Firearms of the Cold War Part 1 with firearms expert Jonathan Ferguson & Cold War expert Ian Sanders

[@RoyalArmouriesMuseum]

For those playing our weekly guessing game, the answer was 'Pakistan Ordnance Factories G3A3'. Enjoy the episode! EDIT: As a few of you have pointed out, the picture in reference to Chile is not a G3 (but rather SIG 510's) as the editor will now never forget.

[@zoiders]

There was only myself and one other I think.

[@F1ghteR41]

It's a weird guessing game if the answer isn't given in the video itself, don't you think?

[@JonathanFergusonRoyalArmouries]

@@F1ghteR41 I planned to include the POF G3 in the episode but we ran long due to the conversation format so I had to choose what not to include.

[@F1ghteR41]

@@JonathanFergusonRoyalArmouries Ah, I see, thanks for explanation.

[@moizv4771]

Knew it, the moment I saw it

[@donFede23137]

Glad to see that Jonathan Ferguson The Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armories Museum in the UK, home to thousands of iconic weapons throughout history, is doing well

[@Max-hw7xl]

i too am happy that Jonathan Ferguson The Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armories Museum in the UK, home to thousands of iconic weapons throughout history is looking good

[@MikeBobby-l7o]

Jonathan's caveat about AK's really only being "cheap" or cost effective at scale (with a huge factory) is such a important and often overlooked point. This is also why I love Jonathan Ferguson so much, that attention to detail and nuance in these conversations. AK's are actually not "cheap" rifles in quality or in basic manufacture, the design is scalable. Meaning the design is ideal for mass industrial production with the right machines and assembly lines. Meaning there is a huge upfront cost, but it becomes more and more cost effective the more you produce at scale. This is actually why American produced AK have such a rocky history, many companies tried small scale production and cut costs by casting parts instead of having them properly milled or hammer forged, which lead to very unreliable and sometimes dangerous firearms. That's exactly why import AKs were so much better, they already had the multi million dollar infrastructure in genuine cold war era factories. Ironically AR's are far cheaper to produce in small batches especially with modern CNC machines. For an AR you can just mill out a block of aluminum with a robot, compared to the human labor and industrial presses required for a stamped steel AK receiver. It's why we are in this situation today in the US where AR's are now half the cost of a decent AK.

[@Matt-yv6yu]

Very well said! Love reading comments from other ppl who are at least as big of a firearm history and engineering nerd as I am!

[@AllAboutSurvival]

I appreciate how this discussion highlights the significance of firearms not only as tools of defense but also as symbols of power and ideology.

[@ColdWarConversations]

Thanks for watching!

[@CTyler84]

In Norway, the G3A3 (AG3) was my father's service rifle in the military, as well as mine. Great rifle, kicks like a mule, but heavy and it rusted if you looked at it wrong. So it was handy that it was so simple to strip down. Doing it blindfolded was not a challenge at all.

[@dbmail545]

The A3 collapsible buttstock makes an already heavy rifle even heavier.

[@CTyler84]

@@dbmail545 Good thing we didn't have those, then.

[@Stravaig83]

Not usually no, but some units were given them. AG-3 ftw

[@CTyler84]

​@@Stravaig83 AG3F1, yeah allegedly some 11000 of them. Never even saw one.

[@markwalker4485]

If you had ever used a FN FAL you would have thrown your G3 away. I know I did.

[@hafensanger0821]

At the end of the Cold War, I was trained with the G3 in the German army. Our instructors had taught us to pull the lever completely to the rear in one quick, powerful movement and let go. Locking it in the rear position and then making the ‘slap’ movement was not allowed. I was able to disassemble and reassemble the rifle blindfolded. Everything was easy to operate, robust and logically designed. My rifle was frighteningly accurate, the drum sight took some time getting used to, but worked well. The only thing that bothered me was the heavy weight of the gun. After a joint exercise with American soldiers, we realised how light an assault rifle can be. And we were amazed at how little recoil other weapons had - compared to our G3, which kicked like a horse. But we still liked our rifle.

[@donwyoming1936]

When people shoot my G3s, they never ask to shoot them again. The recoil is too much

[@Thisandthat8908]

a few years after the cold war in a unit of very mid-rated conscripts (and a increasingly underfunded Bundeswehr) , we got really crappy, old ones. Each came with it's notes on how you'd have to adjust aiming..

[@mr.stotruppen8724]

Armyisms is as armyisms does. Often it starts as "both of these things work but we can only make one the standard" and eventually busybody NCOs (to whom the letter of the law is what gets them promotions rather than the spirit) unfailingly commit to micromanaging your every action down to how you tie your boot laces for the sake of uniformity rather than any real practical advantage.

[@Wavehead-r4p]

7.62 vs. 5.56 is the reason why other assault rifles had less kickback

[@SMGJohn]

The rifle ammo weights a lot more than the intermediate cartridges too. Which is why the Soviets went away from 7.62 towards 5.45 being much lighter and flatter shooting.

