Snipers Before Infantry: the Danish m/66 Sniper
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- čas přidán 3. 03. 2024
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The Danes adopted the M1 Garand after World War Two, and continued using it as their standard service rifle all the way until 1975 - and alongside it they used the M1D as a sniper or DMR rifle. The Danish Home Guard decided to upgrade those M1D rifles in the 1960s, however, and looked to H&K for an answer. In 1966 they adopted a model of the G3 with a 4x Hensoldt optic under the designation m/66. Today I'm at Bear Arms looking at a clone of the m/66 built by Kilo Guns on an original Danish parts kit and original surplus scope...
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All members of the home guard used to have their personal firearms and ammunition stored at home (up to lmg). Used to have a G3.
Same thing with the Norwegian home guard. I remember visiting a friend in Oslo one time and he had a G3 just casually leaned against his porchelain throne in his bathroom
I usually cleaned my G3 in my dishwasher, but I have to say I would not put his G3 in my dishwasher.
@@heno02 did they also get drunk and killed somebody?
@@Glaaki13what? Also it is "did they also get drunk and *kill* somebody", not killed. But I have no idea what you're babbling about. Try not to speak so inchoherrently, and give context to this unhinged question, please.
That means up to and including MG42s? I'm swiss and keep my service SIG550 at home (side note i also still have my dads P220 pistol from his army days). But as far as i know, LMGs were never kept at home in switzerland. At least certainly not in living memory.
@@Glaaki13 No, Danish people are civilized unlike Americans. Got drunk, yes, however killing somebody isn't in our cultures nature.
i was a sniper in the danish home guard. Equipped with this beautiful rifle. in case you didnt know, there are a few more differences between the standard g3 and this: 1. the recoil buffer are almost twice the length of the normal buffer. 2. the front grip locks in to a special clamp which ensures that the barrel hangs more freely. 3. the butstock extension are replaceable, and there where 2 or 3 lengths 4. the iron sights where different as well. if i remember correctly, the normal sight where 1-400 m. and the m66 where 2-500 m.
A little fun fact: the scope came with a little sunglass, which could be fitted in the rubber lens cap.
it is an amazing weapon. i have personally taken out a target at 964 metres with it.
The barrel was free floatning - its not a gradual thing. In the M/75 the barrel was welded to the frame at the front - in the M/66 the barrel was only fixed to the rest of the rifle at the chamber. Like other G3s made at that time.
Also the trigger mechanism had nylon rollers instead of sliding surfaces, for softer trigger movement. The bolt was slightly lighter than the M-75 bolt, to reduce the recoil movement of the rifle, the lock weights in at about a pound and moving back and forth inside the rifle makes everything move about, so every gram removed from that was an improvement. The silent loading thing was a good idea that never worked well, the groves were so sharp that you needed half an inch of leather skin on your thumb to operate it without slicing your finger, and a significantly strong thumb, so you usually loaded the gun before going on your mission, to avoid using that feature 😂
Nice to see the early heavy magasine as opposed to the later flimsy sheet steel ones which were quite a bit more wobbly than the original ones.
Talkin also about the Garand: We always carried a Garand clip in our pockets! When the sun is sharp, it reflects in the rear iron sight holes, to counter that you clipped a Garand clip over it, there are two groves on the side of that sight, that will hold the clip in place, making a shade for the rear sight 😎
The scope is for 600m, but it was no big deal taking out targets of ½ size figures or larger at up to 1000m, unless it was a very windy day in the fields.
Mine was slightly modified, the nylon rollers in the trigger mechanism was replaced with harder teflon ones, had a spare front grip with a bipod fixed to it and an extra buffer on the rear of the stock (instead of the extender), also had the M-75 bajonet and holder for it, just for show 😎
@@CarlAlex2 I recall haveing heard that too. I believe it was a of a better quality too than standard M/75
Also the early M/66 would have a wooden stock. I loved my M/66
When they swapped them for the M/95 I didn't want to do it. The 5.56 felt like a toy gun.
Small correction:
The stamp “HTK” actually stands for “Hærens Tekniske Korps”, which literally means “Army Technical Corps”.
Danish here. I was a conscript in 81/82 ( Air Force) and were issued a Garand. I was for the second time “redrafted” i 1989, and was issued a MG 3, but all the others was still issued Garand rifles. So we surely “used them up”.
AG3, MG3 would be a machinegun and not the same role as the garand :P
@@Batabusa It was a machinegun ( modern MG 42) . If I was not issued that, i would have had a Garand as all the others
I was in the Danish Royal Lifeguards in 1990…. Issued a Garand. Had a lot of fun that it was the same (type) as my dad was issued when he was the service
I was a conscript in 91/92 in the engineers and we were issued the Garand as well. We were however the last engineer conscripts who got them. 92/93 was issued the M/75.
I was in the Air Force from 1995 to 2004. We had the Garand until around 97-98 where we got the M75. I think one of the reasons we got the M75 was that the army got the M95. We had an EOD sergeant that got the M95 with scope.
