308 battle rifles are pretty practical if you want to use the same rifle for hunting medium to large game and want to hit the range for targets beyond 300 meters...also it's just fun. I know 5.56 is a better utilitarian cartridge though.
I think the .308 semi-autos just have a wider range of capability compared to the 5.56/7.62x39/5.45x39, the main detriments are reduced capacity due to the larger round and slower follow-up shots by way of more recoil. But 20 rounds is still a solid capacity for a magazine fed fighting rifle, and reducing the recoil is pretty easily accomplished on most rifles with the advent of modern muzzle brakes which can be extremely effective without adding a ton of weight to the front end. I still use intermediate caliber rifles, but my primary rifle in the event of a SHTF scenario will certainly be a .308 semi-automatic, being capable of engaging anything from 0-500m, being capable of hunting any game in North America, being able to fill a DMR or standard close quarters type role, and looking badass all with the same rifle just sounds like the way to go. It's the thing to do man.
;-) S = Sicher, literally translation: safe, common translation: safe E = Einzelfeuer, literally translation: single fire, common translation: semi auto F = Feuerstoß, literally translation: fire burst, common translation: full auto
Charging handle slap will make you burn in hell. If you got caught doing that in the German Army... the instructor would get loud (and make you regret it). Obviously, slapping the charging handle wears down the little notch that holds the bolt open. But maybe that is only an issue when you have a conscript army and the guns have to last 40+ years...
Swedish designations. AK4 = Swedish made G3A3 AK4B = With aimpoint sight on Picatinny AK4C = Aimpoint and Spuhr Stock AK4D = Aimpoint and Spuhr stock and handguard
Håkan Söderholm Yes AK4A OR (optiskt riktmedel) has a Hensoldt x4 scope and it is still used in the home guard (skarpskytt). They now use the PSG90 for sniping thou.
+Sarch Lalaith It's an elegant design, simple and effective. No gas piston or barrel movement required. A really good example of slick mathematics and engineering.
We used G3s when I was doing military service in the early 90s, and one guy in our squad was left-handed. He had no problem shooting it, but he always had gunpowder residue on his face after a day on the range.
10:35 In mexico the army still uses the old G3's. I haven't seen a single gun in the field that hasn't had the carging handle somehow modified by its user. A friend of mine literally put a piece of heated garden hose around it to make it at least a bit more comfortable.
When I was in the german army, we did shoot a lot of practice ammo with them. Some guys used the sling attached to the handle to operate the charging handle more easily, as the bolt often did not cycle through.
In Swedish service the Spuhr modified G3's are called Automatkarbin 4C or 4D (Ak for short, means Automatic Carbine). The C variant is the common infantryman rifle mounting an Aimpoint CS 1x red dot sight, the D variant is the sharpshooter variant mounting a 4x24mm Hensoldt optic taken from the old Ak 4 OR (Optiskt Riktmedel, Optical Sighting Unit) rifles. They are primarily issued to the Home Guard which is our version of the National Guard, though I have heard of them being used by normal Army sharpshooters.
Awww.... I used a standard Swedish G3 (AK-4 in Swedish nomenclature) for a year when I did my military service. We always slapped the handle forward, it was in the manual even. Love the sound it makes :-) And yeah, I got my bruised cheek from the bump on the receiver, only way I could look through the sites properly.
As a left handed swede, this tickles my interests! And from my minimal AK4 experience I agree with the awkward stock and wonder why they didn't rework the furniture earlier. Fun to see that the swedish defense is overhauling the platform though, and it looks like the AK4 is going back to a DSM with the main forces(It's currently mainly used as the service rifle for the home guard) AK4d would be the swedish equivalent of Ians sweet rifle!
Very nice rifle and a great video guys. Thank you very much. Off topic: My eyes keeps getting drawn to the background and the sky. It looks so beautiful, more like a painting than real. Cheers from Denmark, where I can have fun with my airsoft G3 lol P.S. Congratulations with your new acquisition, Ian
This is dope. I like everything about this. The brass from my Saiga 308 goes 2 o'clock and into the next county as well. Makes collecting spent cases quite an excursion.
They might have, uhh, complicated views on personal freedom, but the stuff they sell is really stellar. ...That's how they hook you and keep you coming back after the first _compelled internship._
There is a used H&K MR308 that I might have to buy to join the party. I wouldn’t mind a Daniel Defense D5V2M too. Yes I know there was some controversy with DD there for a minute, but I have a MK18 which I love. I have a nice .308 Bolt Gun in a Cadex Field Competition Chassis, but no Semi-Auto yet. I’d get a SCAR 17 in a second, but they are prohibited here in Canukistan. 🇨🇦
We're getting simmilar guns to these in the Swedish Homeguard. The one with just the new Spuhr stock is the AK4C. The new pincatinny handuard is much less common and issued on an individual need basis. Everyone has red dot sights in the Swedish army these days
Thanks so much for this video from a lefty trying to trick out his 7.62x39 PTR32. Amazing info and I love the channel. I very rarely comment on RU-vid videos but your guy’s content is so far and above the standard especially with Ian being a lefty. You guys are like rain in the desert for me! Appreciated immensely!
