Support Equipment

G3 20-round detachable box magazine

Also known as
  • G3 magazine
  • Heckler & Koch G3 magazine
  • HK G3 magazine
  • G3 20-round magazine
  • HK91 magazine
  • PTR91 magazine

The G3 20-round detachable box magazine is the standard 7.62x51 mm NATO feed component for G3-family rifles and compatible HK91/PTR-pattern rifles. Specialist and commercial sources document alloy and steel 20-round variants, while Boko Haram arms-cache reporting names a recovered G3 magazine directly enough to support conflict indexing for the 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency.

G3 20-round detachable box magazine, 20-round detachable box magazine, Support Equipment
Image source: Commons G3A3 Disassembled Mod Image

Role in Conflicts

2009 Boko Haram Insurgency
Role in conflict
Insurgent small-arms feed component

A 2012 Joint Task Force recovery in Maiduguri listed one G3 magazine alongside a G-3 rifle, AK-pattern rifles, RPG items, IEDs, and ammunition in a cache attributed to Boko Haram.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Germany
Type
20-round detachable box magazine
Service note
Cold War G3-family feed component still circulating in surplus and conflict inventories
Unit cost
$9.95 used-market listing
Produced
Cold War era; surplus and commercial 20-round magazines remain listed for HK91, G3, and PTR-pattern rifles

Specifications

Capacity
20 rounds
Cartridge
7.62x51 mm NATO / .308 Winchester
Primary compatibility
Heckler & Koch G3-family rifles, including G3A3, G3A4, and G3-KA4 feed-system references
Commercial compatibility
HK91, G3, PTR91, Century C308, and CETME-pattern listings
Machine-gun feed context
HK21E sources describe conversion from belt feed to box magazine or drum feed
Construction
Detachable box magazine
Material
Aluminum/alloy and steel variants documented in surplus and commercial listings
Origin examples
German alloy and Rheinmetall steel listings; Portuguese FMP alloy listing
Variants

The 20-round G3-pattern magazine appears in German alloy, Rheinmetall steel, Portuguese FMP alloy, and later commercial steel listings rather than one single visible magazine mark.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
German alloy 20-round magazineSurplus alloy magazine

HK Parts lists German-manufactured aluminum/alloy 20-round magazines for HK G3, HK91, and PTR-style firearms.

Sources: HK91, G3 20 Round Aluminum Magazine - Used

Rheinmetall steel 20-round magazineGerman steel magazine listing

Related HK Parts listings distinguish Rheinmetall steel 20-round magazines from alloy G3-family magazines.

Sources: HK91/G3 Magazine Category Listings

Portuguese FMP 20-round magazinePortuguese HK-contract magazine listing

HK Parts lists a Portuguese FMP 20-round aluminum magazine for HK91, G3, and PTR-pattern rifles.

Sources: HK91/G3 Magazine Category Listings

Compatible G3-Family Weapons

G3-family rifle references identify the 20-round detachable box magazine as the rifle feed system, while HK21 sources describe box-magazine-fed configurations and field conversion to box magazine or drum feed.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
Heckler & Koch G3, 7.62 mm select-fire battle rifle, Infantry WeaponsHeckler & Koch G3Battle rifle

WeaponSystems.net identifies the G3A3, G3A4, and G3-KA4 feed system as a 20-round detachable box magazine.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net G3

HK21 general-purpose machine gun, 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, Infantry WeaponsHK21 general-purpose machine gunGeneral-purpose machine gun

Small Arms Review describes simple conversion from belt to box magazine or drum feed for the HK21E in the field.

Sources: The HK21E Machine Gun

Feed-System Context

The magazine matters as both the normal G3 rifle feed component and as one of the feed options documented for HK21E box-magazine configurations.

ContextDocumented connectionWhy it matters
Heckler & Koch G3, 7.62 mm select-fire battle rifle, Infantry WeaponsHeckler & Koch G3G3A3, G3A4, and G3-KA4 references identify a 20-round detachable box magazine feed system.This anchors the magazine to the rifle family most readers will recognize from operational small-arms coverage.
HK21 general-purpose machine gun, 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, Infantry WeaponsHK21 general-purpose machine gunHK21E sources describe operator-level conversion from belt feed to box magazine or drum feed.The same feed component appears in a machine-gun context when the HK21E is configured away from belt feed.
Surplus and commercial patternCurrent listings distinguish German alloy, Rheinmetall steel, Portuguese FMP alloy, and KCI steel 20-round magazines for HK91/G3/PTR-style firearms.Material and maker markings can differ while the magazine remains part of the same 20-round G3-pattern feed family.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net G3; The HK21E Machine Gun; HK91/G3 Magazine Category Listings.

Timeline

G3 20-round detachable box magazine Key Events

  1. G3 production context begins

    WeaponSystems.net places G3 production from 1958 onward and identifies the rifle family with 20-round detachable box magazines.

  2. G3 enters service

    WeaponSystems.net lists the G3 as entering service in 1960, anchoring the Cold War service context for its 20-round magazine.

