Kathrine Frich
Ukrainian fighters from the 36th Brigade say they have been using Heckler & Koch G3 rifles for several months alongside other Cold War-era battle rifles.
The rifle’s 7.62x51mm NATO round delivers notable accuracy and stopping power, but the praise stops there.
Troops report the weapon’s great weight, strong recoil and poor controllability in full-auto fire make it ill-suited as a modern assault rifle.
Screws that unscrew
The complaints extend to field reliability and maintenance: magazines that misfeed, bolts that fail to close properly, and case-extraction problems arise after only 30–50 rounds following cleaning.
Units also say “many rifles arrive without cleaning kits, spare parts, or clear documentation, which compounds basic malfunctions.”
These issues are aggravated by flash hiders that unscrew, a missing bolt catch that slows reloads, and ergonomics that frustrate soldiers used to AK or AR platforms.
Har to assemble
Soldiers describe difficult disassembly of the bolt face and a risk of losing small pins when servicing the weapon, problems that become acute without hands-on training.
“They are a nightmare to reload and assemble,” one soldier said.
Observers point to the G3’s unusual roller-delayed, semi-free-bolt action as the root cause, since its maintenance differs fundamentally from piston or rotating-lock systems.
In short, a rifle that tolerates contamination and delivers raw power still requires precise setup and understanding to function reliably.
Not refurbished
The brigade’s account suggests many of the G3s were delivered straight from long-term storage with little or no refurbishment, and that explains several failures in the field.
The design depends critically on the gap between the bolt face and the rest of the bolt, which must sit within 0.10–0.50 mm, ideally about 0.25 mm, and deviations outside that range cause malfunctions.
Similarly, the recoil spring guide needs a nylon ring; its absence is linked to further weapon failures.
Useful in niche roles
Critics in the 36th Brigade argue the G3’s weight, recoil and handling make it a poor choice as a general-purpose assault weapon compared with modern carbines.
That said, the rifle can still serve as an effective marksman or designated-marksman weapon when adapted properly and paired with optics.
With upgrades such as a lighter Spuhr handguard, an optics rail and a modern adjustable stock like a Magpul PRS2, users say the G3 can perform out to roughly 700 m for precision shooting.
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, which may have used AI in the preparation