Oh man, that G3 makes me emotional... I've loved the G3 for 20 years, and often daydreamed about what I would do if I had one... Gun Jesus just went and did all of that to his gun, including the lefty mods! She's a beauty!
I had a G3 back in the late 80s early 90s and had the trigger worked on which made a world of difference. The scope mount back then I had endless issues with however so it's nice to see that issue addressed.
The original charging handle of a G3 has a hole and there is a neat little trick about this. Just put the hook of the carrying strap through it. Now you don't need to reach to the front of the rifle anymore, just pull the strap. It works perfect in prone position and it felt easier to reload the gun by using the "pull the strap" method than using the charging handle. Also, I never had any problems carrying the gun this way.
My buddy sent me a picture of a tacticool FAL yesterday. Suposed to be a precision rifle. I question their decision to put a rail and a scope on the dust cover, but it's a chunky, beefy dust cover at that. Something milled, rather than the sheet metal you see on production FALs.
Ian, you bastard. I missed this video and once again you found cool stuff I can't live without. I ordered the Spuhr handguard and stock and just finished installing them. The cool factor is off the charts and the workmanship is excellent. I left my HK91 alone, but had a PTR91 GI-R to play with. I removed the rear sight and cut off the front sight and rounded it off. HKparts.net had the heavy buffer and a poly sef lower that replaced the loose metal lower. I'm really liking this build a lot.
An additional thing about the swedish G3 (AK4) is that the regular buttstock that is being phased out is actually 2cm longer than the HK original. Now I personally don't have a problem with the length being over 6ft tall but imagine being 5'6" and it starts to get uncomfortable. We had rails welded on our rifles (and the ironsights cut off) many years back, but the new stock really brings it up to snuff. It's also called the AutomatKarbin 4B here. You see, in Sweden we are so strong and manly (or something) that we call our 7.62 rifles "assault carbines" ^^
I had a HK91 back in the day but the problems you mentioned caused me to trade it off. One thing I did to it that made a tremendous difference trigger-wise was to sent it off to Williams Trigger Specialties. I had their bare-bones mods and the difference was astounding at a very reasonable cost. Had it not been for the other issues, I'd still have it today. Too bad the Spuhr stock/forend are only 15 years too late. :-)
I've got a couple of comments on this video, having the (A)G-3 as my service rifle before we got the HK-416. 1: After a couple of incidents with the Norwegian national guard disposing of their families and themselves with the gun, the F is for family (morbid I know, but soldiers we are). 2: We actually had two stock lengths. Normal and short. The short one was aimed at the female soldiers. It was basically the same buttstock, only slightly shorter. Worked fine for the shorter soldiers. 3: The iron sights are not as bad as depicted in this video if they are the only iron sights you have tried. We made it work perfectly fine. Only after trying the aimpoint M4 on the HK-416 we understood that the iron sights sucked... 4: Man, I really miss the (A)G-3. It did not take too much training to handle, and when you could put a double tap in the centre of the target in 1,5 seconds from 20 meters it really gave you a confidence boost. Firing presicion shots with a hand cannon is a really good feeling!. I understand that this gun is obsolete on the modern battleground, but it does not suck!
There is enormous variance in the triggers of general issue G3s. Some are smooth if a bit long in the break, whereas I had one particular beat-to-death specimen that had a crunchy mess of a trigger with three distinct clicks before it broke.
Using the default G3 as my service rifle I've recieved a lot of bruised cheeks from the receiver hump, lol. Really like this setup, will look into upgrading mine.
Nice stuff. I recently picked up a book about the roller-delayed blowback design which looks particularly interesting. I had an AG3 (Norwegian manufacture G3, under license) as my service rifle during basic training (went on to be a comms operator and didn't have a service weapon after that), and like so many others learned to shoot poorly with it...
The G3-SG1 stock has the cheek rest like the Spuhr, adjustable in hight for scopes but the original length's. The funny thing is: They sell stockplates in germany to make the rifle even longer :D
Ian Perry Aha now i get it,, heard people post about that but prefer to keep gunns seperated from gunns... these digital ‘powers’ do go back to middle dark ages with their ‘morals’ as banning the fun stuf 🖕🏽
Had a HK 91 since 83. Only affordable 7.62 back in the day. M1A weren't available "yet" fn FAL were $1200. Not exactly cost friendly. In regards to the HK hump, I knew guys shooting M-14 would have the same issue when they choked up on the stock. Yeah we had M-14 incase we had to shoot airplane ties..another story for another day. So I've always loved my 91, warts and all. 8000 to 12000 rounds later, I've made some changes..that's due to your insight. Spur stock. Add on top rail. Running comp M4 with twist off magnifier..a gen 1 probably. A mag pull Tigger housing with ambi safety. Just saying brother..SF Kenny
I'm really surprised that more people don't put HK21 bolt handles on their G3 pattern rifles. I know it was the first thing I did on my PTR91 after buying a ton of mags!
