German
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G41-43
German Rifle
by Grant Sherriff
Our cover illustration this issue is a German Service semi-auto rifle, the G41. Germany was late to adopt it's semi-auto service rifle.
G41
Pre-war thinking in Germany appeared to be that there was no real need for such a weapon. Development of semi -auto rifles in other countries such as the American Garand, and Russian Tokarev had been studied. It was felt however that the issue of large numbers of excellent sub- machine guns, such as the MP40 and light machine guns like the MG34 would remove any need for a semi -auto service rifle.
After the invasion of the Soviet Union, and seeing the effectiveness of the M40 Tokarev, a need became obvious for such a service rifle, which lead to the adoption of the MG41 in 1941.
This rifle, chambered for the standard service cartridge, the 8 x 57, was designed by Mauser, and had a most unique gas system. Rather than the usual gas port in the barrel to bleed off gas to function the weapon, the G41 uses gas after it has left the muzzle. When the projectile leaves the muzzle, it passes through a muzzle cone which traps the following gas. This cone deflects the gas to the rear where it acts on a floating piston which sits around the barrel. The piston then pushes a top mounted operating rod rearward, about 30m/m, to drive back the action slide. The bolt is front locking with two pivoting locking lugs that lock into recesses in the receivers As the slide is driven rearward, a projection on its bottom cams the locking lugs forward, unlocking the bolt and allowing a normal reloading cycle to take place.
G41 Muzzel Gas Assembly
When the bolt assembly comes forward again, the locking lugs swing back outward into the receiver locking recesses, creating a very strong action.
This method of trapping gas outside the muzzle was used in several early auto loading firearms. The first experimental semi-auto rifle designed by John Browning used this system.
When the Garand was adopted by the US Army in 1936 It also operated this way. It had no gas port, but the cylinder assembly extended over the front of the muzzle, just like the G41, with a slot to direct the gas down into the gas cylinder. This method was found unsatisfactory, and in 1939 the Garand was modified with a new piston assembly having a gas port near the muzzle.
The gas system on the G41 was found to be not suitable for service use. It was very prone to excessive powder fouling and required frequent cleaning, and from a reliability point of view much inferior to the M40 Tokarev. The G41 was very heavy and expensive to manufacture. All action components other than the trigger guard assembly are made from extensively machined forgings. The 10 round magazine is not detachable.
PRecognising these deficiencies the German army adopted a modified rifle in 1943, which because the G43.
The G43 has a similar bolt mechanism to the G41, but with a much improved gas system based on the Russian Tokarev. In the G43 a gas port halfway down the barrel bleeds gas to a top mounted gas cylinder to function a short stroke operating rod.
G43 Gas System
The G43 was designed for mass reproduction. Except for the receiver which is machined, action parts are cast, with machining only on the critical surfaces. All other parts are simple turnings or pressings. Other differences from the G41 are the use of detachable magazines, and no provision is made for the fitting of a bayonet. All G43 receivers are milled for telescopic sight mounts.
G43
G41 Bolt Assembly
G43 Bolt Assembly
The G41 was made in very limited numbers and few examples still exist. Other than small number issued to elite units such as paratroopers, most of the G41's would have been issued on the Russian front. By 1943/4 these would have been mostly lost through battle field attrition.
The G43 was manufactured in much larger numbers, and as production continued through until 1945, examples are relatively common.
Of the rifles illustrated here, the G41 was manufactured by Berliner Lubecker Maschinenfabrik, Lubeck plant, in 1943, late for a G41. This rifle is a genuine veterans brought back example, excellent condition with all matching numbers.
The G43 was manufactured by the same firm as the G41, but produced in 1944. It is also in excellent-plus condition, matching numbers, and was privately imported from Canada in the early 1970s.
The writer has not had the opportunity to fire either of these rifles, but the G43 appears a most serviceable and practical weapon. It was however made obsolete almost from its day of adoption when Germany introduced the MP44, the father of all modern assault rifles.
G41
Top, G43 Bottom
Note the rough finish on the cast G43 action components compared to
the machined G41