Sturmgewehr 44

From Gunpedia

StG. 44 aka MP43 aka MP44 Country of origin Nazi Germany Designer Hugo Schmeisser Production begins July 1944 Production ends May 1945 Weapon type Assault Rifle Caliber 7.92x33 mm Kurz Action gas-operated Overall length 940 mm Barrel length 419 mm Weight empty 4.22 kg Magazine capacity 30 rounds detachable Rate of fire 500-600 RPM Notable Nazi Germany

The SturmGewehr 44 (Also known as the MachinenPistole 43 and MachinenPistole 44) was a German select-fire assault rifle produced during the last years of World War 2.

Prototypes of StG. 44 were in advanced testing stages as early, as in 1942, but were never put into production until mid-1944 because of opposition from Hitler himself. Finally, to circumvent Hitler's opposition, manufacturers renamed their StG. 44 into MP43 and MP44, claiming them to be machine pistols. There is no clear indication why exactly Hitler was averse to this design, as the weapon was potent, nowadays as well as in those times.

SturmGewehr 44 fired 7.92x33mm (7.92 Kurz) ammunition, stored in 30 round banana clips. It used a gas-operated tilting bolt system, providing a modest 500 rounds per minute rate of fire.

StG. 44 was the world`s first "true" assault rifle, despite it`s drawbacks. Some of the drawbacks were fixed in Sturmgewehr 45 that never reached full production.