Haenel M-1907

     Notes: The Haenel M-1907 (Aptierte Haenel-Gewehr M-1907) was not actually built for use by German forces; it was made for export to China shortly after the turn of the 20^th century.  It is basically a Gewehr 88 with the addition of a bolt-guide rib, gas-escape port, guides for stripper clips, and modifications necessary to accept the 8mm Mauser round.  A few of these rifles were still in Germany at the start of World War 1, awaiting shipment to China; these sere seized by the Kaiser’s Army and used by Landsturm troops to free Gewehr 88s for regular Army use.  Some of these retained their original 6.5x57mm Mauser chambering, but most were modified for 8mm Mauser. 

Heckler & Koch G-3

     Notes: The G-3 was first taken into German Army service in 1959.  Since then, it has been sold and manufactured in so many countries, it may be encountered almost anywhere in the world.  The G-3 is based on the design of the Spanish CETME-58; however, the CETME-58 was itself based on a Nazi design that was never produced.  (In fact, the first prototypes of the G-3 were virtually identical to the CETME-58.)  The G-3 was the first Heckler & Koch rifle to use roller-locking action that became synonymous with the company’s name. 

     After many modifications and some improvements, the G-3 did not look so much like the CETME-58 any more; there is still, however, a noticeable family difference.  Unlike the CETME-58, however, the G-3 is built using as many steel stampings as possible.  Early G-3s used stamped steel ventilated handguards, but had inexpensive high-impact plastic pistol grips.  Early stocks were of wood, but these were later replaced with plastic stocks.  The first G-3s used sights which were little-changed from those of the CETME-58, but most G-3s use drum-type sights with a hooded front post.  The charging handle is on the left side above the barrel, and folds for storage or to prevent snagging.  Very early production G-3s had no flash suppressor; a prong-type flash suppressor was quickly added, but virtually all G-3s were built with a compact birdcage-type flash suppressor or retrofitted with them.  The original G-3 also was fitted with a folding bipod and a FAL-type carrying handle.

     Operation is by delayed blowback using roller locking.  In addition, a tiny amount of gas is leaked through internal flutes to the chamber, which actually helps keep the spent cases from sticking and aids in extraction. 

     The G-3 was first fielded in 1959, but user feedback led to some of the changes described above in 1963, such as the drum-type rear sight.  The bipod and carrying handle were also eliminated.  Also in 1963, the first sliding-stock variant, the G-3A1, was introduced, with a metal stock similar to (but not exactly the same as) later Heckler & Koch sliding stock patterns, including a textured rubber-coated buttplate.  The G-3A2, though approved in 1962, does not appear to have been fielded until 1964; this model used a fixed plastic stock, plastic handguards, and a floating barrel which improved accuracy.  Many earlier G-3s were rebuilt to the G-3A2 standard. 

     The G-3A3 was adopted later that year, and replaced the plastic stock with a synthetic one, improved the front sight, and changed the design of the flash suppressor to allow it to use NATO-pattern rifle grenades.  In 1968, a version of the G-3A3 also became available with four selector lever positions (safe, semiautomatic, 3-round burst, and full auto), but the Germans and many other countries do not seem to have used that version very much.  In 1974, further modifications were made to the G-3A3, re-shaping the pistol grip and simplifying the handguards.  In 1985, even more changes were made, including a synthetic sub-frame for the stock and pistol grip for strengthening and an ambidextrous fire selector.  The G-3A4 is virtually identical to the G-3A3, but uses a sliding steel stock.  The G-3A3 and G-3A4 have become the standard production versions of the G-3 series.  (There are also G-3A5, A6, and A-7 versions, which are simply export versions of the G-3A3 or G-3A4.) 

     Other significant variants of the G-3 include the G-3KA3 and A4; these versions have barrels shortened to 12.7 inches, with the G-3KA3 using a fixed stock (and being relatively quite rare) and the G-3KA4 having a sliding steel stock.  Neither are capable of mounting bayonets or using rifle grenades.  The G-3SG/1 is an otherwise-standard G-3A3 which, during test firing, showed itself (due to slight variances in manufacturing) to be somewhat more accurate and/or better built than the normal G-3A3.  They have a normal fire selector, but also are fitted with a trigger group including a set trigger (useable only when the rifle is set on semiautomatic).  The standard trigger is also adjustable for pull weight.  The G-3SG/1 also has a folding bipod mounted as standard, as well as a modified stock with a removable cheekpiece (of various sizes to suit the shooter).  They have a claw-type telescopic sight mount fitted (which in German service usually holds a Zeiss 1.5-6x scope).  The G-3A3 and G-3A4 INKAS have an infrared laser spotting device built into the cocking handle, with the switch behind the front sight. 