2:52 the "silent-bolt-closure-device" was originally a swedish invention on the swedish G3 (the AK4) (built under license in Sweden)
Buttonless jam-o-matic.
@@XtreeM_FaiLA jam pad, if you will.
G3/Ak4 never jams unless you ride the bolt handle. If one slap the bolt handle vigorously the bolt always locks into place.
"the silent-bolt-closure-device" works too, when used correctly. @@XtreeM_FaiL
The loud part will be the bang. But that is kind of unavoidable with firearms, isn't it?
Are you joking or are you ignorant? Danskjävel.🙂
The point with the "silent-bolt-closure-device", i.e. the ability to load the rifle in a more silent way than then the ordinary way is meant to be used when the soldier is near the enemy, preparing am ambush or something similar, where loading in the normal noisy way would have alerted the enemy. Anyone with experience with the G3 knows what I am talking about. Racking this gun sounds like throwning a steel bed down a concrete stairway...@@andersjjensen
i was a sniper in the danish home guard too, i love the M66... and it is S= Safe E= Enkelskud (Single Shot ) A= Automatisk ( Automatic )
Shouldn't the S stand for sikker, sikret or something along those lines? Seems weird to have an English word and then two Danish ones.
@@Bronzescorpion It almost certainly does. It was probably just an honest mistake.
Great video! Some slight corrections in regards to markings:
H.t.K. stands for Hærens Tekniske Korps, The Army's Technical Corps. It acted as part of the contemporary material procurement branch, which was divided into several branches. It was in 1967 where all the branches were combined into one under the name HMAK, Hærens Materialkommando, The Army's Material Command.
And some further pedantics; the Danish adopted the Swedish m/xx-xx designation system in 1943 to replace the old M. xxxx/xx system, but in 1945 replaced it with the M/xx/xx after the army was re-established. The M naturally standing for Model, was a noun, and thus in Danish rammer were always capitalised, hence why the Danish always use a capital M in their designations.
Danish is all fucked up, props for being able to speak it
I admire the perspective of buying a batch of G3s and thinking the loud part will be the bolt closing.
The first shot is let go with out noise from charging the rifle. After that it's either "feuer frei" or "get the h... out"
I mean, that was the original purpose of the forward assist on the M16, wasn't it? If you're crouching in the long grass and there's enemies all around, you can ease the bolt closed and then manually nudge it into battery so as not to give away your presence before you get your first shot off. Was it useful in combat? No, probably not. But it wasn't a completely stupid idea, either.
The idea is to more quietly prepare your rifle for the initial firing while setting up an ambush or otherwise being in a yet concealed position. That's why HK puts those on precision versions of the G3 and the 1/2 machine guns that would be pivotal or likely to end up in such scenario.
Hearing a bolt close, makes people bolt
Getting shot in the torso, makes people fall over. Landing shots before targets head to cover and return fire is important
I dont understand why european militaries had soldiers carry G3s with no round in the chamber. if it were up to me i would say they carry it with a round chambered and the safety engaged. its way quieter to flip the gun onto fire than it is to charge the bolt.
Danish army never had the M/66 it was exclusively in the Danish Hjemmeværn ( homeguard). Denmark adopted the G3 in 1975 as the M/75 and I know for a fact the Danish Airforce was using the Garand M/50 as late as 1994.
Vi var det sidste hold værnepligtige i søværnet der havde Garand i 1995
i Agree that is a M/75. that was the weapon we train on before we startet train on M95 and m96 carabine
@@yggdrasilbushcraft7984Jeg var hold 2 i 1995 og havde også Garand. Hvornår var du der?
After the M66 was fazed out, we used the LSV M04 as a ad-hoc DSM weapon. It was intended to take over as a LMG from the MG3. It failed miserably. But as a DSM weapon it was okay.
Lacks punch and reach; you're better off using an MG3 (LMG/62) with scope (I quite like the thermal one) as DSM, if you've a bit of practice and trigger discipline. The new M60/E6 also shoots nice at longer ranges. But in adverse weather conditions (ie, a windy day on the Jutish heath) 5.56 goes... elsewhere than you might aiming for with alarming regularity.
L(orte) S(p*dser) V(åben)
i have actually trained on the M66 when i first joined the Homeguard - so getting old i presume. its a much more pleasent shooting experiance then the M75 /G3 because of the buffer. at the time i joined the Home guard was being reequipped with C7 Diemarco M16a3 as the standard so many units still had the M75/G3 rifles. i was in the last batch of trainees who got the M75/G3 but i had qualified on the M95(C7 M16a3) when i was schooled on the M75/G3 because i was in a Motorised Infantry Company equipped with newer gear then standard homeguard units.
Ja du har ret at 66 var bedre at skyde med en 75, men 66 var ved at være slidt til sidst.. så fik vi M95 den var nu også god når nam fik sig vendet sig til den..
@@Madsen__ ja den var slidt men taget i betragtning af hvor mange år vi havde den i systemet så gjorden M66 det godt.
jeg kan rigtigt godt lide både M75 og M95 men for hver deres egne kvaliteter.
M75 var et godt robust gevær med en større kaliber og længere stabil rækkevidde som ikke var/er vindfølsom på samme måde som 5.56x45mm er.
M95 er et mere fladbanet våben med højere udgangshastighed på projektilet hvor du hurtigere kan tage næste sigtede skud end på M75, hvor du også på samme vægt kan få mere ammunition med end for samme vægt i 7.62x51mm
Diemaco rifles are awesome
@@chemistryofquestionablequa6252 yes they are, M16a3´es with cold hammer forged barrels are a nice upgrade
@@stigchristensen2597
Med et gevær M75, skulle man jo ikke bekymre sig, hvis fjenden stod bag en væg !!!!
Så skød man bare væggen….😂
Looks like they skipped few steps in the gun evolution ladder and went straight to G3
And then to trg42
Garand rifles were gas operated semiauto battle rifles, that's as close to G3 as you can get
Thankfully they avoided the M-14. 😵🫡
What step did they skip? The G3 was literally a contemporary of all the various "Garand replacements" that actually got fielded. It was developed and adopted in the 1950s, around the same time the FAL, M14, and AR10 were all developed and adopted in the same time period as the CETME/G3.
The CETME Model B (the rifle that was directly adapted into the G3 by changing peripherals like sights when HK started building them under license) was adopted in September 1957. The FAL was first adopted in 1954 (by Canada), the same year the 7.62x51mm NATO was standardized. The M14 was adopted in 1957 (the same year the CETME B was adopted to fire the standard NATO loading) as a direct Garand replacement by the nation that was the first user of the Garand.
Not sure how many firearms developments you think the G3 (based on 1945 German designs) skipped between 1954 and 1957.
Up until 1954, the only real option for "something better than a Garand" in NATO that actually got into service was the SAFN 49 (precursor to the FAL, but honestly about on par with the Garand - doing slightly better in some places and slightly worse in others; as a shooter I'd prefer a Garand, but as an armorer or ordnance chief I'd probably prefer the SAFN for maintainability reasons).
We used cheats.
as a former weapons mechanic in the Danish army, I can tell you that it is not a standard G3, but a G3 with a selected barrel and a larger buffer, so it may use powerful mg ammo.
What the hell is MG3 Ammo+? Er du HELT sikker og har du prøvet det "udenlands"? (Hvis JA! Beklager, vi havde det IKKE i '00'erne)
I was about to ask about the barrel, but you answered that. It is sort of strange that the danish went with G3(selected barrel) and not SG1. Maybe someone could elaborate on that one. SG1 is basically an G3 with a selected barrel.
@@dallesamllhals9161Its a hotter round with a heavier bullet.
@@mikedesanta4612 Not in DK 2000s
I should know! Royal Life Guards 1998-2007! and a few times "abroad".
@@dallesamllhals9161 The standard issue M/75 were leased "Frankenstein" G3's made from refurbished parts from several previously used rifles and part of the lease conditions was that the rifles were only allowed to use "rifle" 7.62x51 with a slighly less powerful powder charge than was used in the the M/62 machinegun (forgot whether it was MG1 or MG2s - they wer NOT MG3s). IIRC The ammo was marked with a green ring around the primer of the ammo on the rifle ammo and a purple ring on the MG ammo.
Rumors say it was about the Germans wanting to make a few extra bucks selling the "special" ammo to go with rifles early on before the Danish army arsenal produced it. In any case I don't think it was that strictly enforced. I only think we got MG ammo when it was delivered pre-loaded into belts and we mostly used boxes of single rounds we loaded into belts by hand on the range and IIRC they were all "rifle" ammo - they worked just fine in the MG.
I was a conscript in the Danish Airforce from late 1986 and learned to shoot with the Garand - we were also issued with an original US bajonet, which looked like it had seen action during WW2. Then in the Homeguard, joining a Patrol Company I was trained to be a sniper on this G3 version - M66 with the scope. It had a very nice soft and sudden trigger, way better than the normal G3. It was also a more precise weapon than the G3. The silent closure mechanism was possible to operate silently. Because of the plastic we used various types of tape to silence it - any metal clicking on the plastic made loud noise. With the scope I hit a small drop-down target at a range of 1050 meters on a for the sniper training set up range in an exercise terrain. I had to aim at a grass-straw above and to the right of target - I couldn't see the target in the scope. We trained shooting in Auto with light trail ammo in order to learn how to hold the aim down and steady to counter the recoil. I remember the training to pass the test for the sniper school: put 5 shots within a circle of 20 cm at 200 m distance - time 15 minutes - with the G3 stock version. Without Michael Quist's instruction, guidance and training I wouldn't have made it. We combined the sniper function with scout and canine handler.
Actually the G3 or more presise the norwegian AG-3 was and still is used at various shooting competitions, you can see people who are employed in the army compete with their AG-3 ... so it is accurate enough, but ofcourse if you had a AG-3 like I had that eventually got recalled because the bolt-rollers had knocked dents in the Slide-whatever it was called, and basically made it a risk to actually fire the damn thing, as it could potentially explode in my face ... Apart from that it was a great weapon !!!
