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. Any markings on the display receiver are replicated.

The live barrel, gas tube assembly, rear sight, trigger group, ejection port cover, and wooden butt stock are completely original, and were secured to the display receiver & reproduction 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 lovely condition, bearing German maker codes and proof marks on many components. The trigger group of this example is not maker marked, but 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 butt stock can be removed with some "persuasion" from a rubber mallet, and we can see original serial 7770 / j, which has been struck through, as well as remarked serial 763. The safety and fire selectors are still intact and movable, as is the trigger. We checked the rear sight, and we did not see any markings. We did note that it is on backwards, which we will correct prior to shipment.

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. It shows a bit of rounding of the lands, but was well cared for, and definitely far better than most we see. There is some past oxidation on the left side of the barrel, front sight base, and the gas regulator, which is also missing the adjustment piece on the front. This has unfortunately made the original markings illegible, though we think we can see some faded markings.

The butt stock is an early solid wood version, and has very nice hardware, with the finish well retained. The stock cup is marked twice with serial number 1684, with no other markings we can see. The stock is marked on the left side rear of the sling slot with 4226, and the lower guard on the buttstock is marked jvd, for Erste Nordbohmische Metallwarenfabrik, Adolf Rossler, Niedereinsiedel (Sudetenland), known for making small arms components under contract. But butt stock does show wear, and there is a wood graft repair on the right side. 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.

Included with the display gun is an lovely original MP44 marked magazine in very good used condition, maker marked gqm, for Loch und Hartenberger in Idar-Oberstein. This maker made various small arms components as well as magazines for the MP40 and MP 44. It also bears the correct Waffenamt WaAA98 code for this maker, stamped under the maker code. The floor plate is coded qlx, the late war maker code for C.G. Haenel of Suhl, and the spring is marked C.H.N., for Gebr. Reinhold, Maschinenfabrik und Eisengiesserei in Zwötzen bei Gera, Thüringen. We have seen these markings are several "gqm" marked magazines before. The magazine fits well and locks in, though the aluminum magazine well is definitely a bit tight, so it doe require some force and rocking. Magazine will have the spring and follower removed if shipped to a state that prohibits high capacity magazines.

The original sling fitted to this example is a later war pattern, which is length adjusted using a stud and eyelets, not a buckle as with the K98k style slings used previously. The securing stud and the stud on the frog are both brass, which we usually do not see in WWII produced slings, so it may be post war. There are no markings, so we do not know when it was produced.

Condition is just great, with the finish on the original and replica parts still in great shape, and the sling is the icing on the cake. 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.