What Middle-Eastern countries made G3's??
- Thread starter MMissile
- Start date
The Heckler & Koch G3 rifle has been produced under license in at least 15 countries, including Pakistan, Brazil, Iran, France, Greece, Norway, Mexico, Myanmar, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Over 7.8 million G3s have been produced worldwide.
Don't forget the USA, too.
Don't forget the USA, too.
Here I am.
Known manufacturers (under license) of the G3 rifle
Brazil
France (MAS)(Manufacture de’armes de Saint-Etienne)
Greece (EBO)(Elliniki Biomihania Oplon)- Hellenic Arms Industry
Iran (DIO)(Defense Industries Organization)(created in 1981)- previously MIO (Military Industries Organization)
Luxembourg (Luxembourg Defense Technologie)
Mexico
Myanmar (KaPaSa Factories)
Norway (Kongsberg Vapenfabrikk)
Pakistan (POF)(Pakistan Ordnance Factories)
Portugal (FMBP)(Fabrica Militar de Braco de Prata)- Braco de Prata Military Factory (FBP)(Fabrica de Braco de Prata)- Braco de Prata Factory
(FMP)(Fabrica Militar de Portugal)- Portugal Military Factory
Saudi Arabia
Sweden (Husqvarna Vapenfabrik AB and FFV Carl-Gustaf)
Thailand
Turkey (MKE)(Makina ve Kimya Endustrisi)- Mechanical and Chemical Corporation
Stock colors
- tan stock set (stock and buttpad, forearm, pistol grip, charging handle, and bayonet)- Saudi Arabia
- blue stock set (stock and butt pad)- Saudi Arabia (Royal Guard)(example seen- date code “II”)
- green stock set (FMP)
- Namibian furniture (original, green, FMP, plastic furniture (slimline forearm) would shrink, secondary to heat and UV exposure in South Africa, and fitment became an issue (i.e., furniture began to “rattle”)
a) new wide forearm manufactured by Choate Machine & Tool Company (new polymer formula; extends to the rear to the front of the receiver at the magazine well (v. to the base of the barrel); left and right side- 7 vent holes 1 vent hole; underneath- 5 vent holes 1 vent hole; bipod attachment point at the front and bipod cutouts)
b) new stock manufactured by ? (based on the FAL- “hump” on top rear; rubber buttpad; sling swivel on bottom; no 2 pin holes or sling attachment at the rear like the FMP G3; heavy buffer)
c) same green, FMP pistol grip and plastic charging handle
Tony
marquesgriffin
Contributing member
You are on the track. There were a lot of Middle Eastern G3 users.
The brown furniture you are thinking of is usually found on G3s. They used a kind of handguard that is brown. Sometimes people think it is made of wood.
Pakistani G3 rifles are usually green or black. Turkish and Saudi G3s are usually made like the standard G3s from Germany. If you want to build a G3 that looks like one from a country you probably want to make an Iranian style G3. Iran G3s are well known, for their brown furniture.
The brown furniture you are thinking of is usually found on G3s. They used a kind of handguard that is brown. Sometimes people think it is made of wood.
Pakistani G3 rifles are usually green or black. Turkish and Saudi G3s are usually made like the standard G3s from Germany. If you want to build a G3 that looks like one from a country you probably want to make an Iranian style G3. Iran G3s are well known, for their brown furniture.
We're looking for clear receiver markings for the pre-DIO period. The Shah period. I already researched enough to find the Iranian brown stuff. Now, the markings for the receiver and lower... I'm sure there's Farsi markings.
I was looking into this recently and found some really useful period photos in R. Blake Stevens' Full Circle: A Treatise on Roller Locking (Collector Grade Publications, 2006).
..that is of course unless you have already been there and done that!
They break down Iranian G3 production/markings into three distinct periods. I think the information is still worth sharing if it can help others out who do not have access to the resource..
Iranian G3 production goes back to the Shah era, with production established in Iran under license after the German MoD approved the arrangement. The deal involved Fritz Werner (FW), a German state-owned machine-tool company, setting up G3 and MG3 production in Iran. [Stevens, Full Circle: A Treatise on Roller Locking (2006)]
Markings are in Farsi for the left side only, right side are standard German SEF- seems to be true on all versions.
Shah era.. they have the Imperial lion-and-sun emblem with the sword on the receiver. As for a reference year.. they apparently were dated using the short-lived Imperial Calendar, with the one photographed example I know of being from "2535!" (or 1976..
)Only visible difference is the Imperial markings were replaced with the emblem of the Islamic Republic. Date reference was 1985, or "1364" since the adoption of the Solar Calendar presumably shifted dates around. Book also notes green furniture was used to add more confusion..
DIO-production ones, which were seemingly standardized shortly after version two, maybe in 1986 or 1987. They use the DIO emblem on the receiver as to be expected..
Not sure about sharing the photos.. assume they are all copyrighted, but a Google search is never too far away.
Wow, I have yet to see a cocking-lever like that! Looks like the extended HK21E type but in the matching brown? You learn something new everyday here.. thanks for sharing.