MG3

The MG3 (German: Maschinengewehr 3; English: Machine Gun 3) is a German general purpose machine gun designed by Rheinmetall AG in 1959. The entire weapon system is an updated version of the famous MG42 universal machine gun that was used by the German Wehrmacht during World War II, sporting differences such as being chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. Like its predecessor, it keeps its iconic rate of fire, ranging around 1200 rounds per minute.

Battlefield 2: Euro Force
The MG3A1 is a coaxial machine gun mounted alongside the main gun in both the Challenger 2 and the Leopard 2A6.

Battlefield: Bad Company
In Battlefield: Bad Companys singleplayer campaign, the MG3' can be found as a collectible in the mission Par for the Course. It is also found with Legionnaires and MEC troops later on in the game.

In multiplayer, the MG3 is issued to the Support class. It can only be unlocked once a player reaches level 25 or if one has purchased the Gold Edition of the game, it will be unlocked as soon as one begins playing multiplayer. It has a high 200 round capacity with 400 rounds in reserve. One of it's main features is the extremely high rate of fire of 1,000 rounds per minute, making it the fastest firing weapon in the game over the F2000 and tied with the PP2000. It can kill in around 10-15 hits, but it has poor accuracy, making long-range targets difficult to kill. Burst-firing is advised if one plans to engage long range targets.

MG3
In Battlefield: Bad Company 2s singleplayer campaign, the MG3' with a Red Dot Sight can be found occasionally on fallen enemies, most notably on Airborne on the second level of the plane and in the fort of Sangre Del Toro. The standard version can be found on Heart of Darkness, in the house by the first boat the player enters, on Heavy Metal, on top of a crate right before the first firefight on foot, and on High Value Target, on a crate right before entering the sewers.

In multiplayer, the MG3 is the 7th and last light machine gun issued to the Medic kit requiring 57,000 points. It holds 100 rounds and fires at 1,000 rounds per minute (the highest infantry weapon rate of fire in-game, tied with the PP-2000 Avtomat). The MG3 can be a very capable weapon, though the combination of high recoil and low damage can make it difficult to use, though it's high rate of fire and large capacity compensate for it's weak points, making it most effective in close quarters. However, as with other light machine guns, the weapon's spread is very large and can increase quickly, making it mostly inaccurate with hip-fire, especially when put into perspective with comparable assault rifles or submachine guns. Players can use Marksman Training to reduce the effects of spread. Due to its low damage, Magnum Ammunition has the small effect of lowering needed body shots by two hits, making it need a minimum of eight shots instead of ten. Using the MG3 while immobile and crouched proves most effective, minimizing recoil and deviation. For longer range shooting, it is advisable to fire in controlled bursts, to compensate for the weapon's recoil. Although the MG3 still cannot be used reliably for such things as tactical long-range headshots, its on-target accuracy in 6+ round bursts is nearly unmatched.

The MG3 can mount a Red Dot Sight or a 4X Rifle Scope. The Red Dot can greatly help in pin-point shooting, especially for longer ranges. The 4X Scope can be used in a similar fashion, though the increased zoom can seem to accentuate the MG3's already high recoil, making its use require burst fire for long range.

MG3 SA


The MG3 SA is also available to those who purchased the SPECACT DLC. It customized with Woodland, Desert or Arctic camouflage depending on the environment the player is in. It is unlocked to the player regardless of previous unlocks for the kit. It can be obtained over Xbox Live for 160MS points or through the Dr. Pepper/EA promotion, along with the special uniform. It can also be obtained on the PS3 for $1.99, and comes with the special uniform as well. The SPECACT DLC has been released as downloadable content for the PC on December 1, 2010 via the EA Store.

Battlefield Play4Free
In Battlefield Play4Free, the MG3 is the starter gun issued to the Medic kit. It has low damage, high recoil and a total of 80 rounds (which is not a lot for a LMG). It should be traded out as soon as possible to its extremely low accuracy and relatively low magazine.

Videos
Video:MG3|Gameplay with the MG3 in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at Nelson Bay in Conquest mode Video:Dual Commentary with Zac Lee Basra MG3 - Battlefield Play4Free|Gameplay with the MG3 in Battlefield Play4Free at Basra

Trivia

 * Since Light Machine Guns can damage helicopters in Battlefield: Bad Company, both the MG3 and the M60 are very effective at shooting them down if there are no AA guns or .50 cals in the area, the former firing more rounds to hit and the latter doing more damage. However, the same does not apply to Battlefield: Bad Company 2 as helicopters, except for UAV's, are armored against everything but .50 caliber rounds.
 * Despite the in-game stats once stating that the MG3 SA had identical stats to the MG36, its performance was perfectly identical to that of the regular MG3. This has been corrected as of the PS3/Xbox 360 1.04 Client patch.
 * The MG3's description in the Weapons & Gadgets menu does not fit into the description box.