Cool Guns/Battle Rifles

M14, M21 and M25 The M14 was designed as a modernised version of the venerable M1 Garand to meet new NATO requirements; the clip feed was replaced with a detachable magazine, and a new barrel added. Unfortunately, someone decided it needed to be select-fire, requiring every part of the rifle to be strengthened to handle the increased stress of firing the powerful 7.62x51mm NATO round on full-auto settings. The resulting weapon was regarded as rather clumsy and utterly impossible to control in full-auto; many were locked to semi-auto and this, almong with other modifications, created a servicable weapon. And even then, the thing was quite heavy, which unfortunately, didn't so much dampen its full auto recoil as cause for many soldiers to struggle with its weight. The M14 was the US Army's standard issue rifle for only a short time, serving from 1962 to 1966-67 when it was replaced by the M16; this is the shortest any weapon has served as the US army's standard, and the M14 would be last battle rifle issued to normal infantry by them. The M14 found its niche as a marksman's rifle like the Soviet SVD, fitted with a selection of scopes and with wood stocks being replaced with fibreglass and later all-synthetic furnishings. It remains in use today as a ceremonial weapon, and modernised versions are still issued in small numbers as designated marksman's rifles. Its sniper variants are the M21 which saw much use in Vietnam, and the M25, which is used by US Army Special Forces and the Navy SEALs. A few select fire M14's have made it onto the U.S. civilian market, although they are very rare; it is more common for M14's in civilian hands to either be the very similar, but semiatomatic only M1a, or to have been converted to semiautomatic only when they left the service. Civilian versions (semi-auto only) are also available in most US states and they are very popular with the shooting public, and they are the gun of choice for Iron Man 3-gun competitions as well as other battle rifle competitions. While the M21 was phased out in favour of the M24 SWS in 1988, similar weapons based on converted original production M14s are now being issued to marksmen in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are also issued to park rangers in the Organ Pipes National Park due to drug cartel activity.
 * Rainbow Six, from Rogue Spear till Vegas.
 * "This is my rifle. There are many others like it, but this one is mine."
 * The M21 version is standard equipment for the US snipers in Operation Flashpoint, and is quite possibly the most versatile weapon in the game. Arm A II has the M14 DMR version, while Operation Arrowhead adds a stock M14 with an Aimpoint sight.
 * Battlefield: Vietnam, used by the US and ARVN, the M14 is the primary weapon for engineers while the M21 is an option for snipers.
 * Recruits in Forrest Gump are shown dis- and re-assembling M14 rifles in training, with Gump himself doing so in record time.
 * The Mk 14 Mod 0 EBR shows up in Metal Gear Solid 4, and is one of the best all round rifles in the game.
 * The SOCOM 16, a semi-auto only M14 variant, is usable in Dark Sector as the "VX Carbine."
 * Some marching US soldiers in Goldfinger.
 * Appears in Fallout Tactics, although incorrectly using the .303 British ammo.
 * The M14 is useable in the multiplayer of Call of Duty 4 and Black Ops. Its M21 variant also appears often in 4, and the Mk 14 appears in the same role in Modern Warfare 2 and 3.
 * The M14 is available in several different variants in 7.62 High Calibre. In addition to the M14 and the M14 Sniper Mod, you can also get the Springfield M1A, a civilian version (no automatic fire), and the M1A 'Scout', which is smaller and less accurate, but less expensive.
 * The Juggernaut Tactical Rogue M14 is a m14 to bullpup conversion kit. The weight and length are cut down drastically, and the barrel rise actually becomes barrel fall when the muzzle break is equipped, making tick shots such as aiming for the head a better idea, as it will line you up a body shot anyhow.