[@ahemzal]

The G3 is an indestructible and extremely efficient weapon. Its complexity lies in its simplicity, its robustness, its precision and its firepower. In all my years as a German soldier, I can't remember a single occasion when this rifle showed a weakness. Whether in water, mud, dust, heat or cold. The G3 works. Similar to the MG 3 (formerly MG 42). That is why both weapons are still used in the Bundeswehr today. You quickly get used to the strong recoil of the G3 and after a short time you no longer notice it. On the other hand, it has maximum penetrating power.

[@tjt5331]

Indeed. As an anecdote to how you get used to its recoil is that during my service in the Swedish Army our unit was equipped with the AK4 (mid 90's) while the field brigades had switch to the 5.56 AK5. So when we got to try out an AK5 about mid way through the service period I was firing it from a prone position at a group of "SAAB targets" (self folding when hit) at about 100-150 meters with iron sights. I was firing double shots as per standard drill and started to laugh out loud doing it so the Captain came over and asked me what the heck is going on. I looked up at him and exclaim "It doesnt move out of the target even with double shots!" The AK5's live 5.56 felt to have about or less recoil then the blancs for the AK4's 7.62.

[@AggressivelyLoving]

I just read the news on the GameSpot channel. Please, Mr. Ferguson, do a collab with Dave and recreate the series on another channel or maybe this one!

[@Sarados1980]

During my time at the german armed forces, they told us to not use the the "H&K slap" because it's simply to loud and could give away your position. So instead of training to not use it in special circumstances, they simply told us to not use it at all - german efficiency :D

[@samtross]

As a former German Soldier i can say, the G3 nearly never jammed. A G3 jamming for more than one try after a reload never happened in my time. Nomaly you blow out every crap when a shot is fired and the fun goes on. And i can say i sunk my G3 a couple of times in deep mud and fine sand in the dunes. It just worked like a charme. I would not swap my G3 for a G36...you have more punch and longer range in the field. Close quarters are a different thing. There i would choose a modified G36...

[@gurra63able]

It was the same for the Swedish-made AK-4 (G3 modified), if there was a problem it was 99% fixed on a worn fire pin.

[@dodgeman777]

Wasn't expecting a banger of a Metal Gear Solid 3 quote right away

[@GuyMahoney]

The world was split in to two, east and two, that marked the beginning of World War 2.

[@MrShoryuken1]

1:47 Also immediately thought of this haha!

[@coolsenjoyer]

"A guy who's only seen Boss Baby" moment

[@eradeklerk]

I was issued an FN FAL at college, but once I graduated, I was issued an R1 and later the R4. The R1 was always my 'baby' and had plenty of firepower.

[@davidbowman2716]

Here in Mexico the G3 and the AK colloquially known as "Cuerno de Chivo" (goat horn) clashed almost on daily basis being the favorite tool of the cartels, until the G3 was replaced by the FX-05 Xiuhcoatl in the Mexican Army.

[@Bigcat726]

I still see Mexican army national guard still use G3s at the border crossing checkpoints

[@davidbowman2716]

@Bigcat726 Here at the México city they're gone

[@KrikZ32]

That's cool Mexico made their own version of the G36, I'd never heard about that thing.

[@acid6urns]

@@KrikZ32the fx05 isn’t a version of the g36. it’s an entirely different operating system, it’s a long stroke gas piston rifle. the g36 is short stroke.

[@davidbowman2716]

@@acid6urns Is like an AK gas operation.

[@svanteuller7928]

On the Swedish AK4 (an adopted G3) we closed the bolt with a slap just as you showed it.

[@MrSloika]

I've fired the G3 at a gun club in Pennsylvania. The guy who showed me how to use the gun was a US Marine Corp vet who trained on the G3 during his time in service. He told me to slap the changing handle as well.

[@vidmore4203]

As they mentioned: HK Slap was absolutely forbidden in the Bundeswehr (West-German Army of the time)

[@mare2971]

Bundeswehr didn't adopted the MP5 in a large scale but german police forces did. They all teach the HK slap to close the bolt as far as I know.

[@tavish4699]

@@vidmore4203no it wasn’t we were taught to do it

[@tjt5331]

When I did my service we had two ways with the AK4. One for Fire range and Live fire exercise, "communal loading" (on a line together), and that was the "HK slap". While the field two sided excercises "battle/combat" way to load was to silently let the bolt forward holding the charging handle and then push the bolt into place/lock with your thumb using the rifling on the bolt that the AK4 have.

[@mzjango]

First rifle I ever handled was an Iranian made G3A4 with the sliding stock in Tabriz Iran, I would go there in the summer and stay at my grandmothers place, she lived nextdoor to some sort of political figure who had a guard house outside in the lane where there would always be a conscript, the locals would often bring the guard food and my cousin and I would play football with them in the lane. One time we asked if we could see his rifle, he removed the magazine (then hopefully cleared it lol) and handed it over, granted I was very young, but I remeber it being so heavy that I could hardly hold it up 😂

[@tamlandipper29]

Vivid story. Thanks.