The Danish army adopted the G3 in 75, so it will forever be the M75 to us. And A is for auto.
I loved the rifle, and if you were lucky you got one with wood furniture.
We got the AR's in 1995, so that became the M95.
Then they got the M60E6 around 2014 but decided on M/60 for nostalgia…
M95 in 1995...really? Er DU HELT sikker?
@@fridrekr7510 ..man FATTER det ikke....må have noget at gøre med "FRÅS"...og nu(2024) HAR vi brug for bønner igen(suk)
@@dallesamllhals9161det er helt korrekt. M for model, 95 for årstal den er indført. Der er kun ganske få undtagelser i det danske forsvar. Nyeste eksempel er LMG M60E6.
@@fridrekr7510my HVK has the E6 in service, I’m not sure about the M/60 or M/63 or wtv is in use with us too tho, but ngl id love to see it for myself some day
I started as a recruit in the Danish Air Force in NOV92 and had my basic training on the Garand.
Meanwhile, in a bunker next to the recuit-baracks, there was 15.000 G3 laying and waiting in case USSR attacked us (fat chance, in '92)...
- We also did the G3 (M/75) course, so we could use the NATSIOBS (NightAimObservation) which couldn't be mounted on the Garand.
Some units in the Danish military used the garand well into the nineties.
Reserve guards I guess. In Norway the king's guard used wooden stock rifles into the 90s too.
I was a conscript in 1991 in Denmark and was issued the Garand, first I thought...WTF when I got it handed, but I loved the thing, so glad I had it issued, also believe we were the last batch who had it before it got shelved.
@@8BitDane: I hate to think how broken in that rifle was by the time it was issued to you.
@@helmsscotta From what I could tell mine was one of the Italian ones, so at least not WW II issue. It still shot great, earned marksmanship badges with it.
@@8BitDane , the garand was used by the Royal Guards up until 1995.
When i was in the danish mechanized infantry in '92 using the M/75 aka G3s. The material command(HMAK) troops under training at the same barracks, still used the Gevær M/50 aka the M1 Garand.
I was in the RDAF from 1989 to 1994. During that time, we still had the M1 Garand. It was phased out shortly after. Amazing rifle
As a member of the homeguard, I can attest to the fact we get some pretty sweet gear waaay before the army does. Please join up!
In America, the home (National) guard gets the leftovers. Both rifles and vehicles are used.
Hvilket kompagni er du da i? synes godt ikke jeg kan genkende det billede du maler her
The danish home guard and the army got two differentieret acquisition systems.
Tho they end up with a lot of the same stuff, some are diffrent.
Like the army did not think they will need the m203 grenade launcher, the home guard got them.
So when afghanistan mission happend, the army took the m203 from the home guard
@@buxholsters1689 lol 😆 that's crazy
@@simonjensen596Sydøst Jylland Bevogtning.
G3 timeless perfection
A few nits to pick: The Gevær 66 had a 1-2-3-400 meter drum sight, while the regular Gevær 75 only had a 1-2-300 meter one. It was also factory-equipped with select barrels and tuned-up trigger groups, in addition to the silent closure cuts and butt stock extender. I slept with one of these (and an MG 3) under my bed for a few years :). That trigger was very nice, and for a cold war rifle, it worked well. My friend was drafted into the "Sanitær" (medic) company in the mid-to-late eighties, and he was issued a Garand, so while we "formally" adopted the G75 in 1975, we used those Garands until they were completely outdated. I haven't been in the NG for decades, but I'd be surprised not to see some of that era weapons showing up at inspection from time to time...
I was issued one of these as a designated marksman / sniper. As I recall there was another difference compared to the standard G3 or M75 as it was called in the Danish army. That was the buffer mechanism that was different, it certainly felt a lot softer / nicer to shoot than the standard M75
Having used the standard verison in the army and then used a M/66 in the homeguard a number of times (without the scope) I fully agree that the better buffer made a clear difference.
It's not just the Danish and Norwegians that have the "silent bolt-closure device".
The Swedes have them too, and the Swedes made their G3's under license at Carl Gustav Gevärsfaktori (FFV or Försvarets Fabriksverk). With a few modifications of their own for the Swedish climate as well as a heavier buffer for longer survivability of the weapon.
The Swedish home guard was also assigned them "personally" and brought the weapons with them home, in later years they were also issued chamber lock devices to prevent "unauthorized use".
In Sweden it is demanded that the home guard soldiers (past and present) keep their weapons disassembled with the bolt carrier assembly locked away in a separate gun safe from the lower and upper, as well as any ammunition being stored in a third secure location.
And the requirements for the quality of gun safe is HIGH for the lower/upper receiver portion. Where the bolt assembly still has a certain requirement but not a completely separate gun safe of highest quality, a sturdy lock box would suffice.
And ammunition could be stored in a lock box of sufficient strength.