FN FAL Nicknamed "the right arm of the free world," the FAL was one of the three major battle rifles designed for the NATO 7.62/51 mm bullet (the other two were the M14 and H&K G3) and was undoubtedly the most sucessful of the three designs, having much lighter recoil and greater durability (equal to the AK-47's legendary durability). It was so popular that every Western and non-communist nation except the USA adopted it as their main rifle (even the US strongly considered adopting it, but decided not to on the basis of a combination of nationalism and false testimony to Congress claiming that the M14 could reuse the existing M1 Garand production lines), and it is considered the classic post-war battle rifle and the Western counterpart to the AK-47. Over one million FALs have been made; the most notable users include the UK and Australia, who made their own version called the L1A1 SLR (Self Loading Rifle). This version is easily recognisable due to its long barrel and slender profile, and is among the semi-automatic only variants of the FAL; versions capable of fully automatic fire also exist. Parts of the L1A1 (built on an inch pattern) are not compatible with other "metric" FALs, leading to many headaches among collectors. The FAL was designed by Dieudonne Saive, who is probably more famous for his work on the Browning Hi-Power. The FAL is available on the US civilian firearms market in most states, with lower end Century Arms models going for $550, although a FAL of reliably high quality will likely run $800 or more. The FAL and its variants were in production for a long time. In fact, some of the earlier variants look almost nothing like the later versions, owing to some 30 odd years of production, upgrades, and changes. The result is that early versions are made out of wood and steel while the later variants feature modern polymer furniture. The gun is still in production and use by many countries from around the globe.
 * Can be found in Fallout 2, one of the better weapons of the game, though finding ammo is a problem.
 * Fallout Tactics as well, but it erroneously used the 7.62 Soviet rounds instead.
 * One of the mook weapons in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty Black Ops.
 * Rainbow Six 3.
 * Far Cry 2.
 * SWAT oficers use it during the shootout at the beginning of Predator 2.
 * Carlos carries a heavily modified one in Resident Evil: Apocalypse.
 * The resistance members led by Eva/Big Mama in Metal Gear Solid 4 carry them.
 * Can be researched in Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker as well.
 * Standard issue rifle for ARCAM troops in the anime film Spriggan.
 * The Wild Geese featured many different versions of FN FAL rifles.
 * Hidden weapon in Operation Flashpoint. A folding-stock version appears in Operation Arrowhead, either unmodified or with a night-vision scope.
 * The MNU Helicopter snipers in District 9 use FALs with scopes mounted on them.
 * The rifles carried by the guards in Escape From L.A. were FALs with grenade launchers attached.
 * Some of Sosa's Mooks in Scarface.
 * Monroe Kelly carries one with a folding stock through most of the film Congo
 * During the penultimate showdown at the end of Hot Fuzz Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) has one of these in his hands.
 * A near Game Breaker in Jagged Alliance 2, thanks to its good damage, good accuracy and laughably fast fire rate, using only 5 action points to shoot.
 * Available in 7.62 High Caliber as a powerful battle rifle, with both variants (the standard and the paratrooper, which has a folding stock) capable of full auto fire. When fitted with a bipod, it can be an acceptable gun for a marksman at medium range, while the folding stock allows for easier storage in a pack and can make for an emergency room clearing weapon of ridiculous power.

Heckler & Koch G3 A German weapon developed from the CETME battle rifle, the G3 was the third major weapon chambered for the 7.62mm NATO round. A stamped steel battle rifle using a roller-delayed blowback system originally designed for the StG-45 prototype in World War 2, the G3 is more widely known for its derivatives than it is in itself, being not nearly as widely distributed as the FN FAL, and being a good several times more expensive. Visually, the FAL and the G3 are very similar, with the most noticeable difference being that the FAL's charging handle is on the left side of the receiver while the G3's charging handle is up near the left of the muzzle of the gun. MP5 is effectively a miniaturized G3 chambered in 9mm, the PSG1 and MSG90 are accurised versions for marksman use, the HK21 a general purpose machine gun version, and so on. The G3 is known for being reliable, but shooters are often critical of rather violent action that tends to mangle ejected cartridges and throw them anything up to thirty feet away, and the ergonomics and weight of the rifle in general. Therefore, it is a good idea to never stand on the right side of a G3 shooter if you can avoid it, unless you want hot brass hitting you. Genuine G3's and HK firearms are rare in the United States civilian shooting market, with the ATF banning their importation because they could be quite easily converted into automatic weapons. Also, HK is only minimally invested in the US civilian market, and even then, its main product is handguns. Genuine HK G3 clone imports are expensive, going for an average of at least $1700. Semiautomatic G3 clones are much more common and cheaper, with the The two main ones available on the market are the 7.62x51 C91 and the 5.56x45 C93. They come in at a normal price of at least $650. Though primarily used by small armies, it was also the standard rifle of the West Germany army due to Fabrique Nationale refusing to sell a license to H&K to manufacture FALs, and the Bundeswehr wanting a domestically-manufactured rifle. The G3 is still in service with many second and third world militaries around the globe and is still in production.
 * Cool Action: The HK Slap, where you take your left hand and quickly pull back on the charging handle after inserting a new magazine. Counts as Awesome Yet Practical, because this is actually a recommended technique.
 * A few can be seen amongst the dozens of AK's wielded by the militia in Black Hawk Down.
 * Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, though not quite as common as the various AK's.
 * Rainbow Six has some of these in its armoury for when teams need more punch.
 * Dog Soldiers.
 * Hidden weapon in Operation Flashpoint.
 * Used by the Militia in the second chapter of Metal Gear Solid 4, and usable by Snake. In the first chapter he can get an HK-21 as well.
 * The standard assault rifle in Fallout 3 is the prototype version with the older circular handguard (instead of the current MP5-style handguards) and wooden furniture, and it uses 5.56 ammo in the game.
 * In Battlefield 3, the G3 can be found in the hands of the PLR.
 * Far Cry 2 has the G3 as the initial assault rifle given to the player character.
 * Available in (of course), 7.62 High Caliber. Very similar to the FAL and even has a variant with a collapsible stock, but it has the advantage of being able to take a scope.