[@TheSundayShooter]

I like how Jonathan's wearing Royal Armouries merch

[@Wutsizbukkit]

I mean yeah, he works there

[@JonathanFergusonRoyalArmouries]

@@Wutsizbukkit Also, they made me :D

[@Wutsizbukkit]

@@JonathanFergusonRoyalArmouries XD love your work, man

[@allanburt5250]

Brilliant guys enjoyed this one, more please

[@andrewcombe8907]

I was in the Australian Army reserve from 1986 and we had the L1A1 SLR and our instructors were all Vietnam veterans who were obsessed with silent operations as they had fought in close jungle. There is no way they would have allowed us to do anything like the H&K slap as it would have been heard in Hanoi.

[@stevenmoens5427]

The G3 was in British service for quite a while as well. The RUC and subsequently the PSNI quite routinely carried them in rural areas. Sometime in the early 2010’s all auto capable long firearms were removed from ordinary patrol duties and replaced by the semi-auto only G36.

[@hstwodrainage.1410]

Did the R.U.C. not use the 5.56MM version?

[@stevenmoens5427]

@, both G3 and G33 in 7.62 and 5.56 respectively were used by the RUC as well as the PSNI until I think 2012 when all automatic capability ( actually 3 round burst ) including MP5 was withdrawn from all but specialist units. The G36 in semi-auto only replaced the other three.

[@AdurianJ]

I still have a G3 (AK4C) as my service rifle. It got updated to the C variant as late as last year across the board in the Home guard. It will also outlive the AK5 as we get the new SAKO AK24/25 across the board

[@mpopenker]

Chile never used G3, they had SIG 510, which are clearly visible on the photo at 25:06. Also, Turkey uses BOTH G3 and AKM

[@RoyalArmouriesMuseum]

The photo was a mistake by the editor, good catch.

[@F1ghteR41]

Not to mention the HK33.

[@crazycucumis]

Wild Maxim has appeared, boss music starts playing.

[@aliasalias8433]

Chile used the HK 33 for specialist roles, Standard service rifle was the SIG. Turkey used the MPi K 7,62, ex-DDR AKMs spent from Germany, alongside G3 und HK 33.

[@chrillemekniven]

I grew up as a conscript with the AK5 (FN-C) in 1993 and got the AK4 (G3) when joining the "Dads Army" in mid 2000s, our proud Swedish Home Guard. My G3 was licence but Carl Gustaf Rifle Manufacturer, and stamped in 1968... still in pristine condition and working like a clock. But it was quiet difficult to handle for smaller soldiers and less muscular women. We often had a laugh that if you ran out of ammo you could always use it as a spear or a baseball bat, bezerking your way through the enemy;-D After experiences in Afghanistan the 7.62 round got a revival as a car motorblock/shooting trough walls kind of round, for a few years back our Home Guard got the AK4C with the new Spuhr stock and the regular forces got the pimped version as a sharp shooters rifle with a fairly good scope on it, also for the spotters in sniper pairs. So it´s still going strong but will probably be back in stores now when we will get the Finnish manufactured AR15 platform.

[@D2C3R5]

the G3 has a recoil operation so it kicks hard. Rapid fire is very difficult. The AK 47 has a gas operation so when it cycles the operation absorbs quite a bit of the kick and it's and easier weapon to handle. Plus the AK 7.62 round has a little less kick than the NATO 7.62 round.

[@DevilbyMoonlight]

Dust cover on the AK covers only the slot for the cocking handle... on the SLR the slot is never exposed, back in the day each one of us carried 5 mags of 20 rds plus 1 on the rifle, plus 50 to 100 rds of link for the gpmg - only weakness the SLR had was the way the sights are setup - zero could shift slightly when you broke it open to clean it - on the shooting teams I was on we never broke them open to clean them on the lead up to the competition, we cleaned them as best we could without breaking the action open instead.

[@marcoengelbracht4141]

I have served my time by end of the 80's into 1990 and this was my service rifle. I still love it until today. Rifle and ammunition are outdated for modern warfare tactics, but I still love this rifle and it's cartridge. Depending on the challenge, I would still choose the G3 over it's successors for combat in open field, In CQB or in the woods I would tend more to a modern firearm. I have personally seen that a comrade took out the 600m targets when his machine gunner failed to hit them, although the sight of the G3 ended at 400m. This is a great cartridge still for open field and hunting.

[@almost_harmless]

Loved my old cannon (the G3). When we got the Hk416, it felt like shooting with an airsoft.

[@fredbonnet9712]

I served in the amphibious engineers and we had the G3 with collapsable stock. Heavy but fun. Around the time the G36 was put out for troop trials. The joke at the time was: Why is the G36 to be issued? You can't tust conscripts with real weapons. The American M16 felt just the same - like a toy.

