[Abominable No-Man]

I have run across my share of interesting characters during my time.

One of the most recent is a guy in my BNCOC class who served for several years (he's quite few years older than me, btw) in the Colombian Army. He
was a combat engineer, although he apparently saw quite a bit of infantry combat.

Anyway, I thought it was interesting to hear him talk about the weapons he was issued at the time, particularly in response to a recent thread debating which .308 battle rifle was the best.

Anyhoo, he had nothing but good to say about the G3, which was what they were issued at the time (enlisted got G3's, and ossifers got MP5's).
His exact words to me were "you could put those things through hell and they would always work. We used to jump in the mud and rinse them out and they would work without other cleaning." He was a bigger fan of the G3 compared to the MP5.

So, I'm interested in what other foreign military vets have to say about their issued weapon. I know that there are several on THR, so let's hear your observations and experiences with YOUR weapons.

ANM

[Preacherman]

FN-FAL (and its South African-manufactured clones, the R1 and R3): very reliable, accurate, hard-hitting. Saved my butt a few times.

Galil (and its South African-manufactured clones, the R4 and R5): even more reliable, accurate enough for service use, not hard-hitting enough in 5.56mm. Very heavy rifle for its caliber, but that's probably a factor in the reliability equation...

Uzi: Not nearly reliable enough in African dust and dirt!

AK-47: Reliable, hard-hitting, not very accurate but good enough for bush warfare. Certainly my preference over the Galil.

SKS, PPsH, Stechkin, etc.: Mostly reliable, combat-accurate, but I didn't use them often enough to give a detailed report. (They were battlefield "pick-ups" that served me well when I needed them!)

[Marko Kloos]

When I was in the German Army from 1989-1993, the issue rifle was the H&K G3A3 or G3A4. (The A3 with the collapsible stock was for airborne troops, the A4 with the fixed stock for everybody else.)

My issued G3s never had any failures with live ammo. The plastic blanks, however, had a spotty reliability record, since they started to melt and stick when introduced into a hot chamber. (The smart kids used the brass blanks intended for the MG3, the ones that said "ONLY FOR MG USE" on the box.)

My overall opinion of the G3 is very favorable. It is a tough, accurate, and extremely reliable rifle that will tolerate enormous amounts of dirt and abuse. There is no gas system to adjust, no opertaing rod to bend, and no gas piston to foul up. It has excellent sights, and a mild recoil for its caliber.

It does have some negative aspects.

The biggest one, to me as a shooter, is the lack of a bolt hold-open device. The first indication of an empty rifle will be a "click" instead of a "bang".

The charging process takes more effort than on other rifles, because the cocking handle needs to pull the bolt rollers out of their lock with the receiver.

The rifle itself is also no party to clean, with many little nooks like chamber flutes that are hard to reach. The receiver is a one-piece stamping, so there's no upper to separate, and you need strong and very thin and flexible fingers to reach all the corners in that receiver. It's not so much an issue for Joe Civilian, since the rifle will function forever with a cursory cleaning every now and then, but a drill instructor on the hunt for powder smudge will always find dirt in a G3 if he wants to. (I used to be one, so I can attest to that.)

Overall, however, I feel very well armed with a G3-style rifle as my social long gun.

[T.Stahl]

Usually I'd not call myself a 'vet', as I haven't seen any combat, but it seems I should feel addressed.

I, too, served in the German Army from '91-'92 and am active in the Army reserve since '97.
The G3A3 (A3 = fixed stock, A4 = retractable, sorry Marko ;) ) was the first firearm I ever shot. During my time in the army and later in the reserve, it proved to be very reliable. During one day of shooting with the US Special Force in Böblingen I saw more jams with M4s than I've seen with G3s in my whole life. Our shooting club's civilian HK41s on the other hand sometimes have serious problems with their extractors, causing jams that are difficult to clear. Marko already addressed the G3's advantages and I concur with him. The only things that should and could be changed:
- Shooter adjustable sights with inserts for night shooting (ala Swiss Stgw 90)
- Bolt catch. This has been added to French MP5s, according to HKPro (or was planned to be done), so it should be doable for G3s, too.
- Silent bolt closure, as seen on HK PSGs, MSGs, G41s, ...

Apart from that, the best battle rifle I know. I'm still tempted to get a license for an HK41. But that would somehow render my Enfield No.4 and SL8 obsolete. :(

Another weapon I shot during my active term was the P1 (P38 with light alloy grip). Back the I cursed it, because I could hit crap with it. Now, in the reserve, my scores are much better and instead of hoping to hit the target at all, I can do headshots from 25m (much to the delight of Bn's S1/S3 sergeant :D )

About a year ago I took part in an reserve sergeant's course and was issued the new G36. I looked forward to get some experience with it and what I was told by a Norwegian friend who was in their evaluation team (see: home.c2i.net/johnhe/g36.html was confirmed: a nice rifle, albeit only in nice weather unless you get rid of the optics and get some real sights. It's reliable. No malfunctions with real ammo, but blanks turned mine into a straight-pull bolt-action. As with the G3, the blank firing devices are to blame, they are using the same. It's accurate, easy on the shoulder and has a nice trigger that allows fast shooting. It's also easy to carry around. It's nice that you can walk through a forrest with the rifle 'high ready' and the red-dot aligned before your left (or right) eye. As long as you don't breath out over the lenses. Breathing water condenses immediately around the rear of the receiver and you have to be careful to keep your optics clean and usable. Which is not that easy during autumn in a humid German forrest. All in all a good rifle in need of better sights.

Other weapons I shot are the HK P8, Uzi, MG3 and PzFst 3.

[ShaiVong]

Damn. I hope preacherman writes a book some day! ;)

[Mike Irwin]

One of the guys who used to come into the gunshop where I used to work had been a Colonel in the Army of the Republic of South Vietnam. He carried a 1911A1 and liked it quite a bit.

