Rheinmetall MG3 (Maschinengewehr Modell 3)

History

The West German MG3 ("Machine Gun Model 3") General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) entered service in 1968 under the Rheinmetall brand label and is still in widespread use today (2014). The weapon was developed as a multipurpose GPMG, a classification that represents a group of specialized machine guns in the military.

These weapons are usually air-cooled, require a barrel change, are fed from an ammo belt (usually rifle caliber sized), and can be fired from a bipod, heavy tripod, or as a vehicle-mounted weapon. As such, these versatile weapons are required to perform various roles on the battlefield - direct infantry engagement, suppression, air defense, etc. The Germans first realized the GPMG concept and introduced the MG34 GPMG (1939-1945) in 1934 before World War II.

The design was tweaked to the MG42 in 1942 and proved to be one of the best machine guns of the war.

The MG3 started out as "MG1", which basically continued the production of the German wartime MG42. However, as the West transitioned to the 7.62x51mm NATO standard rifle cartridge in the postwar decade, the gun was redesigned to accommodate the new cartridge and no longer supported the old 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge.

To meet the requirements of the West German Army for a modern GPMG, the MG42 with a new cartridge shape was selected and design work began in 1958. Several other changes were made to the original design to better accept and fully fire NATO cartridges.

The MG1 line officially launched in 1960, and by and large the gun remains faithful to the wartime MG42, whose original manufacturing plans were lost in the conflict.

After several years of field service, engineers reworked the MG1, adding a new feed mechanism and anti-aircraft sights with ammo box support. These changes led to the MG3 name, which was officially adopted in 1968.

The weapon has been successful both locally and globally, being exported to various national militaries around the world and entering local production with a handful of major powers.

This West German machine gun has evolved into several variants. The MG1 was used to designate the wartime MG42 machine gun, reverse engineered and modified by Rheinmetall to fire the standard 7.62x51mm NATO rifle cartridge. This included changes to the feed and bolt system, but the gun retained many of the external features and internal features of the wartime version, including muzzle boosters and gas ports.

The 1958 MG1A1 (MG42/58) had all sights recalibrated to accommodate the firing of the new cartridges as well as the new trigger system. For sturdiness, the hole is also lined with chrome. The 1959 MG1A2 (MG42/59) had an extended ejection port for improved ejection, a friction ring bumper and a heavier bolt assembly - the latter could withstand the weapon's high rate of fire - and was basically used as an outgoing The prototype of the MG3. The MG1A3 is an improved version of the MG1A2 with an improved bolt, trigger, feed system and bipod assembly. A new muzzle booster has also been added.

MG1A4 is the car mount MG1, eliminating the bipod assembly, anti-aircraft sight and shoulder strap mount. A shoulder pad was added and a new muzzle booster was installed. The MG1A5 is an upgrade to the MG1A4 standard MG1A3 with the same muzzle booster assembly.

The MG2 covers a major modification of the wartime MG42, which converts from the classic 7.92mm Mauser cartridge to the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. As a result, the barrel assembly, feed mechanism and shutter system were changed.

The MG3 was developed from the MG1A2 and was also based on the follow-up MG1A3, while also featuring new mirrors for improved anti-aircraft capabilities. The feed system now accepts unprovoked and rotting conveyor belts through an enlarged ejection port and supports a 100-round magazine.

The barrel is tapered on the outside and lined with chrome for durability. Subsequently, the MG3E became a lighter version of the MG3 for use in NATO trials.

Before the launch of the 2010 Heckler & Koch HK121 GPMG, the MG3A1 became the vehicle-mounted form and the MG3KWS was the transition solution.

From Argentina and Australia to Togo and Turkey, operators of the MG3 and related machine guns have proven themselves in numbers. Major operators include Brazil, Canada, Finland, Greece, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Sweden, among others.

In its various host countries, MG3 has local names such as "MG74" in Austria, "M/62" in Denmark, "7.62 KK MG3" in Finland, "Karar" and "KSP m/" in Sudan. 94". Sweden.

The Iranians purchased MG3 stocks in the early 1970s to complement their newly purchased Heckler & Koch HK G3 battle rifles (using the same ammo, but in magazine form). The MG3 replaces the existing stock of the American Browning 0.30 caliber machine gun Czech ZB vz. 30 LMGs do the same thing. During the bloody Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), they were forced to carry out a large number of combat missions and are still widespread today.

Local licensed production is also taking place in Iran.

Pakistan is licensed to manufacture this weapon locally through the Pakistan Ordnance Factory. Additional production was carried out in Greece by the Hellenic Arms Industry (now the Hellenic Defense System).

SEDENA from Mexico produces the weapon locally, as does the military industrial company from Sudan. General Dynamics (Santa Barbara Sistemas) from Spain. Italian production is carried out by Beretta.

As designed, the MG3 has an overall weight of 23 pounds and an overall length of 48 inches. Its barrel is 22 inches long. The action is centered on the recoil operation, roller locking system used in the wartime MG42. The rate of fire is 1,000 to 1,300 rounds per minute, and the muzzle velocity is 2,700 feet per second.

With the included sight assembly (open tangent iron sight), the effective range is up to 1,200 meters. The maximum range is easily 3,000 meters. The feed usually consists of 50 rounds of endless belts followed by 100 rounds of crushing belts.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes