Can't wait until he'd be able to break into AK vault! As well as several others. Pity that there isn't any sort of central museum of firearms in Russia either so it'll take a lot of planning and a lot of different cities.
G3: your regular battle rifle MP5: G3, but smaller MP5SD: G3, but smaller and Ivan shouldn’t hear you HK21: G3, but you need more lead in the air G3SG1: G3, but Ivan stands waaaay over there
Paul Steinhauser it was heavier than the average battle rifle, but certainly not a terrible load if it was mounted. It did seem lighter than a comparable beltfed.
10:25 You forgot to mention that the bipod can be repositioned at the start of the barrel shroud, below the carry handle. There's an equivalent cut out to the frontal one there for it. Most people aren't aware of that fact. In my unit we were told it's placed there when used for a defence role (so suppressive fire from a pillbox position for example).
In Germany, the HK21/HK21E was and is used too. It was the standard Machine Gun of the old Federal Police "Bundesgrenzschutz" (Federal Border Guard) as the G8 (Gewehr 8) replacing the MG42/1/2 and is still in use with the new Federal Police "Bundespolizei" (Federal Police) as a special squad wapon and also mounted on the "Sonderwagen 4" armoured cars. The GSG9 also uses the G8. It was and is in use with the German Armed Forces special forces, the Armys KSK ("Kommando Spezialkräfte") and the Navys KSM (Kommando Spezialkräfte Marine) "Kampfschwimmer" (German Navy-SEALs counterpart).
@@sneakeypete Russians. Remember that our Nation was split with a wall. Oh and terorrists like the RAF. Plus asking that is like asking ''what are the SWAT expecting to happen that needs a lightmachinegun''.
You've probably never seen BardicBroadcasts channel, but maybe you have. He always talks about "M U S C U L A R I T Y" when talking about artwork for fantasy boardgames. It came to mind when Ian said modularity. Check out "Why HeroQuest is so great" (or something like that) on BB's channel, I think it's funny!
@@TheRoadhammer379 Not realy. it's paid by german Marks at the time and we can't pay our Nato dues because the GDP is to high and we can hardly blow the ammount of money requested on the ammount of soldiers we have or should i say we are allowed to have. so no you're paying jackshit for us especially not when we rearmed and bought the G3. what you are paying for is your presence in other countries for your own national interest :) Plus you know we're one of the stronges Economies in europe and as far as i remember ranked pretty high internationally aswell so if you think you're actually paying for anythign we get then you must be pretty special.
@@TheRoadhammer379 Today I know the game in this world. The powers work together behind the curtain. They share technology and let us kill each other. I've seen how the system works, and my service was like a Kindergarten party. Some never get it, even if they get hit by a 762.
@@TheRoadhammer379 "NATO dues" is an oxymoron...nobody owes NATO anything and the agreement of 2% GDP on defence spending is non-binding. And the american tax-dollar is buying us nothing, except what the soldiers spend when they are off-base in the surrounding shops and pubs, really. This argument of "defending Germany" isn't the point of the troops there...you should really look into what Ramstein AFB and other ex-territorial bases are used for before complaining about something that isn't their purpose. They are your bases, you should know what they do. You could pull all of the troops from Germany, it's not going to magically make the population more militarist nor delete the US defence obligation to Germany through NATO
The Portuguese Armed Forces only now are replacing the HK21 with the Minimi Mk3. There´s photos of HK21´s with both belt-feed configurations as well drum magazines
I wonder what the troops think of the change. I know that replacing a popular and reliable old workhorse is often met with dismay by the men who have to use the new firearm. There were plenty of British soldiers who bitterly resented the decision to cashier the trusty old FN.
@@ricardosilva7594 Good question but is worth noting that the deal comprised the Minimi as well so i believe that while the Scar is more expensive then the HK416 its not bya huge diference while the MG4 or 5 is a lot more expensive then the Minimi Mk.3 wich should cost around 12k against 16K of the MG5. I mean, if you buy a Minimi you can afford a Scar for the cost of 1 MG5
Remember the Indonesian G3 episode. He said that Rheinmetall eventually got the contract to make the MG3. H&K got the contract to make the G3. So H&K wanted to cut into Rheinmetall's business.
@@ArcturusOTE with mg5 still in the works, modernized mg3 could probably services as stopgap before mg5 design reached maturity.. MG3 was and still is one of the best designed LMG, but it might suitable for today requirements with optics, silencers, red dots..etc being the norm.. Already getting long on the tooth..
In the book Delta Force by Col Beckwith, he discusses how Delta had a few operators that carried the HK21E on the failed Op Eagle Claw mission. He also discussed that during initial stand up and training of Delta how they used M3 grease guns and Wlather MPL's prior to the MP5
As a slight correction/note, an open bolt weapon CAN have a cook off. It occurs when the barrel is so hot and expands so much you have a failure to fire and extract, then a "round in the chamber". For an M249/Minimi system, the drill is to call "ROUND IN THE CHAMBER" Aim the weapon downrange/in a safe place, fire the trigger to drop the sheers and send the bolt forward (with the top cover closed obviously) and if it doesn't fire, you wait in place for it to cool. I've done it a few times. Although cook off is super rare, it can happen and there are drills specifically for it.
It's always such a joy to look at the functioning of HK guns ... they're always so meticulously engineered as you'd expect from a bunch of smart Germans.
@@user-njyzcip and not a real existing gun. AFAIK HK51 is just a term constructed based on the HK naming scheme for SMG-sized G3 modifications, but was never used by HK
@@M4xFr4gg As far as I know you are right. They had a smaller version of the G3 called the G3K and I believe it had a 12 or so inch barrel. The 51 moniker came about from people chopping those down into 8-8.5 inch barrels, staying in line with the HK naming scheme, as you said already.
@@LazyLifeIFreak Well actually, it's pretty much the other way around... Both are adapted G3 platforms, the MP5 is the shrunk lil baby G3 of the family, this is the oversized beefed up G3 that spent 30 years at the gym...
The past year I've fallen in love with the HK11E. Just the idea of having a full power LMG, magazine fed for quick and easy reloading, capable of the signature HK slap. I desperately want to see it utilized in an action movie.
I had the opportunity to fam-fire the HK21 when I went through the SF weapons course. It was also in limited use in some US Special Operations units. It has gone away, and the FN MK48 serves in that role now.
@@Preussenpenner I believe he did one on the Isreal Dvor LMG which is heavily based on the Johnson design. Like the Johnson rifle he shot, he felt that the Dvor had excessive perceived recoil.
damn, now i want this in h3vr speaking of, imagine if ian helped with testing the mechanics of how the guns work to make it more realistic, that could be an amazing collab
Hey Ian, are we going to see more videos giving an overview of firearm class evolutions, like the SMG video? Maybe not strictly a generational breakdown of development, but rather highlighting the most notable design features of certain firearm types over their evolution - like the mention of LMGs adopting hinged top covers as apart of their basic fundamental architecture.
@@markhusseymh1 Nope. HK 21 with an optic on it. There weren't any 63's around in the 80's. Last 21 I remember seeing was an op with 2nd Bat Rangers earlyish or mid 80's. I have a little time on the Stoner, I know the difference.
@@Paddy-zn4oo given that the G3 is basically a CETME and the CETME being a Gerät 06(H) which itself is being a STG44 makes it all pretty much following a proper arms development road from WW2
@@pulverkussenaka9357 except ammo. If it continued germans wouldn't have fucked around with "no less then .300!", "it should be american!" and all that bullshit that lead to current NATO ammo standards:D
Yeah, they should have been able to fix a mechanic so when you let go of the trigger the bolt stays open, and when you press it again it closes and the firepin goes off. That would have given the best from two worlds
I can see loading this is going to be a pain in the ass since you have to lift gun up just a little to hinge the feed tray open but I loved the idea that one can have soooooo many options for just 1 platform
I'd love to hear an interview with Chuck Pressburg about his experience with the 21E. I seem to recall him having one in his toolbox as he did small kill team stuff in AWG.
I wish someone would made a Fallout 4 mod that would add this weapon and the stoner 63 as the 2 main weapons. Think about it, they would lore friendly (the stoner 63 would fit really nicely and the g3 was the standard rifle in Fallout 3) and thanks to the customization you cpuld easilly have all the weapons you need. The stoner 63 would be the assault rifle, carbine and 5.56 lmg while the hk series would be the battle rifle, DMR and 308 lmg.
The grooves in the bolt visible thru the ejection port can be used as a forward assist, and for more silent closing of the bolt. This is what we were taught back when we used the G3.
Swappable barrels was not a thing unique to the MG42. Numerous machineguns had this feature before the MG42. The MG42 "thing" was that it was easy and cost effective to mass produce because it's mostly stamped steel.
Mike Otte at Michael's Machines makes an excellent HK21E using as many original H&K parts as possible. His work is top notch and his welds are actually far nicer than those on factory H&Ks. It's not a cheap weapon at about $12,000, and it's semi-auto only, but if you have a transferable auto sear for H&K style rifles such as those from Fleming, it's about the most affordable way for an individual to own a brand new, modern belt-fed machine gun. Mike also makes an HK11 style rifle that is kind of a combination between the original HK11 and the more modern HK11E in that it has a fixed G3 style magwell, but it has the lengthened handguard, and you can order it with the receiver strengthening rails welded in place. He can also add optics mounts or M1913 Picatinny rails and has a variety of barrel options. He also offers HK13E/HK23E style weapons, and is branching out into 7.62x39mm Soviet versions.The HK11E style rifles he offers are more affordable than the HK21Es since they have fixed magazines and use normal G3 style bolts and cannot be converted to HK21Es, and they start at $3,250 and go up depending on the options you order. The HK21Es he makes, of course, can be converted to HK11Es if you have the magazine adapter.
I really like how universal it is for the G3 as modular weapon system since the Cold War. It can be made ranging from a GPMG such as this HK21 to the iconic MP5. Minus its advantage to accept drum mags & standard 20-rounds mag, the HK21E proven to be comparable to the PKM in terms of performances, as a lightweight GPMG
Isn't the Term "Midget" considered pejorative? I just wondered if the two of you preferred the term "little person" or maybe Dwarf. Or is using the "M" word a bit like African American rappers using the "N" word. Like its a form of empowerment - You could say you're taking the word back?
Really love your Channel. The content is so great that delivery is so clean everything is just nice and easy to watch it's a great way for me to relax and have a nice educational moment. Wish I had the money to be a patreon. Thank you sir for everything that you do
I love the Safety/selector lever labelling on this weapon: "How much pew would you like? You can choose from: No pew 1 pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew"
I have always loved the H&K 21/23 machine guns, there is just something neat and interesting and unusual about them. Machine Gun Mike also has a great video on the 23 I belive where he takes it apart and shoots it.
I love the design of this gun, you can Change things like barrel, belt feed to mag feed, and even swap about with different calibres. An elegantly simple design that must have been a bloody nightmare to design and get working.
I knew the variant know as hk11 beltfed and shot it twice in the range as a greek infantry conscript this year and it packed quite a punch compared to my personal squad weapon the 5.56 minimi but i liked a lot also the barrel change is a cool feature reminiscent of the mg3
Hi Ian, the German Military also use the HK 21. It was brought into Service in small scale at the KSK and the naval special forces SEK (M). the German Border Police use this gun mounted on vehicles. And the GSG 9 special Police Force use also the HK21 Greetings from Germany
@@Hansengineering Difference being that the Stoner63 was fragile and only issued to specialist troops while this is like the base G3 a tank and can take a beating.
@@verycreativ233 likewise Ian not that this gun had gained 1.5 kg purely from strengthening components. Give Stoner same weight budget on fixing fragile parts and what would you get, hmm? Nothing. Because lobby would dictate different gun:D
@@Hansengineering Yes it was aswell as being finicky as fuck and needing extra care . Ian literally mentions it when he's looking at the gun in the videos he made about it. It's not a bad gun but there is a reason only the Seals got to use it and for once cost wasn't the biggest one. This however is literally just a G3 with beltfeed so it's a tank of a rifle that a retard can operate but with more capacity.
G3 has been standard rifle in Iran's army for decades. They have manufactured hundreds of thousands of it. Its nick name is hand cannon, because of the power of a single shot compared to likes of AK 47.
Watching this after watching the M60. Barrels without bipods/sights/kitchen sink bolted to it. No (soggy) cardboard ammo boxes, A place to store mounting pins. The gun not puking it's guts out at the beginning of the field strip, Captive recoil spring, bolt carrier that isn't a work hazard. Hard to imagine these products existed at the same time.
Although in increasing smaller numbers, both the 21 and the MG3 are still in use with the Portuguese Army and Navy (Marines). In the army they are being replaced (as is the G3) by FN Minimi Mk3's, in both 5.56 and 7.62. Except for Special Operations. Those guys are running 416's and MG4's.
Micheal's machines made these on PTR receivers, and I had a chance to use one. I loved it, i think it was a very capable mg, but there's just no replacing FN and MG42/3 at the time this came out.
@@TugaAvenger I entirely agree. I liked the brutal damage it had, but the Stoner shat on it in every single way. Even then, the FAMAS was too damn overpowered, even after the nerf.
@@ubernoob103 even if it was, as said in the video, an HK 21 with the mag adapter is called an HK 11 as well. In the army we called them HK 11s too, though I will give the benefit of the doubt for misinformation on that regard. So I think you'd still call it an HK 11 since it then would be an automatic mag-fed 7.62 weapons platform.
These videos are so awesome. It'd be really cool if he went back and review older guns that he's done with even more detail like the "streetsweeper" and the "jackhammer". Or guns that aren't forgotten like the aa12.
I can see many possible advantages to a modular firearm, but it seems like there would be some major tradeoffs. What advantages actually come into play in real life? - Training: Is the main advantage the ease of training someone used to the rifle version so they can use other configurations? - Semi-interchangeable parts: Is there major logistical or manufacturing advantages of having at least certain parts of the guns interchangeable so you can carry fewer spares? - Personal Customization: Do soldiers mix parts from different configurations at all? - On the fly changing: Does the special weapon soldier ever carry parts to reconfigure their weapon in the field, benefitting from reduced weight over having a second weapon? - Emergency repairs: Does a soldier ever need to replace damaged parts of a broken specialist weapon and benefit from being able to make do with components from another configuration? I'm guessing most of these are going to be more common in fiction that real life.
@@ScottKenny1978 Yeah, thankfully they were updated, further updates (E4) even reduced the weight that was other of it´s disadvantages. I think you are one of the few guy´s I´ve heard were issued with a M60, the M240 was far more common.
@@spiderjerusalem8284 well, I was Navy, our sub got issued a few M60s (E3 or E4, I don't remember now) after 9-11. I think the Seabees also kept the M60s in service, but Army and Marines have the 240s.
Uruguay 🇺🇾 was on of the early users back in the eighties along the whole set of roller delayed systems that HK had at that time, ah , and they still are in use till today.
Yup. It's a personal favorite, due to how accurate this LMG is when fired in 3-round burst. Fell in love with it since then, and haven't found any other MGs better than the HK21E.
The Mexican Army has used HK21Es alongside G3A3s and G3A4s, but all three are getting phased out. G3s are still in use, if only because they haven't found an under barrel grenade launcher to replace the M203. They've adopted a version of the FN Minini Para to replace the 21E.
What does the Mexican government do with their weapons when they’re phased out? Do they just put them in storage, destroy them, hand them over to the Federales and other police agencies? I don’t even know what they did with their FN-FALs after they got the G-3.
I can find no information on that. Maybe they get demilitarized and are sold publicly as semi autos or are deactivated and sold as military collectibles.