[@richardscales9560]

So right about the Airfix SLR. Always ended up as a carbine

[@vinceely2906]

I don’t actually remember my Action Man SLR being anything other than ‘carbined’

[@johngreen-sk4yk]

Usually happend sticking your mate with the included plastic bayonet 🥴! Pre PC toys really were the best

[@ColdWarConversations]

Yes, great toy. Maybe they would have been better making a Short Lee enfield Mk 3

[@AJyabas]

@@ColdWarConversations Someone did, I had one in the early 70s. Long gone now.

[@grahambuckerfield4640]

Great to see the man behind one of my favorite podcasts. There was an outlier with the Warsaw Pact, the Czechs built their own small arms, like the Vz58, same caliber but the mags were not apparently AK compatible.

[@F1ghteR41]

That's only as long as we're talking the rifles themselves. As soon as we turn our attention to rifle grenades or underbarrel grenade launchers to go along with rifles, the picture changes, as unlike the NATO, Warsaw Pact members didn't bother to agree on these at all.

[@F1ghteR41]

That's only as long as we're talking the rifles themselves. As soon as we turn our attention to rifle grenades or underbarrel grenade launchers to go along with rifles, the picture changes, as unlike the NATO, Warsaw Pact members didn't bother to agree on these at all.

[@skillz7119]

Yes, the VZ 58 uses its own proprietary magazines, and has no parts commonality with the AK whatsoever. The VZ is also over a pound lighter than the AK, and much nicer to shoot.

[@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge]

Yeah the Chezhoslovaks always did their thing. Everyone else just got the technical data package for the AK, realized it's one of the best weapons ever made, and just did slight tweaks to fit their army's demands.

[@ColdWarConversations]

Thanks for watching and for sharing this info.

[@thomasmaaloe]

I was issued with a G3A3 during my national service. It was lovely; precise and forgiving(ish). I only managed to foul it completely once during an excercise in sand dunes. I was never enamoured by the C7A1 I was issued at some point.

[@BFWRT]

Same experience. It hates sand.

[@satanihelvetet]

Great video! In Sweden we have used that slapping at the charging handle since 1965 (with mostly a conscript army) and still do i the voluntary local forces (Hemvärnet). As far as I know it hasn't caused any problems with the arm.

[@OsomoMojoFreak]

Pretty sure Ian McCollum from Forgotten weapons has gotten it confirmed from HK themselves that the HK slap is very much encouraged.

[@kapten-awesome]

The ak4(g3) is actually still used in sweden in the Home Guard.

[@fourthhorseman4531]

As an American who always loved our European allies' small arms, I'm thrilled to have PTR and DSA in the States making G3 and FAL clones. I'm so happy to own both, even if they're not the original genuine article.

[@Levi_o_Lusitano]

Good ol G3 The standart issued weapon i used in the Military was a G3. Both the G3's from boothcamp one and the personal one issued during my service time in 2015-2018 saw active combat in the Portuguese Colonial War. Great Video as always and im sad to hear Gamespot is ending their colab with you guys. Cheers from Portugal!

[@michaelandersen4745]

When I was in the Danish army in 91’ we were issued M/75 aka G3. We were trained to slam the bolt as well to insure that the bolt would be fully locked when loading ammo.

[@Skusty]

The swedish G3 the AK4 is still in use by the swedish homeguard.

[@azzamat001]

Great episode. Cold War equipment is a particular interest of mine, so please RA, give us more. :)

[@Melior_Traiano]

My father served in the West German military during the Cold War. The G3 was his service rifle. During an exercise in winter, they were standing in their foxhole and guarded a road in a forest. They were freezing and nothing was happening, so they just fired a few rounds into the woods and then stuck their G3s under their coats to keep themselves warm.

[@plapperkafer4234]

Your Dad fired live ammunition during an exercise just for fun? In the Bundeswehr? Sorry, but thats a lie.

[@Melior_Traiano]

​@@plapperkafer4234 He had many more such stories. They trained with an anti-aircraft gun and after the exercise they still had ammunition left over. Their sergeant (or officer) told them to fire the rest of the ammunition. My father asked him "isn't that a waste of taxpayer money?" and the guy replied "well, do you want to carry the ammunition back to the barracks?". My grandfather also told me multiple stories that could be straight from an over-the-top Hollywood movie. He fought in WWII as a 17 year old radioman in the German army in 1944/45. He was wounded by Sherman tank shrapnel in a small village close to Münster and taken as a POW by what he thought were Canadians. He said their platoon's MG-42 gunner opened fire on the first Sherman that drove onto the crossroads. The gunner and everyone else in their unit knew full-well that the MG-42 was ineffective against a tank, but thats simply what can happen when you have young guys with an adrenaline rush in such a situation.

