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H&K PSG1 · Volume 5

The Family and How to Tell Them Apart

PSG1, PSG1 A1, MSG90 and its versions, the SR9 sporting rifles, the HK41, HK91 and G3, and the clones that imitate them: a photographic identification guide

5.1 Why identification matters for this family

Every rifle in this volume shares the G3’s receiver shape, magazine, cocking tube and takedown pins, and several share the PSG1’s grip or stock. In photographs they are easy to confuse, and the confusion has a price: a genuine PSG1 sold for an auction estimate of $20,000 to $35,000 in 2024, while a PTR-91 lists for about $1,500 (Volume 8). Museum and auction labels are not reliable on their own; several photographs filed in Wikimedia Commons’ PSG1 category show other rifles altogether, bolt-action sniper rifles among them (they are recorded among the rejections in this dive’s credits file). The identifications below rest on features that can be seen, and each panel was checked against them.

5.2 The rule used in this dive

Read the rifle from the receiver outward:

  1. Receiver marking on the left side above the magazine well. H&K marks the model there: “PSG1”, “SR9T”, “HK 41”. This is the strongest single cue when it is legible.
  2. Grip and trigger guard. The PSG1 has a wooden grip with a fish-scale stipple and an adjustable palm shelf at its foot, and a large wire trigger guard. The MSG90, HK91, G3 and PTR-91 have the standard moulded G3-pattern grip and guard. The SR9T and SR9TC have a PSG1-type grip.
  3. Barrel and muzzle. The PSG1’s heavy barrel ends plain, with no sight and no muzzle device. The MSG90’s slimmer barrel carries a muzzle weight or, on the A1, a flash hider. The HK91 and G3 have a front sight hood and a flash hider.
  4. Stock. The PSG1’s has a deep, box-like cheekpiece that fills the top of the stock. The MSG90’s and SR9T’s have a thin cheek riser on two posts above a sloping comb. The G3, HK41, HK91 and PTR-91 have the fixed G3 stock.
  5. Mount. The PSG1’s scope sits on a fixed mount to STANAG 2324 dimensions, attached to bases welded to the receiver (Volume 6). The others take a clamp-on claw mount, or a rail.
  6. Right side. The PSG1 and MSG90 have the closing-aid knob behind the ejection port; the others do not (Volume 3).

5.3 The family side by side

Figure 1 — Left sides of four rifles, muzzle left, scaled approximately to overall length. From top: PSG1, with the wooden palm-shelf grip, box cheekpiece, plain heavy barrel and fixed scope mount; MSG90, as …
Figure 1 — Left sides of four rifles, muzzle left, scaled approximately to overall length. From top: PSG1, with the wooden palm-shelf grip, box cheekpiece, plain heavy barrel and fixed scope mount; MSG90, as labelled by its photographer, with the G3 grip, 20-round magazine, posted cheek riser and muzzle weight; SR9T, with a PSG1-type grip, posted cheek riser and claw-mounted scope; HK41, the plain civilian semi-automatic G3. The SR9T's overall length is not published and it is drawn at the G3's length.
Figure 2 — Right sides of three rifles, muzzle right, scaled approximately to overall length. From top: HK91, the American-market semi-automatic, with green polymer furniture; PTR-91, a US-made rifle on the s…
Figure 2 — Right sides of three rifles, muzzle right, scaled approximately to overall length. From top: HK91, the American-market semi-automatic, with green polymer furniture; PTR-91, a US-made rifle on the same pattern, with black polymer furniture; and a G3 from the Swedish Army Museum's trial collection, with wooden furniture. All three have the standard G3 grip, fixed G3 stock, hooded front sight, rotary rear sight and flash hider. The selector markings on these right sides read S and F, or S, E and F on the select-fire G3.

