The G3 Rifle - "The Bride of the Infantry"

[Oberzollrat]

Great information!

Many thanks,
TJ

Hello,

ZGD G-3's where marked with "BVZ" -Bundesfinanzverwaltung- less then 200 where used by ZGD. A real rare one.

Another importent detail: In normal use only semi-automatic can be fired!!! Automatic-Fire was blocked, you need a special smal tool looks like a sisle!! to chance for auto!
Only the Firearms-Instructors (like me, smile!) where given this tool.

Zoll was/is a very special Federal Special-Police in Germany!!
h.

[Tom B]

Very interesting info !! Thank you for posting ! Tom

[BWilhelm]

Another view of the STg 45. This version appears to be in 8mm vice the 7.9mm Kurz of the model seen above.

That rifle is not an STG45. In fact, it's not even German but Swiss.

[jujuy]

very old thread , but the "G3" was first develop in france where Vorgrimmler was hosted. He created a gun that was not accepted for the french army, and went to spain where he finished his project that became the cetmehttps://guns.fandom.com/wiki/Ludwig_Vorgrimmler. there are a lot of datas on the web about. Look at this, seems a real G3, but it is french: https://guns.fandom.com/wiki/CEAM_Mod%C3%A8le_1950

Team - I thought it was high time to start a thread on the Bundeswehr's famous G3 service rifle. See below for an excerpt from my long neglected writing project on the modern German Infantry. Your commentary and criticism is welcomed.

Also attached is a picture of the prototype G3 hanging underneath it's wartime predecessor, the STg 45. The picture was taken at the Technical Museum in Koblenz in 2003.

I'd love to hear your stories about the G3!

All the best - TJ

The G3, adopted in 1959 as a result of the licensing dispute with Fabrique National, would serve as the “bride of the infantry” (braut des infanteristen) well into the next millennium. The rifle had an interesting developmental history, which is worth briefly recounting here. Dr. Heinrich Vollmer, a prolific weapons designer for Mauser Werke, who is variously credited with inventing both the MP-40 submachine gun and the MG34 machine gun, designed the G3. At war’s end, perhaps seeking to avoid involuntary service with the Allies (read Russians), Dr. Vollmer migrated south. He soon found gainful employment with the Spanish Government who lost no time installing him in Madrid’s newly established Center for the Technical Study of Special Materials (Centro Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales or CETME).
Vollmer focused his efforts on developing a modern assault rifle to replace Spain’s bolt-action Mausers. He had done similar work for the Third Reich, which had began replacing the Mauser Kar98 with assault rifles in the latter part of World War II. The most successful of these assault rifles was the MP44. Vollmer derived his first Spanish prototype from the MP44’s heir apparent, the Sturmgewehr 45 (STG 45). Called the “CETME”, after its place of origin, Vollmer’s new design made its first appearance in 1949. With Spain having deemed the STG 45’s 7.92x33mm cartridge unacceptable, Vollmer’s prototype was chambered for conventional 8mm rifle ammunition. This too was found unsatisfactory and work would continue on new designs. Vollmer finally achieved success in 1956, when the CETME “Modelo A,” chambered in the newly established NATO standard of 7.62 x 51mm, was adopted for service. The Model B, an improved design using input from the field, followed in 1958.
It was this version of the weapon that received the full attention of the West German government. Although Spain had transferred manufacturing rights to the Dutch firm of NWM, West Germany apparently made an offer that “couldn’t be refused” and succeeded in transferring the license once again, this time to the now famous firm of Heckler and Koch in Oberndorf am Neckar. Heckler and Koch would begin manufacture of weapon derived from the latest version of the CETME, the Model C. West Germany would take this version of the rifle into service in 1959 as the G3.
The G3 is a hand held, selective fire shoulder weapon that employs a delayed blowback action. Fed from a twenty-round box magazine, it’s lineage as a descendent of the wartime MP 44 and STG 45 is readily evident in the pressed steel receiver and tapered butt stock. The safety / fire selector is located above the trigger guard on the left side of the trigger group housing and is marked "S - E - F" (Safe/Sicher - Single shots/Einzelfeuer - Full auto/Feuerstoss). Nomenclature of the earliest models is still open to interpretation, what follows is the author’s best guest with the information currently available:
G3A1 – The earliest variant of the G3 rifle. It had ventilated hand guards made of stamped metal with a CETME style flip-up diopter rear sight. Like the G3A2, it would carry the CETME logo until 1961.
G3A2 – This version had a rotating rear drum sight marked from 100 to 400 meters with wooden furniture.
G3A3 – Taken into service in 1982, this version retained the drum sight. Having determined that the wooden furniture retained excessive amounts of heat, H & K replaced the wooden butt stock, pistol grip and hand guards with newly engineered components made of olive drab plastic.
G3A4 – The G3A4 had a retractable metal butt stock with a hard rubber butt plate. This version of the G3 was issued to jaeger, paratroopers, mountain troops and Carl Gustav assistant gunners.
G3A3ZF – This was the nomenclature assigned to a G3A3 with a detachable sniper scope (Zielfernrohr) sighted out to 600 meters. Limited use was also made of the ELTRO Type B8-Y Infrared Spotting Scope (Zielgeraet, Satz, Infrarot ELTRO Type B8-Y).
The author had the opportunity fire the G3 during the late 1980s while competing for the coveted West German marksmanship award (Schutzenschnur). A somewhat unsightly weapon, it was highly functional nonetheless. Having exclusively employed the 5.56mm M-16 until that time, the author recalled being taken aback by the heft and recoil of the weapon. The G3 felt like a rifle should! Although manipulating the cocking lever (located on the left side of the tube near the front sight) took some getting used to, the author was nonetheless impressed with the performance and accuracy of the weapon; “point and shoot, you hit what you aim at.” Weighing in at 9.7 pounds empty, it has a maximum effective range of 550 yards.