Key facts
- Type
- Battle rifle
- Place of origin
- West Germany
- In service
- 1959–present
- Used by
- See Users
- Wars
- See Conflicts
- Designer
- CETME , Mauser , Heckler & Koch
- Designed
- 1950s
- Manufacturer
- Heckler & Koch (original), Rheinmetall , MIC , SEDENA , Kongsberg Gruppen Pakistan Ordnance Factories , and others
- Produced
- 1958–present
- Number span no built
- 8,000,000
- Variants
- See Variants
- Mass
- 4.38 kg (9.66 lb) (G3A3), 4.7 kg (10 lb) (G3A4)
Article
The Heckler & Koch G3 (German: Gewehr 3) is a select-fire battle rifle chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO developed in the 1950s by the West German firearms manufacturer Heckler & Koch, in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned firearms manufacturer CETME. The G3 was the service rifle of the West German Bundeswehr until it was replaced by the Heckler & Koch G36 in the 1990s after German reunification, and was adopted into service with numerous other countries.
The G3 has been exported to over 70 countries and manufactured under license in at least 15 countries. Over 7.8 million G3s have been produced. Its modular design was used for several other HK firearm models, including the HK21, MP5, HK33, PSG1, and G41.