Original German WWII MP44 STG 44 Sturmgewehr Display Machine Gun with Live Barrel, Laminated Stock, and MP43 Magazine

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an exceptional STG 44 display machine gun, built using all original German WWII manufactured parts, attached to a BATF approved cast aluminum display receiver, making this a 100% legal display Machine gun. As the receiver is a mostly solid complete inert fabricated aluminum piece, this display gun is totally legal to own without a license of any kind. There are some markings on the display receiver, but they are replicated.

The live barrel, gas tube assembly, rear sight, trigger group, ejection port cover, and butt stock are completely original, and were secured to the display receiver & stock cup to make a BATF compliant non-firing inert display gun! Called the Sturmgewehr (Storm / Assault Rifle) 44, it was considered by many to be the original pattern for the modern assault rifle. The MP44 was developed to give German troops fighting in Russia a means of delivering large volumes of fire at the seemingly endless supply of Soviet troops.

This sample is in excellent condition, bearing German maker codes and proof marks on many components. The trigger group of this example is not maker marked, but does have serial number 884 / al marked on the rear under the butt stock cup, next to a Waffenamt EAGLE / 37 inspection stamp, associated with manufacture in Suhl, Germany. The left front side of the trigger group is also marked with a Waffenamt, however it looks to have been stamped unevenly and been worn down, so we cannot read the number code. The safety and fire selectors are still intact and movable, as is the trigger, which has an intact spring. We checked the rear sight, and it has a Waffenamt proof on the base, but we are not able to read the inspector number.

The barrel has an intact chamber and is live, with the bore in very good condition, showing a bright bore with clear lands and grooves. The gas piston adjustment fitting and front sight base are both marked with ce, for the famous J.P. Sauer und Sohn, Waffenfabrik, located in Suhl, Thuringia, and also bear the correct Waffenamt EAGLE / 37 inspection stamp, associated with manufacture in Suhl, Germany, home of many weapons manufacturers, including Sauer. The barrel is also marked with two EAGLE / 37 proofs, so this barrel assembly looks to have been together for quite some time, and is possibly original to the rest of the parts used to make the display gun.

The butt stock is a later laminated wood version, and has very nice hardware, which looks to have possibly been phosphate finished post war. The stock cup is marked with serial number 884al, which does not look to have been remarked, and also matches the serial on the trigger group! There is also maker code cos, also made by Merz-Werke Gebr. Merz, in Frankfurt am Main, Rheinland. There is also a small Waffenamt proof that we cannot read. The upper fitting with the storage compartment and lower guard on the buttstock itself are both faintly marked jvd, for Erste Nordbohmische Metallwarenfabrik, Adolf Rossler, Niedereinsiedel (Sudetenland), known for making small arms components under contract. The underside of the hand guard is faintly marked with aqr, for Lux, R. u. O., Metallwaren- und Maschinenfabrik A.-G., located in Marienthal-Bad Liebenstein/Thuringen. This was another known maker of MP44 parts.

Included with the display gun is a fantastic original early pattern MP43 marked magazine in fantastic condition, maker marked fxo for the legendary maker C.G. Haenel of Suhl. It also bears the correct Waffenamt Eagle / 37 code just under the maker code, for the inspector based in Suhl, and the same inspector marking is on the floor plate. Magazine will have the spring and follower removed if shipped to a state that prohibits high capacity magazines.

Condition is just great, with the finish on the original and replica parts still in great shape. This is a true collector's piece that will only appreciate in value over the years to come!

History of the MP44-
The StG 44 (Sturmgewehr 44, literally "storm rifle" model of 1944 was an assault rifle developed in NSDAP Germany during World War II that was the first of its kind to see major deployment and is considered by many historians to be the first modern assault rifle. It is also known under the designations MP 43 and MP 44 (Maschinenpistole 43, Maschinenpistole 44 respectively), which denote earlier development versions of the same weapon with some differences like a different butt end, muzzle nut, shape of the front sight base or with an unstepped barrel, all only visible with close inspection.

MP 43, MP 44, and StG 44 were different designations for what was essentially the same rifle, with minor updates in production. The variety in nomenclatures resulted from the complicated bureaucracy in NSDAP Germany. Developed from the Mkb 42(H) "machine carbine", the StG44 combined the characteristics of a carbine, submachine gun and automatic rifle. StG is an abbreviation of Sturmgewehr. The name was chosen for propaganda reasons and literally means "storm rifle" as in "to storm (i.e. "assault") an enemy position". After the adoption of the StG 44, the English translation "assault rifle" became the accepted designation for this type of infantry small arm.

The rifle was chambered for the 7.92×33mm Kurz cartridge. This shorter version of the German standard (7.92x57mm) rifle round, in combination with the weapon's selective-fire design, provided a compromise between the controllable firepower of a submachine gun at close quarters with the accuracy and power of a Karabiner 98k bolt action rifle at intermediate ranges. While the StG44 had less range and power than the more powerful infantry rifles of the day, Wehrmacht studies had shown that most combat engagements occurred at less than 300 m, with the majority within 200 m. Full-power rifle cartridges were excessive for the vast majority of uses for the average soldier. Only a trained specialist, such as a sniper, could make full use of the standard rifle round's range and power.

The StG 44's receiver was made of heavy stamped and welded steel as were other contemporary arms such as the MP 40 and MG 42. This made for a fairly heavy rifle, especially one firing an intermediate-power cartridge. Difficulties with fabrication, the need to use available non-priority steels, and the exigencies of war resulted in a heavy receiver. U.S. military intelligence criticized the weight of the weapon along with the inclusion of the fully automatic feature which it considered "ineffectual for all practical purposes", convinced that full automatic fire with StG 44 was permitted in emergencies only. This was a misinterpretation of the manual however, as the German manual states that automatic fire was "advised only in emergencies", this was mainly to make sure that the regular soldier didn't unnecessarily waste his ammunition spraying at targets, but instead fired in short accurate bursts to achieve maximum accuracy and effect; the StG could easily and safely be used in full automatic mode. The British were also critical saying that the receiver could be bent and the bolt locked up by the mere act of knocking a leaning rifle onto a hard floor. Many of these criticisms are more a testimonial of the Allied aversion rather than an accurate view of the weapon's characteristics that were proven highly effective during combat in the war.

To its credit, it was the first successful weapon of its class, and the concept had a major impact on modern infantry small arms development. By all accounts, the StG 44 fulfilled its role admirably, particularly on the Eastern Front, offering a greatly increased volume of fire compared to standard infantry rifles. In the end, it came too late to have a significant effect on the outcome of the war.