5.4 Tell them apart: the table

Table 1 — Tell them apart: the table

FeaturePSG1MSG90 (and A1, A2)SR9T / SR9TCHK41 / HK91 / PTR-91G3Where to look
Receiver marking”PSG1” with serial and “HK Cal. 7.62x51”Not legible in the photographs found”SR9T” with serial and “HK Cal. 7.62x51""HK 41”, “HK 91” or the PTR maker’s mark”G3” and makerLeft side, above the magazine well
GripWooden, stippled, adjustable palm shelfStandard G3 moulded gripPSG1-type wooden gripStandard G3Standard G3Behind the trigger
Trigger guardLarge wire guardStandard G3 guardLarge wire guard (photos)StandardStandardBelow the trigger
Barrel, muzzleHeavy, plain, no sightSlimmer; muzzle weight (MSG90) or flash hider (A1)Plain barrel; front sight hood presentFront sight hood, flash hiderFront sight hood, flash hiderFront of handguard to muzzle
Iron sightsNoneNone on the original; mechanical sights on the A1 (H&K)Front sight hood present (photographs)YesYesHandguard front, receiver rear
StockBox-shaped cheekpiece, threaded butt capThin cheek riser on two postsThin riser on posts (SR9T); PSG1-type stock (SR9TC, photo)Fixed G3 stockFixed or retractable G3 stockBehind the receiver
Scope mountFixed, welded bases, STANAG 2324STANAG/NATO mount; quick-detachable on the A1Claw mountClaw mount (recesses in the receiver)Claw mountTop of receiver
Closing aidYes, behind the ejection portYes (H&K Inc. 2007)Not documentedNoNoRight side, behind the ejection port
Selector marking0 and 1S, SA in H&K Inc.’s listing; markings not seenNot seenS and F (semi only)S, E, F (select fire) or S, EBoth sides of the grip
Weight (published)8.1 kg (booklet)about 6.3–6.7 kg (H&K GmbH; Lithuanian Armed Forces)Not found9.63 lb, 4.4 kg (HK91 leaflet)4.25–4.40 kg (H&K; Bundeswehr)

Sources for the table are the photographs in this volume, the H&K documents cited in Volumes 2 and 3, and the Bundeswehr regulation.12345

5.5 PSG1 against MSG90, detail by detail

The best evidence for the differences between the two rifles is a single photograph that shows both, side by side, at the same distance and with the same lens, labelled by the photographer. The panels below are cut from it and enlarged by the same factor, so each pair is at matched scale.

Figure 3 — The MSG90, as labelled by the photographer, left, against the PSG1, right, cut from one photograph at matched scale. Key: 1, muzzle: a muzzle weight on the MSG90, a plain heavy barrel on the PSG1; …
Figure 3 — The MSG90, as labelled by the photographer, left, against the PSG1, right, cut from one photograph at matched scale. Key: 1, muzzle: a muzzle weight on the MSG90, a plain heavy barrel on the PSG1; 2, ahead of the handguard: a hooded front-sight post on this MSG90, nothing on the PSG1; 3, grip and trigger: the standard G3 grip and guard on the MSG90 against the PSG1's wooden palm-shelf grip and large wire guard, and the PSG1 marking on the PSG1's receiver; 4, stock: a thin cheek riser on two posts on the MSG90 against the PSG1's box-shaped cheekpiece.

Two cautions about this pair. The rifle labelled “MSG 90” has a hooded front sight ahead of the handguard (panel 2). H&K Inc.’s 2007 page says the iron sights were what the A1 added to the MSG90, and Modern Firearms says the original MSG90 had none.67 This rifle may therefore be an MSG90 A1, or an MSG90 fitted with a sight; the photograph does not settle it, and it is called “MSG90, as labelled” throughout. Second, the stocks differ more than the grips in some accounts: H&K’s own descriptions give both rifles a stock with “adjustable length, height adjustable cheek rest” (Volume 2), but the two in this photograph are visibly different mouldings.

Figure 4 — The H&K PSG1 and MSG90 together at a museum display, with another H&K rifle at the top of the frame and part of a scoped rifle at the bottom: the photograph from which the labelled pair above was c…
Figure 4 — The H&K PSG1 and MSG90 together at a museum display, with another H&K rifle at the top of the frame and part of a scoped rifle at the bottom: the photograph from which the labelled pair above was cut out.

