I want to build up a G3 clone on a PTR receiver and I was looking at the G3A3 parts I see advertised here and there. I am a bit concerned though at their relative cheap price and the fact that not a single retailer has mentioned "H&K" anywhere near them. I must admit I have little experience with H&K weapons (one of the reasons I wanted to get one) so I may be asking a silly question, but I figured I would get the truth before investing money in it.

So what is the deal with them? Are they real G3 kits, or are they something similar like a CETME that is being falsley advertised? Are they quality parts kits or is there a better option out there?

Thanks for any help and direction you guys and gals can give.

Most (if not all) of the currently available G3 parts kits were originally manufactured by FMP (INDEP) of Portugal, under license from Heckler & Koch.

So what's this mean?.. it means that while they are not actually 'HK Oberndorf' made, they are technically, HK's.

Unfortunately you're about two years behind the curve on these because a great deal of the really nice kits are long gone. The kits Interordnace offers are now at best hit or miss and mostly "miss" from what I've heard as of late.  The kits from Florida Gun Works are twice the price and the same kit as Interordnace sells, plus FGW is just a bad company overall.


but, as with everything, YMMV....

just my .02¢

Do you, or anyone else, know what the particular problems with the kits are? Is it something as 'minor' as bad bores? bad craftsmanship? Do they require parts replacement or just general fitting of most/all parts?

Would I be better off making the rifle myself, or would getting something like a PTR be better? I like the idea of making one myself, but if the quality is really that questionable than I might be better off.

I should probably also mention that if time/money wasn't an issue I would go after the full thing, but I need to purchase it (and a FAL and K98) prior to the end of the year. I'm getting married begining of next year and I promised her I wouldn't buy any firearms after we were married unless we had all the essentials already covered (like furniture, etc). Being a fairly young guy, that means firearm purchase are going to be scarce for the next year or so, which means I need to pick them up now before we get married.

I got 3 kits from IO recently.  They were covered in grease, but cleaned up nicely.  Excellent bores.  Variable bolt gap.  I think I'm gonna have to play with that a little- starting with new locking pieces ($12 ea new from robertrtg.com).  The exterior finish was a little rough in places, but who cares- if you're building a G3, you should plan on refinishing (you're putting welds all over the place- no way are you gonna get away without a refinish).

I still think it was very worthwhile to buy and then build, but I'll have the assistance of someone who has done a lot of HK builds (including custom stuff) and who understands HK's better than anybody else out there, including the big names.

Outside of the barrel, what else gets welded? Also, POF has PTR91 receivers with and without the trunion; what exactly does that mean? I assume the trunion is similar to an AK in that it holds the barrel, but is the barrel welded to the trunion or is the trunion welded to the receiver? I guess my question is does a person still need to weld anything (barrel wise) if the trunion is already installed?

As for refinishing, that is not that important right now. I can always shoot a fugly gun and get it refinished down the line; I can't buy a parts kit when no one has them for sale though. I guess that is part of the reason why the PTR91, FAL, and k98 are all on my list; they are somewhat plentiful right now, but in two years who knows what the available sources will be like (not to mention all three are bad ass rifles that I've wanted for years).

Thanks so far, you guys have been really helpful.

Quoted: I got 3 kits from IO recently.  They were covered in grease, but cleaned up nicely.  Excellent bores.  Variable bolt gap.  I think I'm gonna have to play with that a little- starting with new locking pieces ($12 ea new from robertrtg.com).  The exterior finish was a little rough in places, but who cares- if you're building a G3, you should plan on refinishing (you're putting welds all over the place- no way are you gonna get away without a refinish). I still think it was very worthwhile to buy and then build, but I'll have the assistance of someone who has done a lot of HK builds (including custom stuff) and who understands HK's better than anybody else out there, including the big names.

Well there ya go, someone with hands on experience with the current IO kits, not just word of mouth hearsay.

Hey eyegun.. would that "someone" be the same person that built these?  

Yes, I think we're talking about the same dude.  I'm lucky to have him about 60 miles to my west and he occasionally makes it out to my neck of the gorge to do some heavy duty blasting.

The build:  The barrel is pinned into the trunion.  If the bolt gap is acceptable, then you are GTG.  Get the receiver WITHOUT the trunion.  Demill your kit, saving the cocking tube and trunion.  Don't forget the cocking tube has a small extension that goes into the receiver stub.  Anyways, as I understand it, slide the barrel and trunion into your receiver, line it up, and weld where the trunion hits the rails.  Also, you will need a few 'spot' welds through the receiver to the trunion.  The cocking tube needs to be aligned and welded as well.  Strap the rest of the parts on and test fire.  Of course, there are probably a lot of finer points that I left out that I'll find out about in a couple of weeks.

I think arizona response systems website has a pictorial of a build.  Google them.  If I was you (since you're somewhat operating on a deadline), I would just buy whatever you need now then worry about putting it together later.

Yeah, I figure I have somewhere around $1,000-1,500 to spend. I figure I can grab a PTR receiver for $250, a FAL receiver for $350 (I want one of the good DSAs or Imbels), a good K98 for $300, and then the G3A3 kit for $250 and the FAL kit for $200 which should put me right around where I want to be. After that I can store them and/or slowly grab parts I need/want when I see them.

I take it that, like on an AK, using the trunion that comes with the kit as long as everything was working proerply with the original rifle, it SHOULD be ok with it assembled on another receiver, where as if I got the receiver with the trunion already installed I would need to have it checked out for headspace and what not.

Ok, thanks. I am feeling a bit better about this. Is there anything else I should know before I plunge in? Common mishaps? Places/parts of concern? etc?

Once again thanks for being so helpful.