Recently I’ve looked at the FN FAL as an option for anyone who wants a good general purpose rifle, but for whatever reason doesn’t like the AR platform. I’m not a fan of the 5.56mm round at all, so the appeal of a highly reliable 7.62 alternative is obvious. The FAL isn’t the only heavy calibre rifle on the market by a long way, though. Another popular choice is its main rival among NATO battle rifles – the Heckler & Koch G3.
History
The G3 has a complicated history. It began as the Sturmgewehr 45(M), an experimental assault rifle in 7.92x33mm Kurz, developed in the last days of the Third Reich. After the war, its designers continued work on the project; first in France and then with CETME in Spain. There, the design was refined and developed into the 7.62mm NATO CETME Model B. The newly formed West German Army bought an improved version of the rifle, built under licence by Heckler & Koch, in 1959 and named it the Gewehr 3.
Since then, the G3 has been license-built in many countries, including Turkey, Portugal, and Pakistan and, while it never became as popular as the generally superior FAL, it can still be found almost anywhere in the world. Ex-military G3s almost never make it to the USA but there is a civilian semiautomatic-only variant, the HK91, and various US-made clones. The clones are usually built on tooling acquired from license producers, so are pretty much identical to original HK weapons.
Description
As a survival rifle, the HK has a lot going for it. The ergonomics aren’t quite up to the FAL’s standard; the main problem is the cocking handle, which is mounted well forward on the left side of the handguard. The safety catch is well placed though and can be easily operated with the thumb of the trigger hand – a lot of rifles have an ambidextrous safety, too. It’s also a reliable weapon and the few possible stoppages are all quickly cleared. Unlike most battle or assault rifles, it’s not gas operated; instead, it’s a delayed blowback system with locking rollers in the trunnion, a rearward extension of the barrel.
This means only the trunnion needs to be built to take firing stresses, so the one-piece receiver can be a simple sheet steel stamping. This does make it less robust than a FAL or M1A, but unless you plan on using it as a hammer or running your truck over it that shouldn’t be an issue. One thing to say is that the HK91 – or any other roller-locked H&K weapon – gets absolutely filthy during firing. A lot of gas vents into the receiver, and while there’s no reliability issue with that, expect to clean out plenty of carbon.
The standard fixed-stock G3/HK91 is about four inches shorter than other NATO battle rifles thanks to its 17.4-inch barrel, but still a lot longer than an M4 clone. If you want a more compact weapon, look at having the barrel cut down to 16 inches – you can go to 12.4 inches if you don’t mind the SBR paperwork – and fit the H&K collapsible stock. What you’ll have then is a semiauto version of the military G3KA4, a favourite of British Special Forces; it gives 7.62mm firepower in a package six inches longer than an MP5. Collapse the stock and it’s an inch shorter than an M4 – but packs 20 full-bore rounds.
Because the cocking handle is part of the handguard assembly, it’s not easy to fit a rail system to a G3-type rifle, but there’s a wide range of mounts available if you want to fit an optical sight, and it’s not hard to mount lasers or tactical lights on them. If you can get a military handguard it also has the hardware to fit a folding bipod.
Final Remarks
A G3 or clone isn’t quite as reliable as a FAL or as accurate as an M1A, but it’s still an excellent and dependable weapon. Like any rifle it’s massively overpowered for home defense, but for general use or in a SHTF situation it’s a great choice – and usually a lot cheaper than its rivals.
Disclaimer: The content in this article is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of US Patriot Tactical.