Sweden used to have the G3 as it's primary issue weapon system. Nowadays it's just the home guard that uses it but it has seen modifications in modern times to be used as a DMR by the Swedish military forces once more.
It just speaks for itself that when they try and replace it and STILL find it useful and even bring it back of how good of a weapon system the G3 is, despite its fouling flaws and heavy weight.
I would much rather have a reliable G3 than a flimsy temperamental FN FNC if i need a weapon for my own survival. And as it's a 7.62 NATO, it's quite the heavy hitter too!
Bra kommentar!
I was a Danish Home Guard sniper and had the M66 sniper rifle until about 2005. Very reliable and VERY LOW RECOIL due to the large buffer in the stock. Good at distances up to 600 meters. The ordinary danish M75/G3 version had no recoil buffer and kicked like a mule, often giving recruits a black eye! NB: all danish home guard volounteers stored their guns and equipment at home back in those days. During the 80s and 90s we were up to 80.000 serving members out of a nation of 5 million. By the way, the M50 Garand served much longer that the 1970s. Army transport troops and Airforce had it until ca. 1990.
Quite interesting DMR concept, and realistical one, with scope maxed at 600m. I would like to see how it performs up to and beyond that range on 9 Hole Reviws.
Doesn't the Swedish AK4D essentially use the same optic too? I feel like given that they're both base G3 platforms pushed into DMR roles under similar circumstances (600m expected max range, 4x Hensoldt scopes while shooting ball ammo) that those two should be similar enough performance wise on the range, and they did do an AK4D specific video already.
It performed pretty well upto and beyond 600m. I have hit targets at 720m However like you said 600m is a very realistic range for a DMR
@@dangvorbei5304are you trolling?
@@dangvorbei5304 you must be joking, because the 1913 Picatinny rail did not exist in the 50's when this gun was designed. They also needed a mount that was tall enough to be suitable for multiple optics, including night vision ones, hence why it is so tall. It also needed to have quick detach, and allow the shooter to use their iron sights. You are putting a modern standard onto a gun that was not designed when such standards existed.
The closest they had was the Weaver rail, which is aesthetically similar but not as strong as 1913 Picatinny spec.
I never had any issue with the Hensoldt 4x on the standard STANAG G3 optic mount. I have a tall neck, and was able to comfortably shoot it with a chin weld.
@@dangvorbei5304 you're arrogantly ignoring the explanation behind the design philosophy, and ignoring the fact that basically every sniper rifle had a chin weld even dating back to WW1 and 2. This should not come as a surprise to anyone, since they are standard rifles modified to use scopes.
That's why the PSG1, a gun specially built for sniping, does not have a chin weld. It had a cheek rest. Nothing I've said is an opinion, it is fact.
Just a small clarification, Danish home guard still have their weapons at home if they choose to, and are able to according to certain rules. They used to have ammo too, but that’s not possible anymore. A gun locker is now provided, but until late 90’s it was usually just kept under a bed or in a closet, only the lock or the bolt had to be kept separate and under lock, usually in a small provided box with a padlock 🙂
The bolts are in central storage, so they can easily be "disappeared" in case the allies of Enhedslisten/SF/RV decide to invade, leaving Hjemmeværnet defenseless
@@erik_dk842 What the fuck are you talking about.
@@hedgehog3180 AFAIK the members are not allowed to keep the bolts for their guns at home anymore, instead they are stored at the local home guard depot, completely defying the idea of the home guard. Every Soviet controlled "peace movement" influencer called for that from the founding of the guard, through the fall of the iron curtain until they finally succeeded
aint got a singular clue of what youre on about could you perhaps cite a source?@@erik_dk842
@@erik_dk842 They are at home, and have been since the gunlockers were introduced
I had one in 86-87 and is was a good rifle. Got a standard in the MC. Fun times.
Love seeing all the Danish veterans pop up in the comments, you rarely get to hear from them so it's cool to read about all their little stories and memories from the good old days.
I started in the Danish military in october 1989 and we was issues M1 Garands, i believe we where some of the last ones to get those besides the Queens guards.
I served in danish military from 1984 to 1985 and I was issued the M1 Garand (M50). Later I was issued the M49 submachinegun, and for the rest of my service I missed my M1 rifle. Later I changed scenery with another group of people and was issued the FAMAS rifle which I appreciated for 10 years.
You almost made me cry - I am an unfrocked M/66 sniper. It was a day of sorrow when I was forced to hand in my trusty old friend when they finally forced me to swap it for the girlieman C7A1 I have to contend with now.
At the time I had it issued there were 4 of them per company but only 2 scopes.
At the time the Home Guard operated almost exclusively in independant squads of 6-12 men with varying weapons. Usually I operated with the squad as designated marksman, but I could also go out on my own and do sniping/observation.
You are right about the ammo used being the same as the rest of the rifles and actually I had to pass a test shooting better than how bad a spread the ammunition batch could have had and still be accepted for issuing to the troops to qualify for the sniper course - luckily for me the ammo was better than it had to be.
at that time our ammo came from the factory in nordjylland. It was pretty decent.