[@kristianhartlevjohansen3541]

@@Melior_Traiano I've heard a variation Danish forces ... it's not the "carrying back to barracks", it's the "count every single one before re-inventory" :)

[@johnnyalfa2173]

In Sweden, we called it "empty the Chamber the American way," and it was to not and sit and pull the cartriges out by hand. I did my military service 1989-1990. This was mostly done with the KSP58 machine gun. Ammunition was plentiful and cost not an issue because of the build-up for the Cold War.

[@gurra63able]

@@johnnyalfa2173 Did it myself during conscription with M/45B and AK-4 during my time in the Home Guard, it happened from time to time, I didn't see it as a waste it was more like training with automatic fire and always on a safe shooting range.

[@talespinner4863]

Ian! Great combination!

[@gjssjg]

I love these videos the factual content is reference grade.

[@ResidentDante]

Back in my conscription days in the Norwegian army I recall we were told not to do the H&K slap on the G3 either. In hindsight it was a bit stupid as a lot of the conscripts messed up the reload by not using enough force. You can also reload it more silent, by slowly pulling the cock handler back and then using your thumb on the ejection port lid (I believe the Norwegian G3s had some thumb grip texture on the lid) and push shut the last centimetre to reload.

[@karood-dog3584]

two points the photograph of troops in Chile they are carrying SIG SG 510 rifles . The HK slap was absolutely instructed at the ILRRP school in Weingarten during CQB and CQB instructors courses.

[@bremnersghost948]

@11:24 The Brits were there firing from the hip, giving it the middle finger and the Bayonet, had me in stitches and I'm sure Jonathon wasn't trying to be funny.

[@ΓεώργιοςΚουτσαύτης]

He didn't mean they were giving it the middle finger. They where pulling the bolt with their thumb and index finger, and pulled the trigger with the middle finger while still holding the bolt in order to reload a bullet as fast as possible.

[@bremnersghost948]

@@ΓεώργιοςΚουτσαύτης I know mate, doesn't make the way Jonathon put it any less funny though ;-)

[@ΓεώργιοςΚουτσαύτης]

@@bremnersghost948 Sorry, thought you weren't aware.

[@bremnersghost948]

@@ΓεώργιοςΚουτσαύτης no worries, you were correct in what you said despite the language difference missing the British humour mate :)

[@reddevilparatrooper]

I saw some old footage of the early German Bundeswehr use M1 Garand rifles and M1 Carbines issued and used post-war in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The G-1 FALs were adopted in the late 1950s but the Belgians didn't want to grant a license to the Germans because they invaded Belgium twice. The G-3 came about because Spain had former German nationals who immigrated there after the war and worked for CETME and brought the drawings from Mauser where they used to work for. Build and made refinements at CETME and the Spanish Military got the first one of the best battle rifles in Europe around the same time as the FN FAL Belgium adopted.

[@spd579]

Makes me think of the Czechs. The VZ-58. Fired the same 7.62mm x 39mm but, was nothing like the AK. Much as is the FAL and G3. Other than caliber, nothing else in common. Yet, both widely issued and exported. Funny thing is you have me thinking now of my beginnings of 5.56mm rifle experiences but, thats another story.

[@nicolaiby1846]

That's a very interesting collaboration, cheers!

[@thepirate6211]

Used this rifle, in Norway and Lebanon. Very good rifle, accurate, at least the one's i used. In lebanon i had a scope on it, was good to about 600m +. When on CP duty we had it, the cocking arm, in the back position for fast reaction! Also had some years with the MSG90, was very happy with it, no probs at 800m +.

[@g111g]

I would be interested to see the Bundeswehr drill actually. In my Swedish unit we tend to apply something like the HK slap. On doing it more gently, I have noticed that it will then often not feed in the next round properly. If that is abuse.... they may well outlive their replacement, the AK5.

[@SverreAuestad]

Regarding the H&K slap, the Norwegian-made G3 had grooves cut into the bolt carrier so you could ease the cocking handle forward and then push the bolt carrier the last couple of millimetres with your thumb, thereby avoiding the noisy H&K slap.

[@Serketry88]

16:55 I watched the old InRangeTV mud tests; the G3 did do better than the FAL, at least in those testing conditions.

[@silentone11111111]

Great vid. Looking for part 2 😀

[@cameronfraser1564]

Now this, THIS, is the series I’ve been waiting for

[@JonathanFergusonRoyalArmouries]

Well, it's more of a two-part WITW episode but hopefully we can do more stuff like this in future.

[@cameronfraser1564]

@jonathanferguson1211 (oh my god it’s Jonathan Ferguson, be cool) really looking forward to the next episode with Ian, going to hop straight onto his podcast now, but I’d love anything more about Cold War weaponry, the differences between East and West are so fascinating and the aesthetics are just gorgeous. Keep up the good work!