5.6 The PSG1 A1

The A1 is a PSG1 with a Schmidt & Bender telescope as standard in place of the original 6×42 (H&K Inc., 2007; H&K catalogue, 2008).89 English Wikipedia says it also has a relocated cocking handle, so that a larger scope clears it; that is uncited.10 The photograph below shows an A1 from the right; no left-side photograph was found. Identified by its scope, an A1 is a PSG1 with a Schmidt & Bender; but scopes can be swapped, and a scope alone does not identify a rifle.

Figure 5 — A PSG1 A1, right side: the PSG1's box stock, stippled grip with palm shelf, heavy barrel and plain handguard, carrying a Schmidt & Bender telescope (the maker's name is on the objective bell) in pl…
Figure 5 — A PSG1 A1, right side: the PSG1's box stock, stippled grip with palm shelf, heavy barrel and plain handguard, carrying a Schmidt & Bender telescope (the maker's name is on the objective bell) in place of the 6×42. The cocking handle is on the left and is not shown. H&K product photograph as published by Maxim Popenker, Modern Firearms (https://modernfirearms.net/sniper/sniper-rifles/de/hk-psg-1-e.html ).

5.7 The MSG90 and its versions

Table 2 — The MSG90 and its versions

VersionDistinguishing features (as published)Source
MSG90G3-pattern grip; lighter barrel with muzzle weight; posted cheek riser; no iron sights; NATO scope mount; 12× telescope (Popenker) or 1,000 m sight (Lithuanian Armed Forces)Modern Firearms; Lithuanian Armed Forces75
MSG90 A1Mechanical sights; removable scope platform; detachable bird-cage flash hider; suppressor-ready; case deflector for left-shoulder firing; 10× Hensoldt optionalH&K Inc. 2007, 2024; H&K catalogue 2008; Lithuanian Armed Forces695
MSG90 A2H&K Germany’s later military version, about 1 kg lighter than the PSG1 A1; no visual description foundH&K GmbH11

Two service photographs show MSG90-family rifles clearly. The US Army’s July 2022 photograph of a Bulgarian demonstrator (captioned “HK MSG90”) shows the G3 grip, the posted cheek riser and a claw-type mount; the Peruvian police rifles at a 2023 show have the same stock, grip and slim barrel.1213

Figure 6 — The Peruvian National Police MSG90 at SITDEF 2023, right side: the posted cheek riser, standard G3 grip and slim barrel identify the MSG90 family; a bipod is fitted to the handguard.
Figure 6 — The Peruvian National Police MSG90 at SITDEF 2023, right side: the posted cheek riser, standard G3 grip and slim barrel identify the MSG90 family; a bipod is fitted to the handguard.

5.8 The SR9 sporting rifles

H&K’s American company sold sporting rifles on the HK91 action after the 1989 import decision. The US Treasury’s 1998 study lists one as “SR9”, alongside the PSG1 and MSG90; it does not list SR9T or SR9TC variants.14 Commons photographs show rifles marked “SR9T”, with a PSG1-type grip and a posted cheek riser on a sloping stock, and an “SR9 TC” with what appears to be a full PSG1-pattern stock and grip.15 No H&K document describing the SR9 models was read for this dive, so the descriptions here are of the photographs only.

Figure 7 — An SR9T, right side, with a modern telescope on a claw mount, the PSG1-type wooden grip and a 20-round magazine.
Figure 7 — An SR9T, right side, with a modern telescope on a claw mount, the PSG1-type wooden grip and a 20-round magazine.
Figure 8 — An SR9 TC on a display table with a tripod rest, photographed at a Spanish air-force event: a PSG1-pattern stock and grip on the HK91-based sporting rifle.
Figure 8 — An SR9 TC on a display table with a tripod rest, photographed at a Spanish air-force event: a PSG1-pattern stock and grip on the HK91-based sporting rifle.

The SR9 family is the most likely source of confusion with a genuine PSG1 in the United States: its grip and, on the TC, its stock look like the PSG1’s. The receiver marking, the front-sight hood, the claw-mount recesses and the absence of a closing aid separate them.

