In the late 1950s, the Bundeswehr, West Germany’s armed forces, needed a new infantry rifle. Part practical endeavor and part rebranding effort, the adoption of the G3 battle rifle was ...

Heckler & Koch’s select-fire G3 battle rifle, chambered in 7.62 NATO, earned the contract in 1959. The gun later served as the basis for the company’s HK21 machine gun, introduced in 1961.

Here’s What You Need To Remember: The French Army began its search for a new rifle in the 1960s.Although it could have easily procured a proven 7.62 battle rifle such as the German G3, it was ...