POF G3
Pakistan Ordnance Factories · Battle Rifle · In Service · 1968
Also known as: PK-G3, POF G3A3, POF G3P4, Pakistani G3
Overview
The POF G3 is the Pakistani license-built variant of the Heckler & Koch G3 battle rifle, produced by Pakistan Ordnance Factories at Wah Cantonment under a transfer-of-technology agreement signed with H&K in 1965. It uses the same roller-delayed blowback action and chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO as the original German G3, with production focused on the G3A3 fixed-stock and G3P4 retractable-stock variants. Recognizable by its distinctive 'angular handguard', the POF G3 has been the standard service rifle of the Pakistan Army for over five decades and remains the most widely fielded long arm across the Pakistani armed forces despite ongoing efforts to introduce a 5.56mm successor.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4400 g (155.2 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 5100 g (179.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1025 mm (40.35") |
| Folded Length | 840 mm (33.07") |
| 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 | 800 m/s (2625 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3042 J (2244 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 400 m (437 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 | Polymer |
| Finish | Phosphate |
Calibers
- 7.62x51mm NATO · primary · 7.62x51mm NATO — also known as .308 Winchester, 7.62mm NATO
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety Selector, Half Cock Notch
- Features: Select Fire, Stamped Steel Construction, Adjustable Iron Sights, Drum Type Rear Sight, Fluted Chamber, Angular Handguard
Variants
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Pakistan Army · adopted 1968 · as G3A3
- Pakistan Air Force · as G3A3
- Pakistan Navy · as G3A3
- Pakistan Rangers · as G3A3
- Frontier Corps · as G3A3
Conflicts
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 (1971)
- Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)
- Kargil War (1999)
- War in North-West Pakistan (2004-present)
- War on Terror (2001-present)
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,500,000 · Production years: 1968-present
Estimate based on continuous Pakistan Ordnance Factories output since 1968; includes all variants (G3A3, G3P4, G3S) and exports. Exact figures not publicly disclosed.
Origin
Country of origin: Pakistan
Designer: Tilo Möller / CETME (original); license-built by POF
Notes
Pakistan was one of the earliest licensed producers of the G3 outside Germany, beginning local manufacture in 1965-1968. The POF variants are dimensionally and mechanically identical to the German G3A3 / G3A4, with localised stock and handguard tooling. POF also exports the G3A3 to friendly nations and offers a civilian semi-auto G3S variant on the export market.
Background
When Pakistan signed its 1965 transfer-of-technology deal with Heckler & Koch, it became only the second country in the world (after Portugal) to license-build the G3 - and the program survived an arms embargo, three wars with India, and over half a century of service. Many veteran Pakistani soldiers still refer to it simply as 'the gun', a testament to how thoroughly the rifle has fused with national military identity.