5.9 The base rifles: G3, HK41, HK91

The G3 is the select-fire service rifle (Volume 1). The Bundeswehr regulation lists its versions: G3A1 with retractable stock and wooden handguard, G3A2 with fixed stock and wooden handguard, G3A3 with fixed stock and plastic handguard, G3A3 ZF with telescope, and G3A4 with retractable stock.4

Figure 9 — The G3A3, left side, from the Bundeswehr regulation (Bild 101): fixed plastic stock, slim handguard, 20-round magazine, rotary rear sight and flash hider.
Figure 9 — The G3A3, left side, from the Bundeswehr regulation (Bild 101): fixed plastic stock, slim handguard, 20-round magazine, rotary rear sight and flash hider.
Figure 10 — A G3 on display at the Munster tank museum, left side, with the slim plastic handguard.
Figure 10 — A G3 on display at the Munster tank museum, left side, with the slim plastic handguard.
Figure 11 — Two G3s, one sectioned to show its bolt, recoil spring and trigger parts for instruction.
Figure 11 — Two G3s, one sectioned to show its bolt, recoil spring and trigger parts for instruction.

The HK41 was H&K’s first civilian semi-automatic version, and the HK91 the semi-automatic sold in the United States. The HK91’s Oberndorf leaflet calls it “like the G3 a recoil operated weapon incorporating a delayed roller locked bolt system and designed for semi-automatic fire”, gives its length as 40.15 in and its weight without magazine as 9.63 lb, and lists a Hensoldt 4×24 telescope “in HK special mount”.3 The receiver of a semi-automatic HK rifle differs from a select-fire G3’s in how the trigger housing attaches; Volume 9 deals with that difference, because it is the line between a rifle and a machine gun in American law.

Figure 12 — The HK41, left side: the plain civilian G3 with fixed stock and slim handguard.
Figure 12 — The HK41, left side: the plain civilian G3 with fixed stock and slim handguard.

5.10 Markings and date codes

Figure 13 — Receiver markings, left side above the magazine well. From left: a PSG1 marked 'PSG1' with its serial and 'HK Cal. 7.62x51', enlarged from the labelled pair photograph; an SR9T marked 'SR9T' and 'H…
Figure 13 — Receiver markings, left side above the magazine well. From left: a PSG1 marked 'PSG1' with its serial and 'HK Cal. 7.62x51', enlarged from the labelled pair photograph; an SR9T marked 'SR9T' and 'HK Cal. 7.62x51', with part of the serial obscured by the photographer; an HK41 marked 'HK 41' with '1/74', serial blacked out; and a G3 receiver of 1962 described as semi-automatic, its selector marked S and E only.

H&K marks the model and serial on the left of the receiver above the magazine well. The PSG1 in the labelled photograph reads “PSG1” followed by a letter and four digits, and “HK Cal. 7.62x51” below; the SR9T reads “SR9T” and “HK Cal.7.62x51”; the HK41 reads “HK 41” and “1/74”.1516 An American auction house describes the PSG1’s magazine-well marking as “PSG1” with the serial “over ‘Cal..308’” on one rifle, and records two-letter date codes on three PSG1s: “IB”, read as 1981, and “KF”, read as 1995.171819 H&K’s date-code key was not found in an H&K document; the readings are the auction house’s, and they are consistent with each other.

5.11 Selector markings

The PSG1’s safety has two positions, “0” (safe) and “1” (single fire), with the numbers repeated on the right side of the grip.1 The G3’s selector reads S, E and F (safe, single, burst).4 The HK91 and PTR-91 in this volume’s photographs show S and F on the right side; a G3 receiver of 1962 shows S and E. A selector marked E or F on a rifle in the United States is a select-fire marking and should be read with Volume 9’s warning about machine-gun parts in mind.

Figure 14 — The G3 selector markings in the Bundeswehr regulation, left and right sides: S (safe), E (single) and F (burst).
Figure 14 — The G3 selector markings in the Bundeswehr regulation, left and right sides: S (safe), E (single) and F (burst).