     A minor modification of the G-3A3 is called the G-3PT; this version is made by using a parts kit consisting of a subcaliber barrel insert and a magazine insert to allow the G-3A3 to fire .22 Long Rifle ammunition.  No other G-3A3 parts need be changed to produce the G-3PT, though the sights must be adjusted for the shorter range.  The G-3PT is meant to allow lower-cost basic marksmanship training.  The G-3TGS is not really a variant as such; it is simply the nomenclature for a G-3A3 or G-3A4 fitted with the HK-79 grenade launcher and the special interface handguard/fore-end hardware and grenade-launching sights.

     The G-3 also spawned several related designs (which are covered elsewhere in these pages); these include the PSG-1 and MSG-90 sniper rifles, HK-33 and G-41 assault rifles, and HK-11 and HK-21 machineguns; in addition, there is a civilian version called the HK-91, which has a fire selector locked to allow only semiautomatic fire only.  There are in fact so many countries which wither have licenses to manufacture the G-3 series or use the G-3 series themselves that it is possible to encounter the G-3 almost anywhere in the world, with virtually innumerable local modifications both large and small. 

     Perhaps one of the largest manufacturers of civilian-legal G-3s (i.e., HK-91s) is the US manufacturer PTR-91 Inc (formerly JLD Enterprises).  For the most part, these are identical to HK-91s and their variants, but one version, the PTR-32 is worth a little more elaboration.  The PTR-32 is chambered for 7.62mm Kalashnikov and has a 16-inch barrel.  It is built to the heavier HK-91/PTR-91 frame, and the name appears to be a combination of the PTR-91 and the limited-production HK-32.  The barrel is 16 inches, and is tipped with a bird-cage-type flash suppressor which can be removed and replaced with a variety of aftermarket muzzle devices.  The PTR-32KC is designed for compliance with California regulations, and has no MIL-STD-1913 rail and can accept 10-round magazines; the flash suppressor is also non-removable. A PTR-32KCM4 is identical, but does have the MIL-STD-1913 rails, including four on the handguards.  The standard PTR-32KF is very similar to the California model, but has a removable flash suppressor and mounts for a bipod, a MIL-STD-1913 rail, or other types of scope mounts.  The PTR-32KMF4 (formerly designated the PTR-32KFR) has the MIL-STD-1913 rail as standard, and the handguards also have four MIL-STD-1913 rails on the handguard.  The PTR-32 can take any magazine which will fit into an AK-type weapon.

     It should be noted that while the G-3 is not normally issued with a bipod, it can easily be fitted with one; any G-3 can also be fitted with a claw-type scope/accessory mount.  There are also rumors that some G-3s have recently been fitted with MIL-STD-1913 rails, but I have not been able to confirm this.

*Plus the cost of the base G-3A3; the parts kit cannot be used as a rifle by itself!  The weight listed, however, is the weight of the parts kit in addition to the weight of the base G-3A3; by itself, the weight is 0.6 kg.

 **If one chooses one of these G-3 versions without burst firing capability, subtract $182 from the price of the weapon.

Mauser Gew-98

     Notes:  This version of the Mauser rifle rivals the Kalashnikov for the most common rifle in history.  This is in spite of the rather clumsy arrangement of the bolt handle and group, the stock that is normally way too long for the size of an average person (especially one of that time, 1898), and a full 29-inch barrel.  The pistol grip-wrist stock was generally of walnut, with an almost full-length fore-end; a length of the fore-end contained a tube for a cleaning rod.  Versions built before 1915 had finger grooves in the fore-end, a steel grommet behind the pistol grip wrist, and V-notch adjustable rear sights.  In 1915, the finger grooves and the steel grommet were deleted to ease manufacturing, but the rear sight was changed to a tangent sight which offered finer adjustments.  The Gew-98 was built until 1918, with over 3.5 million having been made.  The Nazis were still carrying millions of them when they invaded Poland in 1939, and a substantial number of them still survive to this day – and many have been rechambered for different cartridges.  The action has formed the base for hundreds of rifle designs for over a century.  They are strong, reliable, and accurate.

     After World War 1, a large number of Gew-98s were altered to comply with the Armistice requirements.  The excellent tangent sight was replaced with a simple flat tangent sight, the stacking hook was removed, and a slot was cut into the stock for a sling.  At the same time, the bolt handle was bent down instead of being straight out like the Gew-98.  This version is known as the Kar-98b, but is identical to the Gew-98 for game purposes.