@CarlAlex2 jeg er delme glad for at se jeg ikke var den eneste der under protest og vold og magt måtte afgive min M/66
i starten havde jeg heller ikke kikkertsigte på min, jeg var aligevel god nok til og kunne hamle op med dem der havde, til gengæld havde jeg dog fået de sammenklappelige støttefødder
I used both in 1993-1994. And the M/75 in the home guard.
They wanted me to be a driver, but I did not have a license, so they gave me a rifle :)
Started om the M1 in the RDAF in Karup, but qualified to the m/66 with standard scope and IR-scope.
I only fired on targets up to 500 meters, but it was pretty easy to hit targets up to 400 meters, about 200-300 meters at night. We used it for tageting, so we shoot tracers at the taget, and then the LMG's follow up :)
The handles rattled a lot, so we used to put some rags in it to reduce noise .
We used "blue rounds" (plastic) for practice, it was hell to clean up afterwards.
Same doctrine in Greek army. (If i remember well.) Best made out of production line G3A3 variants, used as designated marksman rifles. Locally produced under license by E.B.O. (Ελληνική Βιομηχανία Όπλων). Nice guns. Well made in general.
czcams.com/video/Ncz_wZc-l5c/video.htmlsi=gqSCHLcV6ZXkdFQw Greek G3A3
Hi @Ian
Some comments on the subject: Eventually the M1/Garrand was used in artillery- and support-units until 1990 or 1991. (I went to sergent-school with some, that had been using them in their regiments)
Also: The M/66 was used by the Home guard, and as I remember a few of them were equipped with an IR projector (IR Kikkert M/66) and scope. The whole assembly exceeding 20 kilos with a battery and stuff.
Most of the home guard changed to M/75 (G3) in mid 1980's.
And: S = Sikret (Safe) E= Enkeltskud (Single round) A = Automatisk (Automatic)
The same thing happened with the G3/M75: The armoured artillery used them long after the infantry got the C7/M95.
I used one in the Homeguard 1970-72 till I joined the Army and was issued a Garand (Springfield Armory. The infrared scope was a drag to carry and not very accurate. At a distance of about a 100 yards you got a single target, if two persons were less than two feet from each other. With some luck you would at least get one of them, but most likely you would scare the living daylights out of them when the bullet passed between them.
I was issued a Garand in 1991/ 1992. As a calculator in a fire direction central is was mostly lodged in the gun rack by the door of the FDC. But I do remember mot inf grunts from Slesvigske Fodregiment (IIRC) lugging them around on exercises.
Ahh! I tried the one with the IR projector once, that was very awkward and clumsy. I just thought it was the standard M75, I did not notice any difference but in my defence it was very very dark ;-D
RDAF issued GV/50 up until 1995 to drafted personel
I was survey/recon in a Danish artillery regiment in 91/92. We were issued G3s. Our supply compagny were using some mighty fine Garands. I'll never forget the iconic CLIIING! After eight rounds had been fired 😊
As someone that owns the PTR clone (I actually bought it at Bear Arms BTW), I can tell you that that little thumb hole isn’t going to do shit if your bolt didn’t go back into battery fully.
I'm a Dane myself, so it's really cool to learn about the history of my own country which I didn't know. good video, it would be great to see if you could make more videos with Danish history
Thanks for featuring some Danish military history on your channel.
The Danish army having a division called Hjemmeværnet, home defense force, you find the hjemmeværnet often through history being better equipped than the regular army, kamptropperne.
What most people dont know, even in the Danish army itself, hjemmeværnet often had secret stashed weapons scattered in the country and specific secret preplanned missions in urban cities.... Just to be ready if the Russians decided to invade.
In 1988 I joined the Danish National Guard. My service weapon was a G3 M75. I loved that weapon. In 1991 I did my enlistment service in the Royl Danish Airforce, there my service weapon was the M1 Garant M50. We was the last to use the Garant.
The Garand remained in Danish service until at least 1980. DANBATT, the Danish UNFICYP contingent, used them to shoot rings 'round the other contingents in falling plate competitions.
Very cool rifle and history Ian.
Wow. Thanks Ian. An interesting weapon. I appreciate the additional information on reproductions. Really great.
In the regular army we had some of these as well. Was issued one for a periode.
Wasn't a huge fan..., but it worked ok and with some training it was possible to hit/supress a target at a good range.
Since last week I got a replica of the German scoped G3A3 with the same scope and mount. Shoots very well and has that retro vibe.
i got a PTR 91 with a 6 in picatinny rail mount. i really like it. the rail is nice for mounting more modern optics and the gun still had that sleek look to it. I really dislike the looks of a lot of these 'hypermodern' guns with rails on every surface. look at the Galil ARM and then look at the gen 2 Galil ACE. they managed to modernize a really good looking rifle into a hunk of plastic with rails all over it.
I was issued this riffle when I first joined the home guard. It also has an improved buffer compared to the standard G3 I was issued when I was in the regular army. That one gave most guys, who fired it, a black eye at some point, but the M66 had much less kickback. Much more comfortable to handle.
