Indeed. The G3 is a bit of a conundrum. I've heard great things about it - and conversely, I've heard that they are garbage. I have never had the pleasure of firing one, or hell, even holding one.
But I've also heard that companies like, DPMS, are total garbage, yet I've fired several of them (albeit years and years ago) and thought they performed well. I remember when the first M-16s were delivered to us in Viet Nam. They were absolute horse shit. But it wasn't the platform - it was the crappy ammo. Once they fixed that problem - as well as adding a forward assist - they were gems. Beat the hell out of lugging the M-14 around the bush in 105 degree heat with 100% humidity.
Original HK products are pretty much bomb proof. The problem arises with the various aftermarket garbage that flooded the market a few years back. The one drawback that they have is they are heavy, but, they simply don't stop working. When i was working in Africa I always got my hands on either a AK or HK for personal defense and I preferred the HK's.
When we first transitioned from the 1911 to the 9s, I actually used a HK for about a month till the Sigs were delivered. I'll give the Europeans this: they can build guns. Period. End of story. I never had one complaint about H&K or Sig. Never one. On the reverse side, I had occasional problems with my 1911 - but never nothing major. Hell, the damned thing rattled like a set of old bones, but it did the job.
When we needed smaller caliber pistols, however, we went with Walther. Never one FTF or FTE. Not one. My Father brought a Walther P-38 home with him after WWII and he used that pistol till he died in 1984. He had a great love affair with that pistol and he never talked about it.
Yeah, I'm old school HK as far as the pistols go., I have the P9S and the P9 Target models in .45, i carry a HK P7 as a CCW pistol from time to time. I also have the HK4 for a small CCW pistol. I have also carried my SiG 229 so I hear ya....and agree wholeheartedly!
I guess, if I had one complaint about H&K, or Sig, it would be the price. But perspective is paramount. Hell, you can drop 2-3 thousand (or more) on a Les Baer or maybe an Ed Brown, so, looking at it like that, I get it.
Shoot. You get what you pay for, right?
In the gun world...yes. There's a reason why HK, Browning, FN and SiG command the prices they do. They have a very long history of working no matter what.