     Built only from 1900 to 1905, the Gew-98A carbine (not to be confused with the later Kar-98 series) had a barrel shortened to 17 inches and a fore-end that ran all the way to the muzzle.  Versions built 1900-02 had no provisions for a bayonet nor a tube for a cleaning rod.  In late 1902, a bayonet bar was added as well as provision for a cleaning rod in the fore-end.  Only about 3000 were built.

     The Kar-98 series was introduced in 1908 with the Kar-98a (at first designated the Gew-98AZ; it was re-designated after World War 1).  For the most part, the Kar-98a was the same as the Gew-98, but with a 24-inch barrel.  Other differences included a full-length fore-end and a fore-end cap equipped with a bayonet lug and a small curved bar used when stacking the rifles in an encampment.  1.5 million were built before the end of World War 1.

     The Kar-98k was the primary battle rifle of the Nazi forces during World War 2. Though it still used the same basic design, the Kar-98k used a 23.6-inch barrel and a shorter stock to make it handier.  The bolt handle and bolt action were at the same time reshaped and reworked for smoother action.  As the war went on, the quality of materials of this weapon became lower and lower, but it soldiered on.  It became the last Mauser rifle design used by the military. 

     During World War 2, an attempt to address the low magazine capacity of the Kar-98k was attempted.  Mauser attached a fixed, curved 25-round magazine to the normal place where the internal magazine was.  Loading was still from the top, by a succession of the same 5-round clips.  It was quite unpopular with the troops, more difficult and expensive to produce, and after a very short time dropped from production.

     The Gew-98 Training Rifle was built in the 1930s as a training rifle exclusively for Nazi party members.  The Training Rifle still used the same action, but the magazine was blocked, making it a single-shot rifle.  The barrel was 26 inches long.  Despite the potential range, the tangent rear sight was adjustable only to 200 meters.

Mauser FSK-15

     Notes: This rare and unusual Mauser semiautomatic rifle was designed for defensive use by aircrews (primarily those in zeppelins and other airships).  Only about 2000 examples of the FSK-15 (Flieger-Selbstladenkarabiner Model 1915, or Flyer’s Self-Loading Carbine) were made, primarily due to an unduly-complicated mechanism and a measure of unreliability.  The FSK-15 had a sort of Rube Goldberg operation – a sort of two-step blowback mechanism that achieved the aim of shortening the rifle, but also had enough small and easily-breakable parts that something was bound to go wrong.  On top of that, the real-world price of the FSK-15 was twice that of Germany’s other aircrew rifle, a gas-operated semiautomatic Mondragon design built in Switzerland, and the Mondragon was much more reliable and easier to maintain.  The FSK-15 was also combat-tested by the German Army, where it suffered far greater reliability problems.  They were finally reissued to the Navy, where they saw almost no usage whatsoever, and gradually simply fell out of usage.

     The mechanism of the FSK-15 is by blowback.  When the weapon fires, the barrel and receiver both recoil by about 15mm; then small and rather fragile locking bars are released, allowing the breechblock itself to reciprocate.  Once the breechblock has returned forward, the breechblock locks into the receiver again, and the receiver and barrel then return forward.  On top of all this, charging the FSK-15 took a good measure of strength.  And to top it all off, recoil was quite heavy, making accuracy difficult and prolonged firing very fatiguing. 

     Otherwise, the FSK-15 used a stock with a pistol-grip wrist, and usually a half-length fore-end (though the ones combat tested by the Army used a full-length fore-end).  The FSK-15 accepted the three primary bayonets used on the Gew-98 rifles.  The FSK-15 was a rather heavy weapon for its size, with a 26.55-inch barrel and a rear adjustable tangent sight.  Semiautomatic rifles themselves were unusual in World War 1, but the FSK-15 was not one of the better ones.

Mauser Gew-41(M)

     Notes: This was a competing design to Walther’s Gew-41(W). Only about 6700 were built, and it was discovered that the modified Bang system used by the Gew-41(M) could be a bit fragile, and the protruding charging handle tended to get caught up on just about anything.  Many of Mauser’s design and production facilities had been destroyed by Allied bombing, and even the Nazi government had doubts as to whether Mauser could deliver even the 15,000 rifles requested in the first batch, let alone any more after that. The Gew-41(M) did have the virtue of being able to be top-loaded by stripper clips or by inserting a fresh magazine; it also used a standard Mauser-pattern bayonet.  In the end, however, it was hardly a successful design.