5.12 Clones and lookalikes

A rifle that looks like a PSG1 in the United States is far more likely to be one of these:

  • PTR-91 and Century CA-3. US-made rifles on the HK91 pattern (Volume 9). PTR’s precision models, an MSG91 reviewed in 2016 and a “Super Sniper” reported by Wikipedia, no longer appear in PTR’s catalogue.20
  • Greek and other licensed G3 rifles with PSG1 grips. A Commons photograph shows a Greek-made SAR-8, “a licensed copy of the HK91”, fitted by its owner with a PSG1 grip, a bipod and a 30-round magazine.21
  • Builds from factory parts. An American auction in 2021 sold a PSG1 that its consignor attributed to the builder Murray Urbach “from around 2001 using all factory parts”.17
  • Modern copies. The German SAR M41 PSG of 2023 copies the PSG1’s layout with a Magpul PRS2 stock, a Picatinny rail and a case deflector in place of the closing aid; it is not imported to the United States.22
Figure 15 — A Greek-made SAR-8, a licensed HK91, fitted by its owner with a PSG1-style grip, a bipod and a 30-round magazine. The receiver, sights and fixed stock are the HK91's; only the grip is PSG1.
Figure 15 — A Greek-made SAR-8, a licensed HK91, fitted by its owner with a PSG1-style grip, a bipod and a 30-round magazine. The receiver, sights and fixed stock are the HK91's; only the grip is PSG1.
Figure 16 — A PTR 91K, the short-barrelled version of the American-made HK91 pattern, right side.
Figure 16 — A PTR 91K, the short-barrelled version of the American-made HK91 pattern, right side.

5.13 Checking a rifle offered as a PSG1

The checks that separate a factory PSG1 from a PSG1-pattern build, in the order a buyer can make them:

  1. The receiver marking. “PSG1” with an H&K serial on the left of the magazine well. A rifle with a PSG1 grip on an HK91, SR9 or PTR receiver is not a PSG1.
  2. Iron-sight provisions. A PSG1 has no front sight hood and no rear sight drum. A front-sight hood, or a rear sight base, is the mark of an HK91-family receiver.
  3. The mount. Welded bases carrying the fixed mount, not claw recesses.
  4. The closing aid on the right side behind the ejection port.
  5. The bolt. An auction house checks “the bolt carrier is properly serrated for the closure device” and a bolt head marked “PSG1” with matching number.19
  6. The receiver sides. Welded reinforcement strips (Volume 3).
  7. Paperwork and accessories. H&K shipped a case, tripod, magazines, manuals and a factory test target; one new-in-box rifle sold in 2017 still had “the original test target that was stamped, signed and dated at the factory”.23 Accessories help; they can be reunited with any rifle.

None of these is conclusive alone, and a well-made build from factory parts can pass most of them. A rifle with an H&K serial and PSG1 marking is the only straightforward case.

5.14 What could not be established

  • A left-side photograph of a PSG1 A1, an MSG90 A2 or an MSG90 with a confirmed original-pattern (no sights) configuration.
  • H&K’s own description of the SR9, SR9T and SR9TC, and their overall lengths.
  • H&K’s date-code key from an H&K document.
  • The MSG90’s selector markings and receiver marking from a legible photograph.
  • Whether the PSG1 A1’s cocking handle is relocated.

References

Footnotes

  1. Heckler & Koch GmbH, Kurzbeschreibung des Präzisionsschützengewehres PSG 1 (Oberndorf, n.d.), printed pp. 2–3, 30–31, 45. Internet Archive collection “MManuals”, https://archive.org/download/MManuals/HkPsg1.pdf, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩ ↩2

  2. Heckler & Koch Inc., MSG90 A1 specifications and features pages, hk-usa.com, Wayback captures of 22 March 2007, http://web.archive.org/web/20070322051242/http://www.hk-usa.com:80/le_msg90_specs.html and http://web.archive.org/web/20070322080929/http://www.hk-usa.com:80/le_msg90_features.html, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩

  3. Heckler & Koch GmbH, The Selfloading Rifle HK 91 Cal. .308 (Oberndorf/Neckar, pre-1990). Internet Archive collection “MManuals”, https://archive.org/download/MManuals/Hk91.pdf, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩ ↩2