I still think this gun isn´t appreciated enough even if it was so succesfull, this clearly it´s superior to that era´s MG3, FN MAG and M60 , lighter than all the previous ones, the perk of being able to shoot in bursts, and by having a system so similar to the G3, Accuracy shouldn´t be an issue.
To be honest, i love all the german guns, the g3 is one of my favourate, because the round is more powerful than the ak. All the g3 serious are awesome, the vid of this light mashine gun is goid to watch, ian is my hero, you have a very huge knowledge id weapons. You have my respect. Id love to have my own collection of g3 series of weapons
Having lugged around a G3 for long periods of time I'm a bit on the fence about it. I've never actively been in a situation where the 7.62's superior penetration power over the 5.56 became relevant in the slightest. And in the few instances where destructive power mattered the 50 BMG guys were on top of it.. and trying to solve the problem with a 7.62 would have been a hail marry to say the least. I got much better range result with my G3 than I did with the Canadian AR15 clone that eventually replaced it (My old G3 from the 70s was accurate to over 300m all day every day), but in practice I've never been in a situation where I had that kind of visibility. For some strange reason skirmishes always happens in vegetation or dense urban environment... it's kinda like everyone knows that being visible from far away is a stupid fucking idea :P That being said: Lugging a modern AR15 clone around is just much more pleasant. But I WILL take an MP5 over just about anything on the planet if I ever have to do security detail again. Fucking hell those things are accurate and reliable. And pack a much bigger punch than most people seem to think.
@@andersjjensen well its a fact the penitration from a g3 round is far more deadly to a 5.56. Just compare the shell casing of ak 47 m 16 and a g3. The g3 is much bigger there fore a more deadly round. One shot from a g3 and thats it, you are going down.
@@soudadmaouas7058 Oh, I'm not saying that it isn't. I'm saying that human beings are so soft that at normal combat range (up to 200m) the 5.56 is plenty powerful enough to make them incapable of fighting after a torso shot. Despite being a smaller round it has a higher velocity (the bullet weight to gun powder amount is much better on the 5.56) so it reaches the target quicker on close range making it easier to hit moving targets. You need to shoot at targets 250-300 away before the 7.62 "catches up" because it doesn't lose velocity as fast as the 5.56 Obviously the 7.62 has a much better penetration on harder targets, but that's the thing: unless you're fighting idiots who think a small wooden shed is actual cover, then it doesn't matter. Brick, concrete and tamped dirt structures are enough to stop it. Armored vehicles stop it. Normal cars, however, are not enough to stop a 5.56 either, so there it doesn't matter. As I've said, I've used both on multiple deployments, and having the LMG guy on 7.62 is obviously a nice backup, but I do prefer the lighter rifle with a 30 round magazine when trotting around at ground level in dense environments because the benefits of the 7.62 never really comes into play there. Now if I'm at an elevated position doing over watch with great visibility I'd obviously prefer the extended range... but at the end of the day, once you put a bullet in the target the caliber doesn't really matter. They either die or get pulled away screaming. Both of which means you don't have to worry about them any more. Sometimes the screaming can actually be of benefit: It occupies someone else for a while.
I sometimes think that the HK series of guns is like the Stoner 63 writ large. Like H&K just send you a whole crate of barrels, trigger groups, buttstocks etc, and you build them into whatever gun you need at the time...
HK seems to be the absolute master of weapons manufacturing and especially designing Like, if I would be a mercenary, I'd probably just carry this. It can be an assault rifle when needed and heavy support LMG when needed. And to an extent, a medium range sniper rifle when a scope is attached.
Cuando H&K compro al estado Español la patente del Cetme, no solo compraron los planos del fusil de asalto sino que tambien se beneficiaron de otros desarollos entre ellos el de este tipo de ametralladora.
Same! Mexican army does use this HK-21 Light Machine gun to their Units, They either usually have them on their Pickup transport truck, and Humvee Vehicle and Sometimes on the Armored SandCat Vehicle