[@JonathanFergusonRoyalArmouries]

@@cameronfraser1564 Haha, thank you - we do have a fair skew toward the Cold War era kit already, as it's a strength of the collection and a personal favourite period of mine. This is a bit different in bringing more context, which is great but hard to do without bringing in veterans - which would also be great to do. But a different series format than this one. Not enough time in the day to do everything we'd like to do :)

[@cameronfraser1564]

@@JonathanFergusonRoyalArmouries absolutely! Loving your existing Cold War stuff, WITW has been a delight so far, I too would love more on the first hand accounts of Cold War activity, so if you need a testimonial asking for that let me know! 😂 Hoping to get up to Leeds to check the collection out for myself soon, between this channel and the Expert Reviews, keep up the great work!

[@Mugdorna]

I recently got the chance to fire a M1 Garand with actual WW2 era ammo. (In Colorado) Very cool. It's a heavy firearm, but felt very well built. Lovely wooden furniture. I shot 4, maybe 5 clips. The clip design is very intuitive. The "bing" is very loud. I had a bruise on my right shoulder the next day.

[@senseo2848]

The lovely G3 is my favorite battle rifle, loved shooting it during my service. Excellent that you mentioned that the HK Slap was handled as weapon abuse in the German Army, i totally can confirm that :)

[@alexhousakos]

2024, Greek G3A3/4 are still standing strong! Love that weapon.

[@peetsnort]

What a lovely comprehensive video

[@moranjackson7662]

My father called the settings of the G3: s secure, e single fire and f peace. Sicher, Einzelfeuer and Frieden for full Auto.

[@froggercuntzman7260]

F= Family 🤫

[@torsmork]

I still remember the number on the AG3 I used when I was in the Norwegian army. It’s a great firearm.

[@Why-D]

When I think about my time at the Bundeswehr, and when I locked the G3 open, it was usually to look into the chamber. and as my left hand was on the handle at the barrel, it was just a smooth handling to draw it back nd release it, rather than hitting from the top. And you would have all the time the control on the gun with two hands, and as every Bundeswehr manual is written to have the best safety, it absolutely makes sense to handle it carefully. But as HK wants a perfect working gun, to hit it, gives the closing spring the longest way to lock the chamber. So both makes sense, depending what you want and for which reason. Usually you don't keep it open, unless you want to proof it is save. On reloading, you just change the magazine, pull the leaver back, and let it go forward, from the last position, you don't lock it in.

[@tekha1977]

Was tought to replace magazine after 19 shots. Was quicker and more effecient. Don’t remember anyone actually counting their shots correctly on exercise though.😂

[@simonchandler9601]

George Orwell coined the phrase’ Cold War’ October 1945 in the essay’ You and the Atom Bomb’

[@jamessaltzburg9549]

A great discussion

[@johndoe7270]

The G3 will always have a warm place in my heart. Well, almost anything HK does, but the G3 platform as whole has so many good variants.

[@jbk19xx57]

I used to find the G3 ugly, but as I grew older, I respect it very much.

[@dbmail545]

I have a PTR 32. G3 pattern weapon in 7.62x39. The heavier gun in the weaker cartridge. Interesting toy but easy to see why the Finns stayed with their Valmets.

[@Yora21]

I've recently been on the lookout for old looking gun designs that few people would recognize as references for creating new retro-futuristic, Star Wars-style guns. That SG 510 (G2) has a great look for that. I had never heard of that gun, and don't think I've ever seen it before looking it up now.

[@mikaeljc76]

I did my military service in Sweden as well as a tour in Bosnia in the 90s. I used both the G3 and 5.56 FN. The G3 was much heavier and a real pain to ski with and you were constantly bangin your knee in the barrel since you could not fold the rifle.

[@dude126]

I had the Airfix SLR. It fired little plastic bullets and yes the barrel snapped. I then got to carry and use the SLR in my TA service. It was a beast of a rifle.

[@exnihilodub]

About the Bundeswehr vs HK manual thing: Here in Turkey, you're instructed to slap it as well. We were told by the instructors that it might fail to feed if pulled downwards and released. I don't know if it's an over-protective training measure to prevent some people from grabbing the handle and riding it slowly forwards, or if it had any actual reality behind it.

[@hendriktonisson2915]

25:04 The soldiers on that photo are actually carrying SIG SG 510 rifles.

[@RoyalArmouriesMuseum]

A mistake by the editor, he begs for your forgiveness.

[@szymussmilitaryfreak]

Here is are some things not spoken about Eastern block and why AK dominated there: 1. most of smaller Warsaw Pact countries did not have expanded history of its own weapon producing. And even if they were using external licences of already existing weapons. Even Poland was manufacturing licensed weapons (like Mauser rifles and BAR mod. 1927 - made specifically for future production in polish factory), with domestic ones starting to be seen right before 2nd WW happened. The only outlier here was Czechoslovakia, with traditions tracking back to late 19th and early 20th century and even starting designing its own intermediate cartridge back in 1920's (it was 7,92 by40/41 if not mistaken). They were the only ones that did not used AK as a standard rifle but own designed wz. 58 and even manufactured domestic UMG in 7,62 by 54. 2. USSR was supplying many members of Pact with not only already prodeced rifles - but also was giving away full licence for AK's and offer dull support for establishing production. BTW - that was also one of reasons why AK-74 was not replacing AK/AKM during late 70/90 - USSR demanded paying for licence, with no ability to export.

