I'd much rather have one of these than those bizarre "clone" rifles with HK trigger packs and interchangeable barrels. The blueprints are out there, I have a copy of them. Why is it so damn hard to just make something according to the plans?
These are just SSD rifles (The maker that supplied PTR) that are made here now. I am not optimistic that they have fundamentally fixed the issues the PTRs had. We will see.
Kevin
I agree, the MP44 was not a final design of a weapon, so what we really have is an experimental design rushed to production, a design that was still in the improvement stage. I guess we could shoot the G1 (AKA HK91) as it was the eventual end point for these engineers I believe.
I guess we could shoot the G1 (AKA HK91) as it was the eventual end point for these engineers I believe.
...Century C93 is a good rifle and available without the HK pricetag..
If they are made here why do they need a thumbhole stock? Maybe some (most) parts are still made in Germany.
I almost agree with you farb. I think the HK33 (5.56 version) is closest to what the end product would have been. IMO The G3 (G1 was an FAL) with it's size, weight and large cartridge, is not what the STG45 was intended to be. So, I think the HK93 is the closest I'll ever get to owning an STG45
I almost agree with you farb. I think the HK33 (5.56 version) is closest to what the end product would have been. IMO The G3 (G1 was an FAL) with it's size, weight and large cartridge, is not what the STG45 was intended to be. So, I think the HK93 is the closest I'll ever get to owning an STG45:
The MP44 is not mine unfortunately!
The StG45 was almost mature by the time the Reich fell. Few things such as the bolt bounce needed to be ironed out (Ludwig Vorgrimler fixed this problem in 1950 with a spring loaded bolt head latch). The CETME incorporated many of the original StG45 features which also found their way into the H&K G3, nevertheless, in an evolutionary sense the CETME was a step back due to the 308 cartridge. The StG45, as the successor of the MP44, was designed around the 8x33 Kurz cartridge and had a 1" shorter receiver than the CETME. The original concept of the StG45 was based on close to mid range combat situations with select fire option. The recoil spring was in the butt stock, similar to the MP44. The delayed blowback roller locked action was the most advanced locking mechanism in 1945, making the gas operated cycling system (G43, MP44, FG42) obsolete. Wear related headspace could easily be corrected by installing larger rollers.
The wooden fore arm and actuator rod located forward of the trunnion made the CETME more front heavy than the StG45. The larger 308 cartridge required a longer magazine well and longer travel of the bolt assembly. The StG45 had an H&K style trigger pack, although the StG45 pack was more compact than that of the CETME or G3. Surprisingly, many pieces of the CETME bolt assembly were dimensioned very close to their respective StG45 counterparts. Had the CETME been designed to fire 7.62x39, it would have been much closer an offspring of the StG45.
I was always wondering why Vorgrimler didn't design the CETME as an improved version of the StG45. Maybe his employment at CEAM and his improvements to the gas operated CEAM Model 50 made him continue pursuing a more conventional rifle design? As with most late war German rifles, the Cool Factor of an StG45 leaves most other designs in the dust.