This is the first you've heard of this? I assumed that if I was smart enough to do it, everyone else beat me to it. Woo! I'm finally ahead of the curve!
Sphur is good kit. The best mounts for the PMII. Excellent design and manufacture. Rumours of .308W/7.62N demise are unfounded. I miss bolt hold open on G3s. I thought most G3 were licence built rather than exported, hence the different versions encountered.
Being 6 foot 2 I love my Hk 91 and I have an Hk21 club foot stock and I may use my quad rail forearm instead of the odd shape forearm with a bi pod. The 21 stock feels great. The scope mount works but the front sight sits high, I changed my front sight to a meprolight iron sight. I want to put a 21 charging handle for an easier grip
The impluse is straight back on the Scar 17s. The stock is lower that top of the receiver, but the barrel is really low too. Just looked at mine to double check lol.
SCAR is lighter, more accurate, more modern and more reliable, the scar will get 1 MOA out of the box, the only G3 variant that can is the PSG and MSG1.
Wyatt Morin around 1 MOA is certainly doable in some H’s. We have snipers who use the 17 for callouts. They are running match and hand loads obviously. They are not 1/2 MOA all day Guns. But 1 MOA or sometimes better? Yes. We have guys who regularly take them out to 900 yards as long as the wind isn’t crazy. But 750 in most conditions is the norm. Marky
Brass deflectors are more important if you plan on reloading because it reduces the crease in the brass that is formed from ejecting. If you don't plan on reloading then it isn't really necessary. As for trigger options, Bill Springfield does amazing work, or if you want a lower with better ergonomics the MSG90 lower with a PSG1 trigger is a good, but expensive choice. The MSG90 lower has the advantage of being the polymer stick grip lower, which feels better to me personally, while still having an extended ambi selector. The steel lower looks cool, but isn't nearly as comfortable to me.
Gotta love a real battle rifle. They even sound different than AR's. I will remember this if i ever live somewhere that i can own a G3. I have always like the action. I agree on the stock. Inline is best. Stoner had that correct in 1954-55.
German soldiers in Afghanistan could sometimes choose between a G3 and G36, many (the robust ) have taken the G3 because of the larger caliber wich could also penetrate adobe bricks and hit the behind hiding.
There are several modifications that I have read about relative to recoil that include a better buffer. Some use that intended for the light machine gun version or other use custom buffers. Also there are other angles that are on the locking piece of the G3 that are said to alter the recoil impulse. If your gun has those modifications please let us know and if not, why add them and see if it is an improvement.
im a lefty been in the military for years now have a lil collection my self and have had to adapt to right handed guns for decades i wouldnt know what to do with a left handed gun lol
I have an HK 93 clone (not the same obviously, but similar mechanical design internally) and it definitely hurls that brass to about the 2:30 position pretty hard. Someone once told me that if you had a roller delayed blowback rifle with only one round left and two guys coming at you then you shoot the one on the left and the ejecting brass case will kill the guy on the right. I heard it on the internet so it must be true.
A friend of mine has a Spanish CETME. One of the least pleasant shooting rifles I've ever fired. The range we were shooting at being a 1 round in the gun, no off-hand shooting probably doesn't help, but still. The sights were also about 3 feet up and left, even at 50 yards, too.
Replacement G3 triggers are for sale that will fix the trigger. I would like one of these things in .243. Same case necked down which should make the change relatively simple. Less recoil and still good for deer or cough, cough...predators.
I thought the G3 was rather comfortable, but then again, I was just coming off the CETME so...it might be comfortable by comparison. The main issues I had with the CETME that the G3 fixed was the safety, and the magazine release. So I guess this version makes those fixes even more pronounced.
Since you two seem to be on a bit of a Battle Rifle/.308 kick recently, I'd love to see one of you run a 2 gun event with a modern M14/M1A. Living behind the lines in the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts, I bought a SOCOM 16 several years ago partially to future-proof myself against a feature based ban. I know they don't excel at sealing out mud, but I'd love to get your impressions on them after some run & gun.
Would it be fair to draw comparisons between this G3 and the scar you've been working with? Or are they separate animals with 50+ years between them? PS Karl- I watched some old inrange videos back and good work on your physic, you've made some great in roads!
If I could get iron sights worked up to account for the higher cheek weld, I'd seriously consider something similar. I'm not handicapped like Ian, though, so no left-hander charging handle for me.
I had the HK G3A3 years ago. Have to say it was the most painfully uncomfortable rifle to shoot I've ever owned, especially from a prone position. In spite of that, 40 years later, I still regret having sold it. If the spuhr mod really fixes that painful recoil, then I may have to consider getting a new one. For those of you who've never fired one and want to understand what the recoil is like, have a friend hit you in the collar bone with a rubber mallet.
