Domestic Burmese G3s: BA64 Rifle and BA-72 Carbine

After achieving independence from the British, Burma (now Myanmar) looked to develop a domestic small arms industry to supply its armed forces. The first weapon produced there was the BA-52, a copy of (how they chose this I don’t know) the Italian TZ-45 submachine gun. By the late 1950s, talks were underway with Rheinmetall and H&K to license production of the G3 at a factory being built with German technical assistance. Ultimately Burma adopted and produced several versions of the G3:

BA-63: A direct copy of the G3
BA-64: A light machine gun or support variant with a bipod and carry handle
BA-72: A shortened carbine model
BA-100: A designated marksman’s rifle

Today we are looking at a BA-64 that has been rebuilt to BA-63 configuration, and a BA-72 carbine. The BA-72 is really neat to me; not only has the barrel been shortened but the receiver and stock both have been as well, resulting in a very handy and compact little rifle.

Full video on the Italian TZ-45: