WWII German G43 Rifle, "Hitler's Garand"

[Reale1741]

If you can't tell from my posts so far, I have a thing for really nice and hard to find surplus rifles. This one is certainly no exception. It is a veteran bringback WWII German Gewehr 43 rifle that is all matching except for the bolt. It's a very early production duv 44 manufactured by Berlin-Lubecker. When I first traded for it, all the internals had been taken out for some reason, and some had been lost. Luckily it was just a couple of springs and spacers. A buddy machined one of the parts and I was able to source the rest. It took me about three hours to figure out how to reassemble everything. Once I got it put back together, I took it out to the range with some ammo that I loaded specifically for it. G43s are known for their rough looks and poorly designed gas system. I dropped in an adjustable gas system so it could be safely shot. It ended up being an excellent shooting rifle! I also have the original instruction manual for it! This one sits as the pride of my rifle collection. G43s have come to be known as Hitler's Garands, even though they were designed from the Russian SVT-40.

 

[TJ Kackowski]

Why is the metalwork so rough on the outside of the receiver? I'm guessing that the inside is machined smoother?

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Interesting. Thanks for posting the photos. I’ll have to admit my ignorance about the existence of those rifles.

 

[natdscott]

Why is the metalwork so rough on the outside of the receiver? I'm guessing that the inside is machined smoother?

As regards a battle rifle, the outside flaws don’t matter. That, and it could be late(r)-War production…they were running out of other people to shoot and rob, art doesn’t sell quickly, and shi* was gettin pretty real in some of those factories by that time, with literally thousands of B-17, etc. sorties being flown to hit targets just like the one where this was made.

 

[Reale1741]

Why is the metalwork so rough on the outside of the receiver? I'm guessing that the inside is machined smoother?

Towards the end of the war they started cutting corners and focused more on functionality than aesthetics. The outsides of the receivers and bolt carriers were left as they were from forging. All the important stuff was machined and fitted. That's not just the case with G43s, but most of their weapons at the end of the war.

 

[Reale1741]

Interesting. Thanks for posting the photos. I’ll have to admit my ignorance about the existence of those rifles.

They're definitely a unique rifle! They didn't make a whole lot of them, and they seldom pop up for sale.

 

[Reale1741]

As regards a battle rifle, the outside flaws don’t matter. That, and it could be late(r)-War production…they were running out of other people to shoot and rob, art doesn’t sell quickly, and shi* was gettin pretty real in some of those factories by that time, with literally thousands of B-17, etc. sorties being flown to hit targets just like the one where this was made.

Exactly! A lot of them were also being produced by slave labor in concentration camps. I had a Walther G43 that was contracted out to Neuengamme Concentration Camp, and it was way more rough than this one.

 

[Hkindiana]

“G43s are known for their rough looks and poorly designed gas system. I dropped in an adjustable gas system so it could be safely shot.”. They were not known for their “poorly designed gas systems” until someone started selling ”shooters kits”. Almost half a million rifles were produced in WWII, and worked just fine. I have owned over 100 of them, and all of them worked just fine with the occasional replacement of worn out springs with new wolf recoil springs. OP, I probably have your missing parts if you want to IM me.

 

[jwamplerusa]

Very interesting rifle. I've linked some Forgotten Weapons episodes below on the G43.







The G43 and especially the FG42 were interesting weapons with potential if they had not been developed by the losing side during active war.

 

[Bigtanker]

I just learned they existed yesterday. I was reading a recent issue of GUNS magazine and it had an article about the 8mm Mauser by Duke Venturing. The K43 was mentioned.

 

[bgcatty]

Very nice rifle and a great piece of firearms history. Enjoy!

 

[Ark]

Will you let me shoot it sometime? I still have some Turkish surplus 8mm.

 

[desnifter]

That's a really cool piece of history, just from the provenance of being a bring back alone. Awesome that you were able to get it up and running.

 

[Hkindiana]

Will you let me shoot it sometime? I still have some Turkish surplus 8mm.

Turkish surplus 8mm has blown up MANY semi auto rifles. It works ok in bolt action firearms but it is NOT SAFE in semi-autos

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Turkish surplus 8mm has blown up MANY semi auto rifles. It works ok in bolt action firearms but it is NOT SAFE in semi-autos

Romanian would be my recommendation. But I'm not positive, but I think I actually read where Yugo surplus was hotter than Turk when it comes to surplus, which surprised me, IIRC.

For ease of cleaning, of course modern 8mm would be best (and lighter loads than surplus military).

I can't remember what I've shot out of my Egyptian FN49, but I wouldn't be surprised if I've shot both Turk and Yugo as well as Romanian.

 

[blue2golf]

G43 rifles would occasionally appear in episodes of the TV show "Combat!"(Starring Vic Morrow!)

As far as I can recall, I didn't see them in any other show or movie.

 

[Hkindiana]

G43 rifles would occasionally appear in episodes of the TV show "Combat!"(Starring Vic Morrow!)

As far as I can recall, I didn't see them in any other show or movie.

Frank Sinatra used one as a sniper rifle in “The Manchurian Candidate”

 

[Ark]

Turkish surplus 8mm has blown up MANY semi auto rifles. It works ok in bolt action firearms but it is NOT SAFE in semi-autos

That was the joke lol

That recent batch of Turkish 30-06 has been increasing my Garand's value by the day. One fewer rifle in circulation every time some doofus shoots it.

 

[MrSmitty]

Neat rifle, I've seen a few over the years, having had the privilege knowing and working with some cool gun guys, never shot one though. Give a report on accuracy, it would be cool to see how the old gal shoots

 

[Squid556]

Great find. Glad you could get it up and running. Looking forward to a range report!