Weapons Systems
Heckler & Koch G3
Contemporary
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The Heckler & Koch G3 is a select-fire battle rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO, developed jointly by the Spanish state manufacturer CETME and the West German firm Heckler & Koch and formally adopted by the West German Bundeswehr in January 1959. The rifle uses a roller-delayed blowback operating system and a modular design that allowed customized components across variants. More than 7.8 million G3s have been produced across multiple manufacturers, and the rifle has been exported to more than 70 countries and built under license in at least 15 nations. It served as West Germany's primary infantry rifle from 1959 until it was replaced by the Heckler & Koch G36 in the 1990s following German reunification.
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