[@MikeFoxtrot1]

The FAL (M964A1 MD1) is still manufactured in Brazil by Imbel.

[@devilin100]

Those absolute madmen that was cold war Sweden mentioned. Infantry units of the era were issued with way more anti-tank weapons than they could realistically use, typically at the Bn level. Seems weird, but they are for giving to tank crewmembers that had their tank knocked out. If the Soviets rolled up, tank platoons would dig themselves in and fire until the battle was over, they needed to dismount and grab a Carl G off the infantry or they were dead.

[@mordantcrimson]

I had one of those Airfix L1A1s they mentionbed....loved that toy...

[@galloglas6907]

The FN FAL (fusil automatique leger) my favorite rifle that saved the free world.

[@Oddball_E8]

An interesting thing about Sweden is that there's plenty of instances where people have done their conscription service using the AK5 (the 5.56 FN FNC) and then joining the Homeguard being issued the AK4 (The HK G3), so they've had experience with both in a short time. And from what I've heard, most are pretty ok with the AK4 after having the AK5. The main complaints being that it's heavy and the main praise is that it's easier to disassemble and clean. But overall, most seem happy with it even after having done their service with the AK5.

[@FlyWithMe_666]

G3 (and MG3, P1) was my service rifle in the German Army in the late 1990s, before we transitioned to G36 and P8. The big advantage with the G3 is that you really learn the fundamentals of shooting, due to its recoil and iron sights. It’s then much easier to get used to the G36 later on. I guess it would be beneficial if recruits today would still start with a 7.62mm rifle to build on.

[@MikeFoxtrot1]

The Rhodesian Army used both the FN FAL (South African R1) and the G3 (Portuguese m/963) in the 1970s. Almost all the troops who got the G3 hated it and preferred the FN.

[@roberttaylor7451]

The photos from Chile were of Swiss rifles, looked like stg57s. Cheers

[@swedishchef3895]

Indeed they are. And the SMG carried by the rightmost soldier looks like a m/45.

[@RoyalArmouriesMuseum]

A mistake by the editor, they aren't G3's. He was just seeing if you would all notice ;)

[@274152]

In the design of the G3, rollers on the bolt head serve to accelerate the heavier bolt carrier to the rear faster than the bolt moves rearward on firing. This retards the bolt's movement with high chamber pressures, similar to the resistance of a heavier reciprocating bolt in a pure blowback gun. Case extraction is rapid, and HK puts flutes in the chamber walls to help cases come out. The G3 is often called "roller locked", but it is really a mechanically delayed blowback action.

[@thomasgangl8990]

About the strong recoil: In my basic training in the Bundeswehr in late 1990 we were taught to pull the weapon back "into our shoulders" before firing and this worked quite well. It could be quite an accurate weapon if you handled it this way.

[@triumphstagdriver]

What has struck me about firearm designs and their use/procurement is that in the late 1950s there were several designs being used or promoted but as we get further toward the modern day there are essentially only 3 design bases that are being used. Back then there were the M16, AR18, FAL, G3 and AK designs. Now pretty much every has settled on the 2 Stoner designs or the AK design.

[@F1ghteR41]

Partly it's because you don't hear all that much about the designs that go their own way today, but they are still emerging. Take a look at the Chinese QBZ-191 for example.

[@hailexiao2770]

​@@F1ghteR41Chinese small arms design has an odd parallel with its western counterpart. Western designers default to putting AR-18 operating systems into an AR-15 format, Chinese designers default to putting SKS operating systems into an AK format.

[@F1ghteR41]

@@hailexiao2770 It wasn't much of an SKS operating system aside from short stroke piston, to be fair. The locking system was much more AK-like.

[@SG550-xo1oo]

25:02 the Rifles in picture are SIG 510-4, (7.62 Nato) NOT G3's. To some extent simplified variants of Swiss STGW 57. However, they all work by delayed blowback.

[@stefanbehling4251]

Yes it is definitly a StGw57. How can this happen to a "professionel" Weapon Channel. That means I can put anything else in question, too. Good eyes by the way.

[@Wavehead-r4p]

I love the g3

[@OPENXAIMER]

Greek army recommends and teaches conscripts the slapping method to ensure that the bolt is actually fully closed. When you've gained a little experience with the rifle the sargents won't yell at you if you just pull and let go of the bolt charger

[@dude126]

Sweden was strategically important and was 'quietly' active during the cold war.

