H&K 91 This particular rifle has the Namibian furniture which is unique not just because of it’s green color but the slight modifications to the handguard and stock. Note the ventilation holes to help dissipate heat as well as lighten the rifle. The stock’s shape is much more akin to that of the FAL, with a longer length of pull. Lastly an extremely difficult to find green polymer lower housing…that alone without the trigger parts can cost $500-600. The handguard and stock usually cost $350-$400 together.
HK G3 .22 LR Conversion Kit These were designed for training purposes to allow a soldier to become accustom to the newly adopted G3 rifle in Germany after they dumped the G1 (FAL). The kit itself comes with a barrel sleeve insert, new bolt carrier group, cleaning kit and 2 magazines. The mags are painted grey for caliber identification. After a while the kits were sold off as surplus to the U.S where they are sought after by HK collectors and owners. Average price is around $450 to $500. There was a FAL version but is extremely rare, of which the last one I saw sold for over $1,000. This is a nice way to turn your HK91 into a cheap plinker, if you can afford the kit and rifle first.
G3 Training U.S. Army Spc. Tyler Meehan from 1st Battalion, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), from Ft. Myer, Va., observes Kenyan army soldiers assigned to the 20th Parachute Battalion as they practice firing maneuvers at Forward Operating Location Isiolo, Kenya, on April 17, 2008. U.S. Army soldiers from the Old Guard are training Kenyan army soldiers on military operations in urban terrain during a 22-week course. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
G3 A Greek soldier in Afghanistan with his licensed copy of the German HK G3 rifle. They’re made at the Hellenic Arms Industry, which was also responsible for producing the SAR-8 rifles that Springfield Armory imported years ago. Note the optic. The green colored body along with the shape indicates that is a Steiner 4x24 scope. The black Hensoldt 4x24 scopes are more commonly seen in the U.S since a fair amount of them were brought in as surplus optics.
HK 91 Some of the early HK 91 rifles imported by SACO had an interesting feature. Rather than having traditional rifled barrels, they had polygonal rifling, like the PSG-1. When you look down the bore, you’d probably think the rifle had little to no rifling left because of the lack of sharp, defined grooves. Estimated amount of these polygonal 91’s is around 300 or so rifles before standard rifled barreled ones were brought in.
G3 Magazine = Gold The humble and unassuming HK G3 Aluminum “waffle” magazine. This was a cheaper, lighter weight mag as opposed to the steel versions. Downside though was they were prone to denting easier but it would have to be a pretty big one to affect function. When the original 1994 Assault Weapons Ban hit, these magazines were selling for as much as $95.00 EACH. When the ban sunset in 2008, these mags could be found for $5.00 EACH or if you wanted to buy in bulk, they could be bought at $0.99 per 100.
The soldier & the students A Turkish soldier armed with his licensed copy of the HK G3, walks three children to a nearby school. Turkey produces HK G3, 33 and MP5’s under license but they also sell civilian models to the U.S market under the MKE name. Not sure if the slim handguard on his rifle is merely faded in color or has some sort of painted on camouflage. The stock is a basic green, which is sometimes referred to as the “tropical” furniture set.
Stefanie A German soldier with a patch bearing the name of either his girlfriend/fiancee/wife or daughter. Note the HK G3 setup for DMR work. The claw mount usually sets optics too high which makes for a proper cheek weld difficult unless you use a stock with an adjustable comb. Note the improvised rail under the handguard for a Harris bipod. If you look closely at the muzzle it appears that a standard G3 muzzle cap has been put on.
Rivals… The FAL and G3, though technically the rifle in the picture is a PTR-91, you can see the scorpion logo they stamp onto the mag well. Long standing debate about which is better. Some argue the FAL is more ergonomically friendly, whereas the G3 is much more accurate. Your mileage may vary but buy both and be happy with them.
Bundeswehr A pair of German soldiers in Afghanistan with their distinct camouflage pattern. Note that both of their rifles are camouflaged as well; the HK G36 and the HK G3. The G3 in this picture is most likely used in a DMR role, with the scope and bipod present. Note the holstered HK USP.
G3 Grenade Launcher Norwegian soldiers training in Afghanistan. Note the lead soldier’s G3 rifle. It has the HK79 under barrel grenade launcher, the German equivalent to the U.S M203 40mm grenade launcher.
Custom G3KA4 A G3K build that really isn’t a G3K. In order to meet ATF requirements to avoid the SBR classification, the builder attached a 4” flash hider to the 12” barrel, bringing it to a legal 16” length. I’ve always thought this to be the lazy way to build a G3K, using that awful looking long flash hider. The better option would be to use a 14” barrel and attach the standard 2” G3 flash hider.
PTR-91 A semi-auto U.S made clone of the German G3. The handguard is made by PTR and allows the shooter to attach rails for other accessories. This is sort of an “in-the-middle” priced handguard; better quality than the cheap UTG stuff but not as good as the Brugger & Thomet rail. Note the GG&G bipod.
Ghillie… A member of Turkish Gendarmerie Special Combat Team with a scoped G3. In spite many nations adopting smaller, lightweight rifles in 5.56x45mm, the need for larger rifles in 7.62x51mm has seen a resurgence. The U.S military still fields the M14 (usually in an EBR configuration) for DMR work, along with the German military doing the same with the G3.
Captured… A Captain of the French Gendarmerie displays all of the captured/confiscated weapons during raids in the town of Marseille. Aside from the SAGE EBR, note G3, Garand, AK, and Berthier Carbine, among other things. Apparently the cause for the raids was due to continued conflicts between rival criminal organizations, resulting in 19 deaths over the span of a year.
