Original Item: Only One Available. This is an exceptional STG 44 with original German WWII manufactured parts, built using a 70% portion of the original receiver along with 30% solid steel bar stock into 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 original serial number 3135 al / 45 above the magazine well, indicating that it was produced in 1945. It also still has a mostly legible StG44 marking on the rewelded receiver above the trigger group. The other components of the gun are non-matching, which is not uncommon. The display gun comes complete with an original recoil spring, gas piston / op rod, complete bolt assembly, and Post War GDR magazine. It has a live barrel with a very good bore, showing crisp lands and grooves and a mostly bright finish. It features a laminated wood butt stock with some nice service wear and a few repairs. Constructed by one of our own precision-minded master-craftsman gunsmiths, this display gun was built from the ground up with exacting detail and looks fantastic. There are multiple German Three Letter maker codes as well as Waffenamt inspection codes on various parts of the gun.

The underside of the barrel bushing is marked with German three letter maker code cos, for Merz-Werke Gebr. Merz, in Frankfurt am Main, Rheinland. This maker manufactured many small arms components during the war, as well as complete guns. However it is also marked with ce, for the famous J.P. Sauer und Sohn, Waffenfabrik, located in Suhl, Thuringia, and has the Waffenamt Eagle / 37 stamping used in Suhl. It may be that it was made under contract for Sauer, and inspected after receiving. The stock cup is marked with serial number 4647 ae, along with WaAA44 and maker code cos, also made by Merz-Werke Gebr. Merz, in Frankfurt am Main, Rheinland. The lower fitting on the buttstock itself is 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 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. The trigger group is serial numbered 8947 / f, but we were not able to find any maker code. However, the left front side of the trigger group is marked with Waffenamt WaA21, which is a known inspection stamp seen on MP44 / STG44 trigger groups, but has not been identified. The complete original operating rod / gas piston has serial number 8392 ai marked on the side, with maker code fxo, for the legendary maker C.G. Haenel of Suhl. There is also the correct Waffenamt Eagle / 37 on the other side of the rod. The bolt assembly does not have any maker codes, but also has the Eagle / 37 marking, for an inspector based in Suhl. The large number of different makers involved with making this gun shows just how important it was to the war effort.

Also included is an original post war East German MP44 marked magazine, maker marked 1001, for Ernst-Thälmann-Werke in Suhl, Thüringen. Suhl had long been a center of weapons manufacturing, and once East Germany had a referendum approving re-armament in 1951, the city quickly began production again, if it had not already under Soviet occupation. These magazines are functionally identical to the WWII production, most likely made on the same tooling. Magazine will have the spring and follower removed if shipped to a state that prohibits high capacity magazines.

Condition is just great, and is definitely one of the best we have ever had. 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.