[@georgerobartes2008]

The G3 . A German icon that was basically a copy of the Spanish Cetme M 58 designed by a German engineer ( Vorgrimmler) who based it on the Stg M 45 which in turn had copied the Polish patent for roller locking by Edward Stecke . In my experience of using both the G3 and FAL as a battle rifle over extended periods , the FAL is more reliable as the G3 fouls much quicker in its fluted chamber leading to stuck rounds requiring cleaning and does not like sand or dust anywhere near the bolthead and rollers as this requires further attention . It is much easier and quicker to clean and maintain the falling block bolt mechanism of the FAL . Failure to cycle issues in the FAL can be quickly overcome by adjustment of the gas port , wheras failure to cycle with a G3 there is no such option . I do like the PSG-1 variant of the G3 for its designed purpose and as a sporting rifle as none of the issues above arise .

[@herosstratos]

13:44 In the beginning, Rheinmetall did produce G3s too.

[@arb42se]

We still have the AK4 in our territorial battalions (which make up by far the largest infantry force) and it has been reintroduced to some regular army battalions as well, awaiting the new AK2024. I have been issued one, now with an aimpoint sight and collapsible stock. Fired one the first time in 1982, did my conscript service with it 1983-1984, and received it again when reenlisting 2019.

[@jesperzettergren6599]

Using the G3 (i.e AK4) in the Swedish homeguard for 8 years, the slap was how we was tought to close the bolt.

[@Valleys56xx]

I'd love to find out about those little enclaves of Berlin

[@Xyzabc998]

Love the SLR, never fired a full fat one. There used to be an Army Show each year in Aldershot and the Army would let kids fire a .22 version.

[@claesengstrom7882]

I have my AK4 in the home guard. After 10 years i still havent really learned how to reassemble it. Hope to learn before we get the Sakos. During a visit to Kenya we were protected from lions and crocodiles by a guard with a G3. Just in case the native guy at the front wouldnt manage with his traditional stick.

[@Mydeza2824]

On the picture in reference to Chile (25:08), what is the gun the, what i presume is, the driver holding, it VERY much looks like a "Swedish K" to me, but that should NOT be in Chile... Anyone got any ideas?

[@gogabaqradze2115]

G3 is my favorite semi auto 308. Wish i had one.

[@jonesy279]

I’m an Aussie so I’m fully biased for the SLR but there’s no doubting that the G3 has a rad vibe ❤

[@nickgood8166]

British SLR L1A1 (FAL) load out in the early 80s, was 4x20 round magazines. 80 rounds.

[@peterjensen2254]

I used the G3 for over two years in the late 90s. First impression: It is bulky, unwieldy and hard to control. I know of at least one person in my platoon who was injured when firing it for the first time, the kickback being surprisingly, overwhelmingly, strong. We hated lugging it around, as a G3 with a full magazine weighs almost 5kg. We hated, that we were forced to use the old GBU to carry the magazine pouches. We hated the seemingly mindless drills with the gun, blindfolded, lying on our stomachs, only being allowed to put the components on our back, nothing was allowed to touch ground. Once you get around all that, it is an amazing rifle. Hitting stationary targets at 300 or even 400m out is not difficult if you are familiar with the gun. Use it with a scope, and it is an excellent DMR.

[@sssIX86]

I loved my greek made g3a3 in my mandatory service.i joined at 19 after highschool and i always had a fascination with firearms and sporting shooting.mine was made by the elvo co and it was made in 1981 i oiled and cleaned it weekly and i had no rust on it i just loved it and i bruised my shoulder plenty it was about 6 kg with the magazine on and it kicked like a mule i would HK "slap" the shit out of it every Chance i got then i got my role as an infantry supportive gunner and got my hands in my fn minimi which i miss dearly and also shot the mg3 and m2 .50 cal but the minimi and g3 are dear to me and i kind miss them dearly.

[@enysuntra1347]

I have the old 1969&1970 "Taschenbuch für Wehrausbildung" of my father here, an instruction manual for recruits of the Federal Defence. There, the G1 is marked as "G1 (FN-Gewehr)" (FN rifle); the other one is "G3 (CETME-Gewehr)". It is an interesting story how the German constructors (Stähle and Vorgrimmler AFAIK) ended up in Spain, and how the license, later patents for the Spanish CETME-C ended up with HK in Germany. Also, it's a pity that nobody talks about CETME in the history of the G3.

[@TheNigelrojo]

I used the SLR (FN FAL) and G3 (G3K version, plus the HK53 and the MP5) in the British army in the 1990s.. The FAL was extremely robust and powerful but on balance I think I just preferred the G3. The advantage of the H&K delayed blowback system was that it was the same on their 7.92mm, 5.56mm and 9mm weapons. And of course both the G3 and the FAL were immeasurably superior to the early version of the SA80.

[@Yora21]

I wanted to be pedantic about the flag choice for the Mauser 98k, as that wasn't the German flag when the Mauser 98 was designed or adopted. But the k-variant was introduced only in 1935, where this is indeed the correct flag. Well done. Carry on.