Rheinmetall FG-42

     Notes:  This weapon, one of the outstanding small-arms designs of World War 2, was made for use by Nazi Paratroopers and first used during the rescue of Mussolini.  It is the ancestor of modern assault rifles, being a fairly compact weapon firing on automatic or semiautomatic; it is not considered an actual assault rifle only due to its full-power cartridge.  Devised in 1940, the Luftwaffe wanted a rifle about the same weight as the Kar-98k, yet magazine-fed, capable of automatic fire, short enough to be reasonably handy, and still fire the 8mm Mauser cartridge.  The Army felt that this was impossible, so Goering contacted Rheinmetall on his own initiative, and weapon designer Louis Stange came up with the FG-42.  The FG-42 was expensive and time-consuming to manufacture, and only 7000 were made; only Herman Goering’s political influence and determination to provide a distinctive weapon to “his” paratroopers allowed that many to be made.  Few of them survive in working order to this day; most of them belong to private collectors or museums.

     The FG-42 used an unusual side-mounted magazine, and had a light bipod and reversible spike bayonet carried under the barrel.  The design is a modern “straight-line” type from the stock to the muzzle.  The FG-42 fires from an open bolt in automatic fire to allow greater cooling; it fires from a closed bolt in semiautomatic model to allow greater accuracy when aiming.  The FG-42 has a bolt hold-open device, but it operates “properly” only when the FG-42 is set on automatic and the magazine empties.  If the FG-42 is set on semiautomatic, the bolt hold-open still works, but the charging handle has to be pulled back and locked before the empty magazine removed and a fresh one inserted.  The FG-42 was really too light for prolonged automatic fire, and most troops learned quickly to limit themselves to short bursts.

     Original models had a steeply-raked pistol grip that was a awkward, but did help control recoil in automatic fire.  The FG-42 had folding sights that allowed for long-range fire and short-ranges using a peep sight on the folded long-range sight.  The stock was of stamped steel, and the fore-end was wooden.  Most of the FG-42 was made of high-quality manganese-steel alloy. The barrel was 20 inches long and tipped by a pepperpot-type muzzle brake.  A mere 527 of these first-pattern FG-42s were built; combat experience and shortages of the manganese-steel alloy dictated several changes in design.

     In 1944, the FG-42 II appeared.  Though critical parts were still made from manganese-steel, most of the FG-42 II was built of standard weapon-quality steel.  The barrel was slightly lengthened to 20.65 inches, and the muzzle brake was improved in strength, though it was more bulky.  The bipod mounting allowed it to be attached at the muzzle or the end of the fore-end.  A gas regulator was added, both to compensate for dirt and fouling and to allow for the varying quality of ammunition being produced in Germany in 1944.  The trigger group was detachable for cleaning and adjustment and the manual safety moved to a more ergonomic position.  A spring-loaded ejection port cover was added, and a brass deflector was placed behind the ejection port.  The stamped steel buttstock of the FG-42 was replaced with a wooden buttstock.  The pistol grip was made of plastic and it’s shape changed to a normal shape and angle.  The stroke length of the action was made longer, reducing the violent recoil found on the FG-42; the cyclic rate was lowered by 100 rpm to 700 rpm.  The longer action meant that the FG-42 II was about three inches longer than the FG-42; it was also much heavier.  Approximately 3900 were built.

Walther Gew-41(W)

     Notes:  This is the result of an experimental program by the Nazis to produce a semiautomatic rifle to compete with the likes of the American M-1 Garand.  They selected a Walther design, an adaptation of the Bang rifle system using gas operation.  The Gew-41(W) proved to be satisfactory, and eventually over 122,000 were built. 

     Initial models had a bolt hold-open device and a simple manual safety; when production commenced, the bolt hold-open was eliminated and the safeties improved.  The barrel was 22 inches long and the entire rifle 45.5 inches.  One of the problems with the Gew-41(W) was that it was difficult and slow to manufacture; another was that it was long and poorly-balanced.  The integral magazine was also slow to load and the whole rifle was a bit heavy; it was eventually replaced by the Gew-43.  The Gew-41(W) was issued primarily to special units stationed on the Russian Front. 

     Sometimes called the Kar-43, the Gew-43 modified the Bang gas system with a combination of the camming-flap breech locking of the Gew-41(W) and a Tokarev-type gas piston system.  The internal magazine was replaced by a detachable box magazine.  When the Gew-43 was first ordered into production, only 3000 were made in the first batch delivered in 1943.  By March of 1945, when production stopped, over 450,000 had been built – though quality declined the quicker they were manufactured.

     The Gew-43 was similar in appearance to the Gew-41(W), but used a half-length fore-end and a hooded front sight.  On the right side of the receiver, a mount for a Zf.4 telescopic sight was found.  The barrel length remained at 22 inches, though length was reduced by nearly an inch, balance improved, and weight considerably reduced.

     Despite the large amounts of Gew-41(W)s and Gew-43s made, most were lost in the disastrous Operation Barbarossa – the invasion of Russia by the Nazis.