Third Party Press

Fake?

They look like they were made last week.
Because they actually were.

Original oprod charging pieces are forged. The one on Gunporker is forged, too. Just in a different sense.
 
They look like they were made last week.
Because they actually were.

Original oprod charging pieces are forged. The one on Gunporker is forged, too. Just in a different sense.

I have bought a lot of good stuff from that seller - are you sure they're faked, GK?

There is a lot of new MP44 stuff coming out of Bulgaria, etc., but it is small-parts usually and pretty obvious, I was burned a few times in the early years, lol - bloody crap springs on the body-locking pins, ended up using HK pins instead.
 
I’m just saying, that thing is mint, missing production codes and doesn’t have the same tooling marks I would expect. Doesn’t mean it isn’t original... just has a red flag for me. Why would the gas piston look original w/patina and bolt carrier / bolt look brand stinkin new?
 
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I have bought a lot of good stuff from that seller - are you sure they're faked, GK?

There is a lot of new MP44 stuff coming out of Bulgaria, etc., but it is small-parts usually and pretty obvious, I was burned a few times in the early years, lol - bloody crap springs on the body-locking pins, ended up using HK pins instead.


I have an early bolt and several op rods. None of the parts I own or I looked up on the internet look anything like the "mint" parts on Gunporker.
But speaking of Bulgaria...

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/WW2-MP43-MP44-STG43-STG44-GAS-OPERATING-ROD-/302729109602?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368


Same WaA37 stamp, same location, same crevice with dried grease. I'm one minute away from believing Haenel had a spare parts operation in Bulgaria where they churned out finish milled early MP44 parts when everybody else just forged them. Kind of like the St. Etienne of the East. </sarcasm off>

s-l1600.jpg
 
You are most likely correct - did good business with that seller in the past but that means nothing of course.

My spare pistons are all pretty beat up, too, lol.
I keep them as spares in case my primary is damaged - but, after thousands of rounds, the piston is the one thing that shows nothing but some carbon scarring, lol - I don't think I'll need to replace them in my lifetime.
 
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What irks me about this is the liberal use of inspection stamps. Some may think it's not a big deal to add a "detail" in order to make a replacement part look "historically correct" but that's not the case here.
The stamp is an "inspector mark", indicating that a part has been inspected by a subject matter expert and has found to be within tolerances in regards to form, fit and function, as well as proper material selection and hardness.
Only a part that really underwent this kind of inspection and has passed all criteria, is deemed safe to shoot. Purposely confusing a buyer about the origin of a spare part by putting a phony WW2 stamp on a recent backyard manufactured item that has neither undergone nor passed the original tests is playing with rattlesnakes, as accidents such as out of battery detonation due to material issues and part breakage can happen. While a phony stamp on a leather sling may create a "nice try" response, using an inspection stamp on a non-inspected part must be exposed for what it is, fraud with the potential for bodily harm.
 
Agreed on all accounts, it’s dangerous enough to drop any unmatched bolt into an STG and fire away without double checking the liberal headspace tolerance - let alone an out of spec post war mfg passed off as original.
 

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