MG 3 machine gun

MG 3
An MG 3
TypeGeneral-purpose machine gun
Place of originWest Germany
Service history
In service1959–present
Used bySee Users
WarsNigerian Civil War
Bangladesh Liberation War[1]
Iran–Iraq War
Lebanese Civil War
The Troubles
Kurdish–Turkish conflict
Second Sudanese Civil War[2]
Somali Civil War
Kargil War
War in Afghanistan
War in North-West Pakistan
Syrian Civil War
Boko Haram insurgency[3]
Libyan Civil War
War in Iraq (2013–2017)[4]
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)[5]
Russo-Ukrainian War[6]
Myanmar Civil War
Production history
Designed1959
ManufacturerRheinmetall
License-built by: Beretta, MKEK, Ellinika Amyntika Systimata, Defense Industries Organization, Military Industry Corporation, Pakistan Ordnance Factories, General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas
Produced1959–present
No. built1 million+
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
Mass11.5 kg (25.35 lb)[7]
27.5 kg (61 lb) (mounted on tripod)
Length1,225 mm (48.2 in)
1,097 mm (43.2 in) (without stock)
Barrel length565 mm (22.2 in)

Cartridge7.62×51mm NATO
ActionRecoil-operated, roller locked
Rate of fire800–950 rounds/min or
1,000–1,200 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity820 m/s (2,690 ft/s)
Effective firing range200–1,200 m sight adjustments
Maximum firing range600 m (1,969 ft) (bipod)
1,200–1,600 m (3,937–5,249 ft) (tripod mounted)
3,000 m (9,843 ft) (gun carriage)
3,750 m (12,303 ft) (terminal)
Feed system50-round non-disintegrating DM1 belt (can be combined in a drum); 100-round disintegrating DM6/M13 belt
SightsOpen tangent iron sights or optical sights

The MG 3 is a German general-purpose machine gun chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. The weapon's design is derived from the World War II era MG 42 that fired the 7.92×57mm Mauser round.[8]

The MG 3 was standardized in the late 1950s and adopted into service with the newly formed Bundeswehr, where it continues to serve to this day as a squad support weapon and a vehicle-mounted machine gun. The weapon and its derivatives have also been acquired by the armed forces of over 40 countries. Production rights to the machine gun were purchased by Italy (MG 42/59 [it]), Spain, Pakistan (MG 1A3), Greece, Iran, Sudan and Turkey.[9]

  1. ^ McNab, Chris (2002). 20th Century Military Uniforms (2nd ed.). Kent: Grange Books. p. 31. ISBN 1-84013-476-3.
  2. ^ "Sudan – Global trade, local impact: Arms Transfers to all Sides in the Civil War in Sudan" (PDF). Human Rights Watch Report. 10 (4): 25. August 1998.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tessieres was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ VICE News (27 April 2016). "What It's Really Like to Fight for the Islamic State". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021.
  5. ^ Dnevnik (in Slovenian). Ljubljana, Slovenia: Radiotelevizija Slovenija. 2015. Event occurs at 17:13. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  6. ^ Nikolov, Boyko (28 March 2022). "1,500 Soviet Strela-2 MANPADS and 100 MG3 arrived in Ukraine". BulgarianMilitary.com.
  7. ^ Bundesministerium der Verteidigung (26 June 1979). "Dv 3-14 Das Maschinengewehr" (PDF) (in German) – via Wikimedia Commons.
  8. ^ Woźniak, Ryszard (2001). Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej—tom 3 M-P (in Polish). Warsaw: Bellona. p. 106.
  9. ^ "7.62 mm MG3 Machine Gun". MKEK. Archived from the original on 15 September 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2014.