[Marko Kloos]

A3 = fixed stock, A4 = retractable, sorry Marko

You're right, of course.

[seeker_two]

Damn. I hope preacherman writes a book some day!

Problem is, the most interesting parts are probably classified TOP SECRET or still under the statutes of limitations...:evil:

[ShaiVong]

still under the statutes of limitations...

I think thats the big problem right there! :D

[M67]

Torsten,

Regarding "silent bolt closure" on the G3, you should have a look at a Kongsberg-made one.

Your friend John, is he the same guy who was at the range with us last year?


Marko, but a drill instructor on the hunt for powder smudge will always find dirt in a G3 if he wants to. (I used to be one, so I can attest to that.) I ain't never been no drill instructor, but I have seen the face of one turn from a somewhat surprised look to a slightly annoyed expression as he kept looking for that smudge until he finally had to admit defeat... :)

Not that I'm a gun cleaning freak. At another post, after basic training, I used to leave my personal pistol next to my issued gear during inspections. That pistol was cleaned "as needed", a fact that could be visually verified from a considerable distance. :D

[T.Stahl]

Yo Øyvind, that's him.

I think I've seen Norwegian G3s. They have an indention with serrations in the bolt carrier, right? That might be enough. One would need a 'silent bolt closure' on a G3 much more rarely than a 'forward assist' on an M16. ;)

During basic training I was trained as a vehicle mechanic. Several of the car mechanics talked about bringing a bucket of cold cleaner or brake cleaner for cleaning the guns. None ever did. :(

[armoredman]

I have an oddball hobby maybe some foriegn vets could help with - I am trying on a very very limted budget to aquire foriegn camo uniforms. I have a liitle Brit DPM stuff, and a couple of Turkish sets from a friend in Norway. Does anyone have anything they might be willing to donate? Sorry to beg, but being a state slave with non-working wife and kid, money is tight.
BTW, stuff in my size would be very very cool.

[4v50 Gary]

Gotta love the G-3 action. My first black rifle, it was my baby during college.

[M67]

The indentation in the Norwegian G3 bolt carrier works. I can't remember actually needing it, either for silence or as a forward assist, but it's there. Of course I only served as an infantryman for 14 weeks during basic training, until the air force gave me a real job. :p During most of my service my rifle only came out of my locker when I occasionally pulled sentry duty or had a chance to go to the shooting range on my own initiative.

The only other modification on the Norwegian G3s made at Kongsberg that I can think of, is the improved accuracy. I haven't had a chance to check for myself but I have heard some claims that they're supposed to more accurate than the "original". ;)

We didn't use break cleaner to clean guns in the service, but some guys I served with were caught by one of their instructors at the local gas station down the road - they were cleaning their G3s with a pressure hose in the car wash... :D

[Stoker]

The inch FAL or SLR was the primary weapon during nearly all of my service in the UK forces and it was very good indeed. Unfortunately, its life was extended unreasonably and there were some very creaky specimens around in the late 1980s. One of the problems was having the fore sight and rear sight on two separate components - I can remember watching the rear sight move sideways relative to the front sight as I took up the trigger pressure during deliberate fire.

The SA 80 has had a great deal of criticism, but I think it is pretty good and we will find that the A2 version becomes trusted.

I have to say though, that I was never called upon to fire either weapon in action, or in a hot, dusty environment.

I learned to shoot using the Lee Enfield No 4 in cadet days. Now that was a wonderful rifle, as many will agree. I have a very nice No4 Mk2 in my safe even now and it is a pleasure to shoot. I would have gone to war with that without a qualm - though I would have liked a semi-auto if I had to clear a trench or a building.

I also used the Browning Hi power. That was a great weapon, though surprisingly sensitive to even very slightly damaged magazines.

[Stoker]

The inch FAL or SLR was the primary weapon during nearly all of my service in the UK forces and it was very good indeed. Unfortunately, its life was extended unreasonably and there were some very creaky specimens around in the late 1980s. One of the problems was having the fore sight and rear sight on two separate components - I can remember watching the rear sight move sideways relative to the front sight as I took up the trigger pressure during deliberate fire.

The SA 80 has had a great deal of criticism, but I think it is pretty good and we will find that the A2 version becomes trusted.

I have to say though, that I was never called upon to fire either weapon in action, or in a hot, dusty environment.

I learned to shoot using the Lee Enfield No 4 in cadet days. Now that was a wonderful rifle, as many will agree. I have a very nice No4 Mk2 in my safe even now and it is a pleasure to shoot. I would have gone to war with that without a qualm - though I would have liked a semi-auto if I had to clear a trench or a building.

I also used the Browning Hi power. That was a great weapon, though surprisingly sensitive to even very slightly damaged magazines.

[Adam]

I have an oddball hobby maybe some foriegn vets could help with - I am trying on a very very limted budget to aquire foriegn camo uniforms. I have a liitle Brit DPM stuff, and a couple of Turkish sets from a friend in Norway. Does anyone have anything they might be willing to donate? Sorry to beg, but being a state slave with non-working wife and kid, money is tight.
I will bring something with me for you friend. I don't know when, but you will have a Polish camo. You know how it's looks. Question will be desert or standard?

About service weapon. I'm not big fan of AK, but it's great rifle for soldier. Reliable, easy to clean, maybe not very accurate, but it's not the most important. AKs in my platoon NEVER failed during one year of my service as a platoon leader. We had 15 AK rifles...

[Leadbutt]

The Fal and the G3 have prove very reliable for me when needed, and the old 49/56 and the FAMAS have worked great, but my favorite was the Sweedish-K,it got me in and out several times and it never failed

[armoredman]

Thanks, Adam, e-mail sent.