G-3 is main service rifle of Pakistan Army manufactured locally under license. In this article we will tell you about G-3 in detail and variants in service with Pakistan Army.
INTRODUCTION
G-3 also known as “Gewehr” 3 is a 7.62×51 mm cartridge assault rifle developed in 1950s by German armament manufacturer Heckler and Koch in collaboration with a Spanish company.
WORKING MECHANISM
G-3 uses roller-delayed blow-back mechanism. The two-piece bolt assembly consists of bolt head and bolt carrier. The bolt is held in battery by two sliding cylindrical rollers that engage locking recesses in the barrel extension. The breech is opened when both rollers are compressed inward against camming surfaces driven by the rearward pressure of the expanding gases upon the bolt head. As the rollers move inward, recoil energy is transferred to the locking piece and bolt carrier which begin to withdraw while the bolt head slowly moves rearward in relation to the bolt carrier. As the bolt carrier clears the rollers, pressure in the bore drops to a safe level, the bolt head is caught by the bolt carrier and moves to the rear as one unit, continuing the operating cycle. Based on the geometric relationship arising from the angles of the roller contact surfaces of the locking piece and the barrel extension recesses, the recoil of the bolt head is delayed by a ratio of 4:1 for the 7.62×51 mm NATO chambering. Thus, during the same period, the bolt head carrier moves 4 times faster than the bolt head. This ratio is continued until the locking rollers have been withdrawn from the barrel extension recesses. The bolt features an anti-bounce mechanism that prevents the bolt from bouncing off the barrel’s breech surface. The “bolt head locking lever” is a spring-loaded claw mounted on the bolt carrier that grabs the bolt head as the bolt carrier group goes into battery. The lever essentially ratchets into place with friction, providing enough resistance to being re-opened that the bolt carrier does not rebound. The spring-powered claw extractor is also contained inside the bolt while the lever ejector is located inside the trigger housing (actuated by the recoiling bolt).
MAGAZINE SIZE
G-3 uses 20 rounds double stack magazine. Bullets are stacked side by side hence reducing the over- all length of mag.
SIGHTS
Original G-3 rifle variant had iron sight line that consisted of flip up rear sight and hooded front post. Modern rifles also use telescopes and holographic sights for longer ranges.
ACCESSORIES
G-3 can be equipped with detachable bipod, HK79 40 mm under-barrel grenade launcher and sound suppressor for special operations.
General Specifications:
•Mass: 4.38 kg (G-3A3) & 4.7 kg(G-3A4)
•Length: 1,025 mm
•Barrel Length: 450 mm
•Cartridge: 7.62×51 mm NATO standard
•Rate of Fire: 500-600 rounds/min
•Muzzle Velocity: 800 m/s
•Effective Range: 400 meters (iron sights) & 600 meters (telescopic sight)
•Number Built: 7,800,000 units
Variants in Service with Pakistan Army
•G-3P4
Pakistan Ordinance Factories designation for license produced G-3A4 rifles. It has adjustable metal stock.
•G-3A3
Standard rifle with fixed polymer stock.
•PSR-90
The Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle, PSR 90 cal. 7.62 mm x 51 NATO is a modern combat rifle combining the accuracy of a sniper rifle with the firepower of a machine gun. It is produced in accordance with the most advanced manufacturing methods. The rifle is designed for semi-automatic fire and can be fired from any shooting position. The Sniper Rifle is recoil operated weapons with free floating barrel and delayed roller-locked bolt system and is fed from a 5 or 20 rounds magazine. Each rifle is provided with means to mount a telescope. It was developed from the reverse engineering of G3 operational mechanism.
It has following characteristics
Cartridge: 7.62×51 mm
Range: 1000 meters
Muzzle Velocity: 870 m/s
Feed: 5-20 Round Magazine
Sight: 5.5-22x 50 NXS
Optional: Suppressor, Telescope and Carrying Sling
• G-3S
G-3 rifle made for close quarters combat with a shorter barrel. It is a light weight and easy to handle in hostage rescue and anti-criminal operations in buildings where agility is important
REPLACEMENTS
After decades of service in Pakistan Army as main rifle, army seeks new rifle for replacement of G-3. Army tested FN Herstal SCAR, Beretta ARX-200, Zastava M21, CZ-Bren 806/7 and Kalashinkov Ak-103 in extreme conditions of temperature and humidity. A competitor also developed locally by POF is PK-18.
PK-18
Assault Rifle PK-18 7.62 x 51 mm is a compact, rifle lightweight weapon, which is created with advance built-up systems. It is a gas-operated rotating bolt rifle with the capacity of 20-round magazines. Each rifle is designed to mount sights such as mechanical, optical, and thermal. It can fire both ways semi-automatic and fully automatic and it can fire from any position. All the advanced features used in the manufacturing of the rifle made it highly reliable in a difficult operational situation. It has following characteristics.
1. Caliber: 7.62×51 mm
2. Weight: 3.8 Kg
3. Operational Mechanism: Gas Operated.
4. Muzzle Velocity: 780-820 m/s
5. Rate of Fire: 500-600 r/m
6. Effective Range: 400 m
7. Accuracy: 600m
