTREMELY powerful!
However, note well that, thirdly, this
sprung loaded arm is accessible from the
side of the bolt carrier, and can in fact be
pushed inwards with a bit of effort. Now,
here is the technique to adopt - while
relieving the spring pressure with the
thumb of one hand, simultaneously push
the bolt in with the thumb of the other
hand, but Not Too Far - the bolt mustn’t
go all the way to the rear. Now the bolt
must be rotated a quarter turn clockwise
(told you the spring was strong, didn’t
I?). A further tip - relieving the spring

Page 48

pressure helps (so does a third hand or a
vice at this stage). Yet another handy tip
- you will note a slot on the underside of
the bolt. This is good for inserting a flat
object for added leverage. Lacking a large
screwdriver, a $2 coin will do (assuming
you are sufficiently affluent). Your last
and final tip - have a list of favourite
expletives and swear words handy, and
become familiar with them! If you have
managed to assemble the bolt, and find
that the locking lugs are sticking out and
won’t go back in ... why, you have
assembled it incorrectly, with the bolt too
far to the rear. Disassemble and try again.
(See Last and Final handy tip). Don’t
despair - the more you do it, the easier it
becomes, and this step is VITAL for proper
cleaning and thus reliability. One further
“must do” when cleaning is to ensure the
chamber and the roller locking recesses
are clean. Remember, the nature of the G3’s cycling deposits a fair quantity of
carbon gunge right in the chamber, so
scrub it well!
When loading, it is advisable to first
pull the bolt to the rear and lock the
cocking handle upwards into the recess
provided, THEN insert the magazine. The
magazine locking on the G-3 is not hugely
positive, and this step helps ensure the
magazine is fully home. Strike the cocking
handle a downward blow to free it, and
rely on spring pressure to chamber the
round. Any attempt to guide the bolt
forwards by hand will almost guarantee
an insufficiently chambered round, and
thus a jam. Speaking of magazines, there
are two types available. The aluminium,
waffle patterned magazine is actually
regarded as being disposable in military

The despised open-v short range sight,
disliked by the author.

The G3 case (right) compared to a normal
fired case. Note the flutes and "smoked-up"
appearance.

circles. The steel magazines are far more
robust, but do not despair - the aluminium
jobs are quite capable of firing a great
many rounds, as long as they are not
abused. Also, be aware that the G-3 does
not lock the working parts to the rear after
the last round has been fired, and any
rearwards bolt locking is a purely manual
operation. This is not a condemnation of
the G-3 either, but was done in compliance
to some obscure NATO recommendation.
The correct zeroing of the G-3 also
requires some explanation. If one desires
to raise or lower the point of impact at
any particular sight setting, look inside
the rear sight drum. You will notice two
horizontally opposed slots, each
containing a sprung loaded tab. Using a
suitable pair of needle nosed pliers to
squeeze in these tabs, the rear drum is
now free to be rotated up or down to raise
or lower the point of impact respectively.
Windage is controlled by the small
Phillips screw on the right side of the
sight assembly. First loosen the large
locking screw to the rear of the sight
drum, then make the necessary
adjustments. Tighten the lock screw once
the correct adjustments have been made.
All in all, the sighting system is more
than adequate for practical field use. It
only comes short compared to the FN
rifle when fine adjustments are needed
for long range target use. Although fast
fading from the international military
scene, the G-3 has made a local impact
with recent sales of surplus military
hardware. My advice to those fortunate
enough to own one is to become familiar
with it, understand its idiosyncrasies,
keep it clean and well maintained and, as
with any firearm, use it safely and
responsibly. You will then discover what
an accurate, hard hitting rifle it is that
you have.
African Hunter Vol. 6 No. 2