It was designed to use G3-type 10- or 20-round box magazines in the designated marksman role, but could also use a special 50-round drum magazine for sustained supporting or suppressing fire. The modified G8A1 adopted the improvements of the HK11A1 series and was only able to feed from magazines and drums.
The weapon was designed to use specific types of magazines, such as box magazines (10/20 rounds) and drum magazines (50 rounds), for different roles like marksmanship or sustained fire support. The modified G8A1 adopted the HK11A1 series' improvements and only accepted feeding from these magazine types.