If you enjoyed that, you should pick up a copy of "The German Assault Rifle 1935-1945", by Peter R. Senich.  It cover the development of the german assault rifle in detail.

Chapters
1    Assault Rifle-The Beginning
2    The MK 42 Machine Carbine
3    Haenel Maschinenkarabiner 42 (H)
4    Walther Maschinenkarabiner 42 (W)
5    Vollmer Automatic Carbine
6    The Machine Pistol Series
7    Maschinenpistole 43 (MP 43)
8    Maschinenpistole 43/1 (MP 43/1)
9    Maschinenpistole 44 (MP 44)
10   The Sturmgewehr 44 (StG 44)
11   Weapon Parts and Production
12   The Accessory Items
13   Assault Rifle Developments
14   German Automatic Rifles
15   The Mauser System
16   Volksgewehr - The People's Rifle
17   The Kurz Patrone
18   Gewehrgranatgerat - Rifle Grenade Equipment
19   The Curved Barrel - Der Gebogene Lauf
20   Fallschirmjagergewehr (FG 42)
21   Telescopic Sights - The Assault Rifles


 Vulcan94

German Automatic Weapons of World War II - Robert Bruce...
is a good book

Quoted: vulcan, that book should be required reading for all enthusiasts of the the sport utility rifle!

What a GREAT new name for our favorite guns!!!

Sport Utility Rifles

YES!!

The closest I ever came to one was on the other side of some plexglas at the 82nd Airborne museum at Ft. Bragg.  Once, at open house at Ft. Bragg, I was checking out the display of automatic weapons, I commented to the soldier that all he needed was a "StG-44".  He said that he could have brought one, but he forgot.     Bummer!!

 Vulcan94

I actually got to handle a StG 44 once, and the ammo to go with it.

It was for sale at a funshow in the early/mid-'80's. It was soooo cool. And the ammo looked really weird, so short and so fat (7.92x33mm). Much more out of proportion than the Soviet 7.62x39 stuff.

And right beside it was a NIB M16A2 for $1500. That was in my pre-plastic days and I really wondered "Who would pay that much money for a gun?" I don't remember the price on the StG 44.

Oh, If I could only get to shoot one, I could die a happy man!  

 Vulcan94