  3. G3 magazine recovered in Maiduguri

    Al Jazeera Centre for Studies lists one G3 magazine among weapons recovered by Nigerian Joint Task Force personnel in Boko Haram-related tunnel and bunker operations in Bulabulin, Maiduguri.

Media

G3 20-round detachable box magazine Images

G3 20-round detachable box magazine, 20-round detachable box magazine, Support Equipment - view 1
Source: Commons G3A3 Disassembled Mod Image
Related Weapon Systems
Heckler & Koch G3, 7.62 mm select-fire battle rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsHeckler & Koch G37.62 mm select-fire battle rifleThe Heckler & Koch G3 is a roller-delayed 7.62 x 51 mm NATO battle rifle developed in West Germany from the CETME rifle family. Its long service life and licensed production have left G3-pattern rifles in multiple conflict arsenals, including documented Boko Haram small-arms holdings in the Lake Chad basin, RSF-linked evidence in Sudan, Saudi-linked G3 rifles reported in Yemen, and G3/BA64 rifles still circulating in Myanmar's post-2021 war.
FN MAG general-purpose machine gun, 7.62x51mm NATO general-purpose machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsFN MAG general-purpose machine gun7.62x51mm NATO general-purpose machine gunThe FN MAG is FN Herstal's Belgian 7.62x51mm NATO belt-fed general-purpose machine gun family, fielded from infantry bipods, tripods, vehicles, aircraft, ships, and boats. The catalog record connects the MAG and its M240/L7A2/MAG 58 designations to directly sourced conflict evidence: surrendered Boko Haram-held stocks in Nigeria, coalition base-defense training during Operation Inherent Resolve, and Afghan special-operations weapons training during the War in Afghanistan.
AK-103-2 assault rifle, 7.62x39mm assault rifle variant, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsAK-103-2 assault rifle7.62x39mm assault rifle variantThe AK-103-2 is the three-round-burst export variant of the Russian AK-103, a 7.62x39mm AK-100-series rifle derived from the AK-74M layout but chambered for the older AKM cartridge. In the 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency context, available open-source evidence is limited: the specific AK-103-2 identification comes from visual reporting of Boko Haram militants around Lake Chad, while separate Nigerian court reporting documents alleged AK-103 rifle trafficking from Diffa toward a Boko Haram recipient.
M76 sniper rifle, Semi-automatic designated marksman/sniper rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsM76 sniper rifleSemi-automatic designated marksman/sniper rifleThe M76 is a Zastava-built Yugoslav semi-automatic marksman rifle originally chambered for 7.92x57 mm Mauser and built around an enlarged Kalashnikov-pattern action. Its catalog significance is twofold: it was a Yugoslav People's Army precision rifle with distinctive 8 mm ammunition and optic arrangements, and it later appears in Lake Chad Basin reporting as a Serbian-origin sniper rifle associated with Boko Haram factions.
Type 56-1 assault rifle, 7.62x39mm under-folding-stock assault rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsType 56-1 assault rifle7.62x39mm under-folding-stock assault rifleThe Type 56-1 is the under-folding-stock member of China's Type 56 Kalashnikov-pattern rifle family, chambered for 7.62x39mm ammunition and built for compact carriage by infantry and irregular forces. Modern Firearms and museum records identify it as a Chinese Type 56-family rifle made by state arms factories and NORINCO, while field and interdiction reporting links Type 56-1 rifles to Boko Haram seizures in Niger and Iran-backed supply channels for Houthi-aligned forces in Yemen.

Sources

HK G3 SALW GuidePublisher: Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies | Note: Supports the G3-family magazine context, including the standard 20-round detachable box magazine used with the rifle. | Accessed: 2026-06-27WeaponSystems.net G3Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports G3 production and service context, G3-family designations, and the 20-round detachable box magazine feed system for G3A3, G3A4, and G3-KA4 references. | Accessed: 2026-06-29The HK21E Machine GunPublisher: Small Arms Review | Note: Supports HK21E feed conversion, including box magazine-fed variants and conversion from belt to box magazine or drum feed. | Accessed: 2026-06-27HK91, G3 20 Round Aluminum Magazine - UsedPublisher: HK Parts | Note: Supports used-market pricing, German alloy magazine compatibility with HK G3/HK91/PTR91/Century C308/CETME-pattern firearms, and aluminum construction. | Accessed: 2026-06-29HK91/G3 Magazine Category ListingsPublisher: HK Parts | Note: Supports commercial listing context for G3-pattern 20-round magazine variants, including Rheinmetall steel, Portuguese FMP aluminum, and KCI steel listings. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Porous Borders and Boko Haram's Arms Smuggling Operations in NigeriaPublisher: Al Jazeera Centre for Studies | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct conflict use: a Nigerian Joint Task Force recovery in Bulabulin, Maiduguri listed one G3 magazine among arms and ammunition recovered from Boko Haram-related tunnel and bunker operations. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Commons G3A3 Disassembled Mod ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a disassembled G3-family rifle image that includes the magazine. | Accessed: 2026-06-27Commons G3A3 Rifle ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance for a G3A3 rifle context image. | Accessed: 2026-06-29