The G3 and its variants have been used by the armed forces and police in a wide variety of countries. As a result, it has seen use in a number of conflicts during the late 20th century. Its first known combat use was by Portuguese Armed Forces during their war in Africa. Portuguese forces were unable to carry large quantities of heavy 7.62 mm NATO ammunition on long patrols, the resulting lack of firepower was occasionally a handicap when encountering enemy forces equipped with the AK-47. G3 rifles also saw action with the West German police during the failed rescue attempt of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The situation prompted development of the PSG-1 sniper rifle (substantially derived from the G3).