Another interesting and informative video as always. 👍👍
Awesome. I'm working on a CETME surplus build. I just always loved the looks of that style rifle
About 30 years ago the Danish Homeguard had their rifles at home. This practice was changed and now no one can have their weapons at home. As I was serving in the Danish Airforce, I shot the M1 Garant, and the M75 (a G3) with scope.
I must say, the old WWII M1 is still an excellent weapon to shoot up to 300 m.
Hi I am Danish, and FYI: Personally I carried the M1 Garand in my service 1989-1992 as a Sergent in a Danish HMAK unit. Other than that, only the Queens guard used this old rifle that late. When i was in a tank platoon 1990 we drove Centurion tanks (English), and used either M75 (G3) or the MP M-49 open bolt 9mm SMG while driving. The centurion maingun was 105mm, had 50cal. turret mounted, and MG42 inside. The M1 is the best rifle i have ever shot (very accurate) - the G3 (Danish name M75) was a POC compared.
really interesting video with a lot of (to me) new information! in the late 80ies I was living with two other members of the Danish Home Guard. between us we had 2x MG3s, 1x M84 Carl Gustav, 3x G3s anda total of 500 rounds of 7.62 + 6x HEAT rounds for the Carl Gustav at home. Fun times...
Was issued a Garand in the army in 1989. Last units using them was supplies and support (I drove an ambulance). Lovely rifle. If you got one of the examples that wasn't so worn out that you could drop a bullet through the pipe with no resistance...
The M1 was used by the Royal Guards until 1995, where they adopted the G3. I served spent my national service there with the G3(M/75) in 2000-2001. The companies who where designated to go on international jobs had the M/95(Canadian C7)
In 1996 I used a an M1 Garand in the training range w. plastic bullet as a 17 year old trainee/intern (praktikant) at the Skrydstrup airfield
So some of them survived in service way beyond mentioned.
according to wikipedia (no source mentioned), HTK (Hærens Tekniske Korps, Army's Technical Corps) was a unit in charge of weapons and materials and the name was used until 1967, when it was taken in as a part of Hærens Materialkommando (HMAK), which is the "material command" mentioned in the video. They would exist until 2006.
And as a sidenote, we have a heavy barreled M16A2 as a DMR which also serves as a Light Support Weapon.
HTK = Hærens Tekniske Korps. You could argue it's the same as HMK, but that didn't exist yet in 1966. In 1967 the Danish military restructured and HTK was incorporated into HMK Hærens Materiel Kommando.
3:08 as a descendant of a Norwegian American grandmother, I must say it is a high compliment when the Danes adopt or use *anything* from Norway or Norwegian usage. Bravo Denmark!
'(;
Both my dad and served in th Danish army using the remarkable M-1 Garand. He was an elitesoldier, where sonny (me) was more a disktop soldier
M1 was still in use in 1990, as the rifle for the army medic unit (sanitetstropperne), and the royal guards also kept them a long time, for the looks.
I had one of these issued as a young recruit in 1999 still remember the Serialnumber 986. Sikker, Enkelt, Automatisk (SEA on the selecter) HTK stands for "Hærens Tekniske Korps" translate to "Army Technical Corp" and HMAK is the army material command .. But we had black 20 round magazines with horisontal ribs
Fun fact: The drill troop of the Norwegian Royal Guard still keep their Garand rifles for their shows, because the Garand rifles are easy to turn and throw, plus they make a nice sound when the stocks are smashed to the ground :-) (But for military duties, like guard service or combat exercises, they of courses use modern weapons).
I was an intern in the Danish army some 15 years back and we were told that we were the last group to carry the m75 (H&K G3A3).
Which I did my conscription service in the Danish army in 1998, We had G3's, I was in the artillery, other branches had the newer AR type rifles.
I was a conscript in the Royal Danish Navy as a Marine back in 1990, and we used the M1 Garand as the main weapon.
Love a G3: Informative and interesting!
And wasn't just the Home Defens using that riffle, i had that issued with out a scope on it and it has these notch's on top of the iron sights and they will align with the barrel so when using them it was always on target when firing and very precis ones you learned how to uses them, still the best rifles i ever had!
Ahh. Memories.... :) Used the Garand during the first 3 months of my military service, after that we got the G3 (was back in 1992), or M75 as we called them as they entered service in 1975. Must say. The Garand was SO much more accurate.
Hope to have a video testing it.😊
Nice! I servede with the later M 75 (standard issuede gun you refered to) as an artillery SG. It kick like a mule, but hit it´s target in a blizzard!
Dane here. This thing looks exactly like the one (GV M75) that I were issued when I were in the military back in 1997. No scope tho. We were the last ones using these before we adopted the M95.
In the 90s I had an HK91 with the same Hensoldt scope and HK claw mount. It was a 2 to 3 MOA shooter at best.
The Supply & Logistics regiment in the Danish army used the M1 until 1992, in 1993 we were the first ones to be issued G3 rifle
Pretty sure we have/had the same in the Swedish Home Guard but with black furniture (AK4B).
