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Jaeger · #13 (**permalink**) October 11th, 2006, 09:20 AM

Kerem

As far as I know AK is reliable, cheap and easy to maintain, while G3 very fragile and unstable while automatic use. That is 1-0 for guerillas.

What???

I am an instructor in the HV and for the WWS. I have been shooting the AG3 for 12 years. Fragile is NOT the word I'd mark it with.

While firing an AK or an AG3 at full auto, you wont hit much at ranges over 30 meters. The recoil is too strong for it. Firing short burst is better. The G36, M16 and Steyr are much easier to control on full auto because they fire a less powerful round.

The use of full auto is genrally discarded in favour for the double-tap. With the double tap you hit the target twice at relatively long ranges. In QCB (close quartes battle) the double tap is mandatory. Full auto in an area where there is civillians is not a winning recipy.

While the AG3 is getting old it still is a good weapon. Optic sights, cheeck plate and bipod is possible to fit on it. For me it is the calibre that weighs most heavy. I never forget lectures from N.Ireland vetrans speaking of the horror of fighting it out with IRA shooting through their cover, whilst the SA 80 didn't. Speaking of weight TA is dead on the money. More and more people are argueing that you can carry more ammo for your M16/G36 than your AG3. True, but vets back from Afganistan and Iraq discarded their M16 for the AG3. Why? The power.

Accurancy on the AG3 and AK47 is less than modern designs. The weapons can be dismanteled in half, in time the bolts will slacken and cause the gun to loose precicion. My personal weapon is made in 1971 and when shooting prone it will hit the size of a head at 200 meters.

So the weapon is somewhat crude and oldfashioned. The upside is that the AG3 like the AK47 is extremely reliable. I have shot it at temperatures down to -38C at the border, and my mate shoot at +50C in Iraq. No misfire. In an average year I fire around 2500 rounds with the AG3 and roughly the same with the MP5 machine pistol. I have never had a misfire yet on the AG3 and on the MP I had three two years ago. The ammo was the reason and Raufoss (munition factory) had to take back the whole lot.