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Posted: 5/22/2005 5:04:45 AM EDT
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Here are some pics of a German WWII STG44, including being field stripped. This hopefully will show that the AK does not show share any major design features- My background removing still needs some work-      
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| Shoei of Japan makes a perfect replica copy. In fact, the magazine used for these pics is from a Shoei. The Museum's basement collection had a rack of about 15 MP43,44, STG44 types. I grabbed the best looking one. Turned out to be a Shoei model! I could not tell the difference. Only when I compared it with a live one, did I notice the very minor (in markings only) differences. |
About the only things similar between the StG-44 and the AK are: Gas operated Select fire Intermediate power rounds Notch and blade style sight Op rod and gas piston are connected That's it. The StG's used a tilting block system, kinda like an SKS or a FAL, rather than the rotating bolt of the AK. While the StG-44 and the AK both appear to be similar on the outside, as Stottman's excellent photos show, they are very different beasts on the inside. Kalashnikov may have been "inspired" by the MKb-42H, the MP-43/44, StG-44 series, as far as a genereal layout of the weapon, he did not copy them. |
I shot a couple of magazines through one a couple of years ago................... It's music!!!! 
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The trigger system of the AK47 aslo appears to be a very simplified version of the MP43/MP44/StG44's trigger. http://www.gunpics.net/german/mp44/mp4415.JPG Having said that, it is also similar to the m1 Garands or G43's trigger. The most telling fact in the history of the MP44 & AK47 is that Hugh Schmiesser, the designer behind the MP44, was a guest of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1951 in the same factory that Kalashnikov was developing the AK47. |
Kiwi.............tell me that's not your own personal StG-44......... 
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That's not my own personal StG44......... it's my MP43. I'm still looking for a StG44 and a MP43/1 (good luck) then I'll have all 4 |
Mate, don't take this the wrong way, but I hate you. Cheers! 
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check out my website if you're interested in seeing more pictures. (not all the guns featured are mine) |
Great site, it's now bookmarked! One other thing..............is this your Dutch/Portugese AR-10?  If it is, I well and truely hate you. 
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There was some post war East German manufactured stuff floating around several years ago, but it got snatched up pretty quickly. There's a guy over on www.sturmgewehr.com that is loading it and will then take the cases back to reload for you. Outside the USA, it is probably a little easier to get. A buddy of mine who was a weapons inspector in Bosnia and Kosovo said he walked through warhouses/bunkers with WWII StG-44's in racks and cases of 7.92x33mm Kurz stacked floor to ceiling. |
In the US? easy as someone has re-started production and it is getting imported. Otherwise new cases are available for reloading. In NZ you can still find the 1950's manufactured East German ammo, but its expensive. Edit: Gary Cole of Cole Distributing posted on the Gunboards forums that he was bringing it in: www.gunboards.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=93530&SearchTerms=kurz |
I had not heard that, but it doesnt really suprise me. The Russians pull out all kinds of cool stuff from WWII, most of it still new in the grease. 90% of the WWII stuff on the world market (even American made stuff, sent over as Lend Lease aid) comes via Russia or the Ukraine. |
IIRC that's pretty much the same deal with all the M1895 Winchester muskets that they bought during WWI. The Russkis want way too much for them & the importers don't want to spend the $$$$$. |
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If all of this is true then they can keep the shit and let it rust away. I mean hell... we are basically the only country that will even consider paying a "reasonable" price for the guns anyway. Do you think china or a bunch of rebels are going to pay 1000+ bucks for a WW2 era gun, I think not. They might as well sell them to us. At least we will take good care of them and not use them for ethnic cleansing or any other atrocity.  A de-milled kit with a supplied "receiver schematic " would be gold  Throw us a bone Russia ! |
Very reliable, some troops reported them to be more reliable than the Kar98k! My guess is that this was only true under the severe winter conditions when oil in the Kar98k bolt could freeze, while the MP.44 needed very little to no lubrication. |
Probably because AK's are already available, the ammunition for them is cheap and plentiful and can be used in a verity of other rifles. |
Yeah, what kiwi said  What are there 8-10 million AKs floating around the world  With tons of ammo...It just wouldn't make sense to make a semi-auto because they are almost identical in terms of "assault rifle", plus a new production rifle would cost a fortune because you would have to make all the parts from scratch and then there is the ammo issue. I'd love to have one, but an AK is so much more practical. Now if I could petition everyone to go for an semi-MP40.... now there is a sweet gun too Oh wait... there is the MP5 & clones, so that would be shot down too.... Sad
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Most were used by the East Germans. A re-issue to them by the Soviets. In the 1980's they were sold off to Yugoslavia for use for their paratroopers. They have probably just been phased out in the past few years. Norway and Yugoslavia are a treasure of German equipment. |
Actually, allot of the them (and other cool WW2 stuff) are sold on the European collector market. Either as live guns where legal (Finland, Switzerland, Norway, etc), or deactivated (Germany, England, Russia, etc). Actually saw an ad from a German company the other day, that would legally take your deact MP44 type and build it into a legal semi auto with a new bolt, barrel, and magazine blocked to 2 or 10 rounds (depending on what type of gun licence you have). |
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