Espingarda m/961
Fábrica de Braço de Prata · Battle Rifle · Out Of Production · 1961
Also known as: Espingarda automática 7,62 mm m/961, G3 (Portuguese), m/961
Overview
The Espingarda m/961 is the early Portuguese-service variant of the Heckler & Koch G3 battle rifle, license-produced in 7.62x51mm NATO at the state arsenal Fábrica de Braço de Prata after Portugal adopted the roller-delayed-blowback rifle in 1961. Designated officially the 'Espingarda automática 7,62 mm m/961', this first-pattern model is distinguished by a wooden buttstock modelled on the preceding Spanish CETME, ventilated stamped-steel handguards, a folding bipod, an early first-pattern muzzle brake, and flip-type rear sights rather than the later rotating drum sight. It served as the standard infantry rifle of Portuguese forces during the opening years of the Portuguese Colonial War in Angola, Portuguese Guinea, and Mozambique, before production switched in 1963 to the lighter polymer-furniture m/963.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4700 g (165.8 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 5400 g (190.5 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1025 mm (40.35") |
| Barrel Length | 450 mm (17.72") |
| Sight Radius | 572 mm (22.52") |
| Action Type | Roller Delayed Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 20 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 790 m/s (2592 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2965 J (2187 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 3000 m (3281 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 550 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 305 mm (12.01") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Phosphate |
Calibers
- 7.62x51mm NATO · primary · 7.62x51mm NATO — also known as .308 Winchester, 7.62mm NATO, 7.62x51mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety Selector
- Features: Select Fire, Stamped Steel Construction, Ventilated Stamped Steel Handguard, Folding Bipod, First Pattern Muzzle Brake, Flip Rear Sight, Wooden Buttstock, Roller Delayed Action
Variants
- Espingarda m/963 - Polymer Furniture
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Portuguese Armed Forces · adopted 1961 · as Espingarda automática 7,62 mm m/961
- Portuguese Marines (Fuzileiros) · as m/961
Conflicts
- Portuguese Colonial War (1961-1974)
- Angolan War of Independence (1961-1974)
- Guinea-Bissau War of Independence (1963-1974)
- Mozambican War of Independence (1964-1974)
Production
Production years: 1961-1963
Produced for roughly three years before transition to the m/963; Fábrica de Braço de Prata went on to manufacture 442,197 G3-pattern rifles in total through 1988 across the m/961, m/963, and later models.
Origin
Country of origin: Portugal
Designer: Tilo Möller, Theodor Koch, Edmund Heckler
Discontinued: 1963
Notes
Built for only about three years before the contract moved to the m/963 with plastic furniture and a drum rear sight. Early m/961 rifles were supplied from Heckler & Koch in West Germany while domestic license production at Fábrica de Braço de Prata ramped up. Some refurbished examples reportedly remained in Portuguese Marine service with modern accessories.
Background
Portuguese conscripts shipped to the bush wars of Africa carried a rifle that was, in effect, a Spanish design refined in Germany and built in Lisbon - the wooden CETME-style stock of the m/961 a visible reminder that the G3's roller-delayed action traced back through the Spanish CETME to wartime German engineer Ludwig Vorgrimler.