I was in the Danish Armed Forces medical corp bootcamp in summer 1980 - and we still used Garand M1
Im actually very happy to hear a little about danish military history, most of what i've learned came from my grandfather.(dane here)😃
I served in the italian army defenses lines troops in the 90's and my issue gun was an American m1 re chambered in 7.62
@@dangvorbei5304 regular length if I remember correctly
The original M1Garand was also chambered in 7.62. You know: 30-06 means 7,62x63 🙂 Perhaps you mean that your M1 was in 7,62x51 NATO
My comment was meant as an answer to eltenda 🙂 @@dangvorbei5304
@@3746463 the 06 in 30-06 refers to the year that cartridge was adopted by the US Army (1906).
Of course I know that! I have not stated otherwise. And the lenght of the case is 63 mm. @@TheLasseGrosboel
Haven't tried that variant, but the M75. So many people got a black eye from that lovely thing. :)
I had the garand in the Danish Salvage unit in 1992, it was the last year, in 1993 it was swapped with the g3. .or m/75 as its called in the Danish armed forces.
I was trained on the M66 when I joined the Danish Homeguard in 1996 😅 I absolutely loved it. Very reliable and sufficiently accurate.
I did National service between 1988 and 1990 ... The first rifle we were issued for basic training was the M1 Garand. So still in use that late... Kicked like a mule!
Dane here, thanks for this little bit of danish military history
Well, the M1 Garand was still the standard rifle in the Royal Danish Air Force in 1995👍😉 wonderful rifle, and as an NCO we had the Hovea version of the Swedish K👍😉
Legend has it, that when Danish UN soldiers arrived in the Balkans in 92 at the beginning of the civil war, the local militias thought the Danes were all sniper trained. Gaining them a fierce reputation. Apparently, the G3SG/1 (accurized/sharpshooter G3) was the No. 1 preferred sniper rifle amongst the mercenaries flooding into the Balkans at the time ~ so the locals assumed all the Danish soldiers were snipers, from the standard issue G3 slung over their shoulders. Don't know if it's actually true, but that was the story at the time.
* as several have commented, the M66 is indeed the G3SG/1 and NOT a standard G3 ~ the G3SG/1 were picked individually for their accuracy from the production line of the standard G3, given some extra treatment of the barrel and a better buffer + ofc the scope. They were issued only to recon units and transported on their vehicles in these big unwieldy black knock-proof plastic cases. Only brought out on special occasions.
Hi there.
I have a small correction regarding the usage of the Garand.
The Royal Danish Airforce used the Garand until mid 1995.
I returned mine after 9 years usage in 1994
Kr
Morten
Hey, Mate.
As a Dane I never heard about this Riffel, and I have been in the army, of cause later than 1966. (96/97)
My Father had the garand, when he was called in to service. The first 4 months we had M/75, and then we had a brand new M/16.😁
Blessings from Copenhagen, and of cause Cheers! 🍺
It’s amazing how much scope technology has improved over the past 60 years.
I had an M/66 with the scope for a while in our home guard.👍
The Royal Guards of Denmark (Den Kongelige Livgarde) had the M1 Garand until 1993/1994, but also the M/75 (G3 A3)
"Ooooooooh, m/66 sniper? What's that?"
*click*
"Oh. It's just a G3 with a scope..."
Looks super sick imo
I had that rifle ish (g3-M75 with a scope) back in 97-98 in the Infantry. We switched to the colt AR style m95 (GV M/95 & M/96 carbine) doing my service.
I loved shooting the 7.62 compare to the 5.56.
I used the g3 called M75 when i was i service in the Danish Infantry, later we got the m95 and m96 both on an Ar platform. I think it was a Canadian variant.
Mann oh mann the M75 we had this in the scout infantry back in oh 2009 🎉
I used the M1 garand in the danish army in 1994 as a weapon for cermonial guard duty, but still with live rounds in it. I have put rounds trough a M1 in 1994 on the range, it was a good rifle. We had the G3 for Field duty and the Garand G50/M1 for guard duty
Also the standard safety was a green version that cold only shoot semi inside the back of the trigger mechanism was a black safety that could replace the green so the gun could shoot semi and full. It was only to be installed on command.
Very Cool!
The Swedish Ak4 have the silent bolt close too.
Can you make a video explaining how that rickshaw with an MG3 is not just a rickshaw with an MG3 but actually an extremely versatile and budget friendly FAV perfect for Western European canals and managed woodland.
I stated in the Royal Danish Air Force in 1986 where I was trained on a M/50 (Garand M/1). I thinks the Air Force used the Garand to the beginning of the 90'ish.
After using the same claw mount for many years, I switched over to the low mount that literally sits on top of the receiver. So much easier to use. 🤠
More a squad designated marksman Rifle for designated marksman /sharpshooter than a sniper rifle. In Norway all "rifleman nr 4" in rifle squads were issued these back in the day. These were issued with special quality ammunition in Norway .