  4. Bundesministerium der Verteidigung, ZDv 3/13 Das Gewehr G3 (1978; amendment 38 of 1999), Nr 102, 109; Bild 101, 208. Wikimedia Commons, public domain per Commons, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. Lietuvos kariuomenė, “Snaiperinis šautuvas H&K MSG-90A1”, updated 17 April 2009, Wayback capture of 4 January 2016, https://web.archive.org/web/20160104000156/http://kariuomene.kam.lt:80/lt/ginkluote_ir_karine_technika/snaiperiniai_sautuvai/snaiperinis_sautuvas_hk_msg-90a1.html, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Heckler & Koch Inc., MSG90 A1 general page, Wayback capture of 22 February 2007, http://web.archive.org/web/20070222112912/http://www.hk-usa.com:80/le_msg90_general.html, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩ ↩2

  7. Maxim Popenker, “HK MSG90 / MSG3 sniper rifle (Germany)”, Modern Firearms, https://modernfirearms.net/en/sniper-rifles/standart-caliber-rifles/germany-standart-caliber-rifles/hk-msg-90-eng/, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩ ↩2

  8. Heckler & Koch Inc., PSG1 A1 features page, Wayback capture of 28 March 2007, http://web.archive.org/web/20070328065452/http://www.hk-usa.com:80/le_psg1_features.html, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩

  9. Heckler & Koch (Ashburn, Virginia), Military & Law Enforcement catalogue, ”© HKDCS 01.12.08”, catalogue p. 19, http://photos.imageevent.com/smglee/cltactical/HK%20Military%20LE%20Catalog.pdf, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩ ↩2

  10. “Heckler & Koch PSG1”, English Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_%26_Koch_PSG1, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩

  11. Heckler & Koch GmbH, “MSG90 A2” overview and technical data, Wayback captures of 11 March 2015 and 24 December 2014, heckler-koch.com, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩

  12. US Army photo by Pfc. Destinee Rodriguez, Platinum Lion 2022, Wikimedia Commons (DVIDS 7342285), public domain, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩

  13. Zegsialer, “MSG90 on Display Perú” and “MSG90-Efectivo Sinchi Perú”, 2023, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩

  14. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Department of the Treasury Study on the Sporting Suitability of Modified Semiautomatic Assault Rifles (April 1998), Exhibit 2. Wayback captures of http://www.atf.treas.gov/pub/assault_rifles/, public domain, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩

  15. Michael Sullivan, “HK SR9T right” and “HK SR9T Receiver”, public domain; Francisco Infante, “Heckler and Koch SR9TC”, attribution licence; Wikimedia Commons, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩ ↩2

  16. Michael Sullivan, “HK41 Rifle” and “1974 HK41 Receiver”, Wikimedia Commons, public domain, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩

  17. Rock Island Auction Company, Premier Auction 3–5 December 2021, lot 661, https://cdn.rockislandauction.com/flipbooks/84/BOOK1/files/basic-html/page388.html, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩ ↩2

  18. Rock Island Auction Company, Premier Auction 9–11 December 2022, lot 3737, https://cdn.rockislandauction.com/flipbooks/87/BOOK3/files/basic-html/page338.html, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩

  19. Rock Island Auction Company, 25 August 2024, lot 3589, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4092/3589/heckler-koch-psg1-semiautomatic-sniper-rifle-with-scope, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩ ↩2

  20. Michael O. Humphries, “Review: PTR Industries MSG 91 Rifle”, Shooting Illustrated, 27 December 2016, https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/review-ptr-industries-msg-91-rifle/, consulted 2026-10-18; PTR Industries firearms catalogue, https://www.ptr-us.com/products/firearms/, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩

  21. Golden Hound, “Sar8rifle”, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, consulted 2026-10-18 (the photographer’s description quoted). ↩

  22. Franz Keck, “Präzision mit Geschichte”, Deutsches Waffen-Journal, January 2023, pp. 20–25, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩

  23. James D. Julia, Inc., sale 1678, lot 396, 2017, Wayback capture of http://jamesdjulia.com/item/1678-396/, consulted 2026-10-18. ↩

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