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MG3

MG3
Type General purpose machine gun
Place of origin Flag of West Germany West Germany
Service history
In service 1969–present
Used by See Users
Production history
Designed 1966
Manufacturer Rheinmetall
License-built by: Beretta, MKEK, Ellinika Amyntika Systimata, DIO, Military Industry Corporation, Pakistan Ordnance Factories, General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas
Produced 1968-present
Variants See Variants
Specifications
Weight 11. A general purpose machine gun ( GPMG) in concept is a multi-purpose weapon a Machine gun intended to fill the role of either a Light machine gun or West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( The MG3 is a German air-cooled belt-fed General purpose machine gun chambered in the 7 Rheinmetall AG is a German Automotive and defense company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß This article is about a firearm manufacturer for the car see Chevrolet Beretta. The Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu or MKEK established in 1950 is a reorganization of government-controlled group of factories in The Defense Industries Organization ( DIO; Persian: Sasadjah (Sazemane Sanaye Defa) is a Conglomerate of companies run by the Islamic Republic Pakistan Ordnance Factories or POF is a defence industrial complex producing conventional arms and ammunition in Pakistan under the Ministry of Defence Production The MG3 is a German air-cooled belt-fed General purpose machine gun chambered in the 7 5 kg (25. 35 lb)
27. The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass 5 kg (61 lb) (mounted on tripod)
Length 1,225 mm (48. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to 2 in)
1,097 mm (43. Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 2 in) (without stock)
Barrel length 565 mm (22. For the fictional characters see Gunbarrel (Transformers. A gun barrel is the tube usually Metal, through which a controlled Explosion 2 in)
Cartridge 7.62x51mm NATO
Action Recoil operated, roller locked
Rate of fire 1,150 rounds/min (+/- 150)
Muzzle velocity 820 m/s (2,690 ft/s)
Effective range 200 to 1,200 m sight adjustments
Maximum range 800 m (bipod)
1,200 m (tripod mounted)
Feed system 50-round non-disintegrating DM1 belt (can be combined in a drum); 100-round disintegrating DM6/M13 belt
Sights Open-type sights with rear sliding tangent

The MG3 is a German air-cooled, belt-fed general purpose machine gun chambered in the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. A cartridge (also known as a "round" packages the Bullet, Gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the The 762x51mm NATO is a Rifle cartridge developed in the 1950s as a standard firearm cartridge among NATO countries In Firearms terminology an action is the system of operation used to load rounds and/or seal the Breech. Recoil operation is an operating mechanism used in locked-breech autoloading Firearms As the name implies these actions use the force of Recoil to provide energy Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific Weapon can fire or launch its projectiles A gun's muzzle velocity is the speed at which the Projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun The foot per second (plural feet per second) is a unit of both Speed (scalar and Velocity (vector quantity which includes direction The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. A belt is a device that holds cartridges adjacent to each other in a single row for feeding into a Firearm, typically a Machine gun. A general purpose machine gun ( GPMG) in concept is a multi-purpose weapon a Machine gun intended to fill the role of either a Light machine gun or The 762x51mm NATO is a Rifle cartridge developed in the 1950s as a standard firearm cartridge among NATO countries The design traces back to World War II era MG42 machine gun that fired the 7.92x57mm Mauser round. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The MG42 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 42, or "Machine Gun 42" is a Machine gun that was developed for and entered For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. The 792x57mm cartridge was designed by the German Gewehr-Prüfungskommission (G [1]

Contents

Development

A German soldier demonstrates the features of the MG3 in 1988.
A German soldier demonstrates the features of the MG3 in 1988.

Production of the first postwar variant of the MG42 chambered in a standard NATO caliber (designated the MG1) was launched in 1958 at the Rheinmetall arms factory as requested by the Bundeswehr. The MG42 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 42, or "Machine Gun 42" is a Machine gun that was developed for and entered The North Atlantic Treaty Rheinmetall AG is a German Automotive and defense company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß The Bundeswehr ( German for "Federal Defence Force") is the name of the unified Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany Shortly thereafter the machine gun was modified, receiving a chrome-lined barrel and sights properly calibrated for the new round and became the MG1A1 (known also as the MG42/58). Chromium (ˈkroʊmiəm is a Chemical element which has the symbol Cr and Atomic number 24 [1]

A further development of the MG1A1 was the MG1A2 (MG42/59), which had a heavier bolt (950 g, compared to 550 g), a new friction ring buffer and was adapted to use both the standard German continuous DM1 ammunition belt and the American M13 disintegrating belt. The M13 link formally M13 Link, is the US military designation for a disintegrating metallic link specifically designed for belt-fed firearms Further improvements to the weapon's muzzle device, bipod and bolt resulted in the MG1A3. A bipod is a support device that is similar to a Tripod or Monopod, but with two legs

Simultaneously, wartime MG42 machine guns that remained in service were reworked to chamber the standard 7.62x51mm NATO round. The 762x51mm NATO is a Rifle cartridge developed in the 1950s as a standard firearm cartridge among NATO countries These machine guns would become the MG2. [1]

In 1968, the MG3 was introduced and entered production. Compared to the MG1A3, the MG3 features an improved feeding mechanism, an added anti-aircraft sight and a new ammunition box. The MG3 and its variants all share a high level of parts interchangeability with the original MG42. [1]

The MG3 and its derivatives have been in use with the armed forces of over 30 countries. Production rights to license-build the machine gun were acquired by Italy and Spain (MG42/59), Pakistan (MG1A3), Greece, Iran, Sudan and Turkey. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches

Design details

A partially disassembled MG3 of the German Army.
A partially disassembled MG3 of the German Army. The German Army (Deutsches Heer heɐ) is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The MG3 is an automatic short recoil operated firearm. Recoil operation is an operating mechanism used in locked-breech autoloading Firearms As the name implies these actions use the force of Recoil to provide energy It features a roller locked bolt mechanism that consists of the bolt head, a pair of rollers, the striker sleeve, bolt body and return spring. The bolt is locked securely by a wedge-like striker sleeve, which forces two cylindrical rollers contained in the bolt head outward, and into corresponding recesses in the extension of the breech of the barrel. On firing, both the barrel and barrel extension recoil to the rear compressing both rollers as they are cammed inward and out of their sockets by fixed cams, unlocking the bolt head. The bolt carrier and bolt then continue to the rear guided by fixed guides while the barrel and barrel extension return to battery. Upon return of the bolt, the impact of the rollers with the camming surfaces on the breech carry the rollers from their seats, and, together with the surfaces on the bolt head, force the rollers outward, locking the bolt head into the barrel extension and ensuring a complete lock. The bolt also houses a spring-loaded casing and the ejector. Ejection is carried out when the ejector strikes the buffer head, sending a push forward through the ejector bar, which hits the ejector pin. This pin pushes the top of the base of the cartridge, which is still held by the extractor at the base, causing the empty casing to rotate and eject downward through the ejection port.

The machine gun has an automatic-only trigger mechanism and a cross-bolt safety selector in the form of a button that is operated by the shooting hand (in its "safe" position the bolt release is disabled). The weapon fires from an open bolt.

The MG3 feeds from the left side through a feed block using metal, 50-round continuous-link DM1 ammunition belts (which can be combined by cartridge) or disintegrating-link M13 or DM6 belts. The M13 link formally M13 Link, is the US military designation for a disintegrating metallic link specifically designed for belt-fed firearms In the light machine gun role, the MG3 is deployed with a 100-round belt fitted inside a synthetic ammunition drum that is attached to the left side of the receiver. A light machine gun or LMG is a Machine gun that is generally lighter than other machine guns of the same period and is usually designed to be carried The feed system operates through a feed arm that is housed in the feed cover. Two feed pawls are linked to the front end of the arm by an intermediate link and move in opposite directions, moving the belt in two stages as the bolt moves back and forward during firing.

The MG3 has a quick-change, chrome-lined barrel with 4 grooves and a rifling twist rate of 305 mm (1:12 in). The barrel assembly is integrated with the barrel breech. Both the receiver housing and ventilated barrel guard are made from pressed sheet steel. A muzzle device is mounted at the end of the barrel and it acts as a flash suppressor, muzzle brake and recoil booster. A flash Suppressor, also known as a flash guard, flash eliminator, or flash cone, is a device attached to a Rifle or other gun that Muzzle brakes and recoil compensators are devices that are fitted to the muzzle of a Firearm or Cannon to redirect propellant gases with

The machine gun is equipped with a synthetic polymer stock, a folding bipod and open-type iron sights (sliding rear notch sight with range settings from 200 to 1200 m). The term iron sights refers to the open unmagnified system used to assist the aiming of a variety of devices usually those intended to launch Projectiles such as Firearms A flip-up anti-aircraft sight is also provided.

In a stationary, heavy machine gun role the MG3 is mounted on a tripod called a Feldlafette and is used with a periscope sight.

Variants

The MG3 seen here in the stationary, heavy machine gun role, mounted on a stabilized "Feldlafette" tripod fitted with an optical sight.
The MG3 seen here in the stationary, heavy machine gun role, mounted on a stabilized "Feldlafette" tripod fitted with an optical sight.

Current deployment

The MG3 is still used as the standard secondary weapon of most modern German armoured fighting vehicle designs (e. An armoured fighting vehicle ( AFV) is a military Vehicle, protected by armour and armed with Weapons Most AFVs are equipped for driving in rugged g. Leopard 2, PzH 2000, Marder (IFV)), as a primary weapon on light/non-armored vehicles (e. The Leopard 2 is a German Main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s and first entering service in 1979 The Panzerhaubitze 2000 ("Armoured howitzer 2000" abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei The Marder (German for " Marten " is a German Infantry fighting vehicle operated by the German Army as the main weapon of the g. LKW 2to, ATF Dingo) and as an infantry weapon on light bipods as well as different tripods. The ATF Dingo is a German heavily armored military truck based on a Unimog chassis with a V-hull design produced by the company Krauss-Maffei

Users

US and German soldiers training with the MG3.
US and German soldiers training with the MG3.

NATO

A pintle-mounted MG3 on a Norwegian armoured vehicle
A pintle-mounted MG3 on a Norwegian armoured vehicle

Non-NATO

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Woźniak, Ryszard. Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej - tom 3 M-P. Bellona. 2001. pp106-107.
  2. ^ Eesti Kaitsevägi - Tehnika - Kuulipilduja MG-3
  3. ^ 7.62 mm MG3.
  4. ^ SOJ.lt. Retrieved on April 2, 2008.
  5. ^ http://www.mkek.gov.tr/english/foUrunDetaylari.aspx?iKodUrun=90&iKodUrunKategorisi=107
  6. ^ 7.62 KK MG 3. Retrieved on April 2, 2008.
  7. ^ KARAR 7.62x51mm. Retrieved on April 2, 2008.

References

External links

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