Mp44

[BeardedHoplite]

Here in Illinois there's this big (the third foremost in the world, I hear) WWII reinactment. Most of the reinactors are really good with letting people handle their weapons, so I got more than a few pictures, but this one takes the cake.


That right there is an MP44 reproduction. Naturally, it being the world's first assault rifle and all, I just had to hold it.

[funkychinaman]

I handled one an original one a few years ago at a gun show. I was surprised by how heavy it was.

[Evil Tim]

Originally Posted by BeardedHoplite

Naturally, it being the world's first assault rifle and all, I just had to hold it.

Well, that can be argued if you're feeling pedantic, some Russians will tell you the Fedorov Avtomat ticked all the boxes in 1915 (the Russians adopted 6.5x50mm Arisaka because 7.62×54mmR was too powerful for an automatic, meaning it was an intermediate round of a sort). MP44 was the first mass-produced and the first actually called an assault rifle.

Also that is really cool. I assume it wasn't made of authetic horrible steel?

[BeardedHoplite]

Originally Posted by Evil Tim

Also that is really cool. I assume it wasn't made of authetic horrible steel?

The owner (the elderly partisan on the right) said it was a repro, and you could tell the dust cover was ripped from an AR-15. So it was much lighter than I thought, and I'm a pretty scrawny guy.

[Excalibur]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeZpr9v_cHw

Later in this vid, MAC reviews an actual STG 44

[AdAstra2009]

It's a real shame that PTR had to stop importing the PTR-44.