Posted on 07/01/2016 5:22:04 PM PDT by Drew68
Working replicas of the Nazis' storm rifle, widely considered to be the world's first assault rifle, are now being produced in the U.S.
"It's been a surprise hit with us," said Mac Steil, co-owner of Hill & Mac Gunworks in Georgia, which has taken orders for 2,000 rifles since the product launch in January. "We sold more rifles the first day than we thought we'd sell all year."
Hill & Mac Gunworks, a startup in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, is reproducing the STG 44 Sturmgewehr, which was developed for German soldiers in World War II. The German word "sturm" means to storm, or assault, and "gewehr" means rifle.
"This German STG 44 is where the name 'assault rifle' originated and it's the first one to be widely used," said Jim Supica, director of the NRA Museum in Fairfax, Virginia, which has an original Sturmgewehr in its collection. "The Sturmgewehr 44 was the predecessor of true modern assault rifles such as the Soviet AK-47 and the American M-16."
The original Sturmgewehrs are valued by gun enthusiasts and history buffs, selling for tens of thousands of dollars. Hill & Mac is selling its reproductions for $1,799.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
GSG is reportedly making new semi-auto versions of the MP40 in 9mm
Check that... it’s .22 LR
It would be fascinating to learn just how those Stg-44s survived and where they'd been over the past seventy years. I suspect the "prospectors" who began sweeping the Eastern Front for old munitions caches in the 1990s found them, still crated and greased. An impressive amount of old Nazi munitions was found in the years after the USSR fell.
Rifles were lying all over the ground in 1945. It really makes one wonder how Europe was ever able to implement any sort of gun control.
Large amounts of Soviet era guns and ammo ended up here after the fall of the Soviet Union.
I’ve thought it would be ironic if Soviet guns and ammo wound up defeating the commies here.
I think they’re trying to establish that “assault rifle” is a thing and that they are available to the general public like any other gun. What they conveniently leave out is the fact that the originals were fully automatic while these “replicas” after not. And I don’t think the term “assault rifle” is well defined or agreed upon even though the NRA museum director — who needs to be pulled aside and told how to talk to CNN types without feeding their narrative — suggests that it is in his quote.
One wonders if this will actually ship or not. They have been talking about it for a long time now...they have mock ups, but no rifles.
In particular the multiple caliber option makes one wonder. Trying to make one self loading action function with three different case bases is...well something no one else has done. The SCAR was in the beginning going to do that...and eventually they went to two action sizes.
These small runs of military rifle look alkies do not generally end well. The early buyers generally end of with something that is best left on the wall.
SSG made a batch of semi auto MP40s around 8 years ago...went out of business as the heat treatment was off on the bolts. 2,500 dollar turds
Wiselite made self loading MG42s that did not function and PPSH41 rifles that had a tendency to blow out the rear of the cartridge case when used with surplus ammo. Wiselite went out of business.
Two other companies tried to make the PPH41s...both were flops.
Same for the Sumoi 31. one or two companies tried to make them, they generally had difficulties with the trigger assemblies busting every 75 to 150 rounds.
The only company that seems to have made a go of it was TNW, and they mostly made semi auto versions of the M1919 and M2 browning, along with limited numbers of semi MG34 guns, tat cost between 2500 for the M1919 and 3500 for the MG34. They finally fixed the Sumoi 31 problems and made a few before they ran out of parts sets.
Not that I do not wish they folks good luck, but until they deliver 100 rifles that do not need a recall and actually function without shooting themselves to pieces after 200 rounds,
For modern stuff I definitely prefer the western rifles over any of the Russian stuff I have shot.
They need a marketing guy. I’d cut the price, and sell it for $1,776. I’d mark up some accessories to make up the lost $23.00.
Interesting observations. Even if they worked great, still probably best left on the wall as conversation pieces as opposed to one's bug-out bag. Just not really practical for today's needs.
I’ve pondered that irony, too. As well as the irony of an anti-gun senator’s husband being instrumental in importing those com-bloc firearms.
All in all, I'd be just as happy with a wooden stock set on an HK-93 (which rattles less than its ancestor). Better sights, too.
STG44 ammo was made with the zundhutchen 30/40, which as non-corrosive.
Actually, the AK owes much more mechanically to AMERICAN designs then German ones. Compare the AK’s trigger with that of the Garand rifle, for example.
The last actual milsurp 8mm Kurz ammo that I saw was of East German manufacture. It was assumed to have com-bloc characteristics.
Oh, and Kalashnikov’s name was Mikhail, not Anton.
Eggs ackley
Eggs Ackley. Shades of R. Crumb.
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