10 round mag StG44

Hello!

This is a 10 rounds capacity magazin for StG 44. Earlier I showed its photo among other, ordinary mags.
I decided to take it apart to show the differences inside.
Even the feeder is different - it is shorter than that of the thirty-shot analogue.
The magazin holds exactly 10 rounds.

Claus Espeholt considers this and other similar magazines "are ”home-made” frontline modifications – made more or less short".

Do you agree with this statement?
Why make the magazine so shorter in front-line conditions - is it really for assault rifle operators with telescopic or night sights to make it easier for them to shoot while lying down?


With best regards,
Alex.

Jakes said:

Hello!

This is a 10 rounds capacity magazin for StG 44. Earlier I showed its photo among other, ordinary mags.
I decided to take it apart to show the differences inside.
Even the feeder is different - it is shorter than that of the thirty-shot analogue.
The magazin holds exactly 10 rounds.

Claus Espeholt considers this and other similar magazines "are ”home-made” frontline modifications – made more or less short".

Do you agree with this statement?
Why make the magazine so shorter in front-line conditions - is it really for assault rifle operators with telescopic or night sights to make it easier for them to shoot while lying down?


With best regards,
Alex.

Click to expand...

I had figured they were for accuracy testing in a rest.

What about the 10 round magazines we see on the later Kurz weapons, they are often pictured in "period" photos with 10 round magazines?

I know on Klaus's oil site/page he showed a few really rough/home-made examples.
They were not like the one you show, which would appear to be of a much higher-engineering-quality/factory looking quality, anyway.

I think truly dire ammunition shortages were also a reason for the shorter-mag, as well as a more practical prone-shooting position.
With German guns it is often the least dramatic and most pragmatic reason that firearms changes were instituted.

Craig Brown had an extensive collection of the last ditch weapons and he felt that the 10 round mags were for the VG1-5.

Among the estate I got there was a box of various magazines. Aside of four MP44 magazines I also found in two poor condition (ground dug/found?) magazines for the MP44 which were also shortened. The condition is proof to them being original without any doubt. There are so many of those around that it simply cannot be denied any more these really existed. Whether they were made in the field by cutting down original ones or were specifically produced this way (and if this was the case, for which item?) I think will be difficult to determine for sure, unless documents treating these turn up.

I would expect them to be a late war detail, especially no early pictures nor reports at times where these were introduced mention them. Plus the fact that many are found ground dug would indicate late war usage. Assuming all of them were produced in exactly this way one possible explanation for this could be indeed the fact those were made for VG 1-5 rifles. Another one could be way more simple: the factory producing them had an issue or had scrap parts at hand that maybe didn't fullfill requirements (curved magazines are a knowledge of its own), or their magazines made problems in the field/with particular guns, could well also been the VG 1-5. Maybe they were required to deliver magazines and maybe it was decided to shorten the body of the magazines to make them function reliable. But these are just guesses, curious to get feedback to this!

Example?

This is the only one I have every held.

I'm pretty sure I just saw on one of the Forgotten Weapons episodes that typically a 10 round magazine was used in testing and that's why they exist. Now, the ones they showed were clearly not cobbled up but rather well made just like the 30 rd mags. Check out "Nazi Experimental Weapons" on Netflix.

forgotten weapons?????????????, there are guys here who forgot more that that loser knows,

sprat said:

forgotten weapons?????????????, there are guys here who forgot more that that loser knows,

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure he hopes we'll forget about his participation in marketing the HMG Stg44 abomination. Those videos were beyond pathetic.

I own a shortened mag that actually came with a vet bringback Erma Mp44 so I have no doubt if it’s authenticity. It was picked up during the Ardennes offensive and it’s obvioussly field made. My thoughts on this are some troops did indeed cut down one mag in order to have the ability to shoot while prone or when on patrol while crawling along the ground.
As far as whether these are all field modifications I don’t think so as a number were officially produced for testing purposes as seen in numerous photos of the stg45 or other prototypes. But the vast majority were done by the soldiers at the unit level in different ways. I think this can be assumed as almost every known example looks different in the length and way the floor plates are attached. But I believe cutting down mags makes a look of sense as anyone’s who’s shot a sturmgewehr can attest. Its nearly impossible to shoot prone without digging a hole for the full length magazine which can be a detriment in combat.

Frysk said:

The box below the table looks like it’s filled with 10 rd mags

Click to expand...

Looks G/K.43 mag to me.

Absolut said:

Looks G/K.43 mag to me.

Click to expand...

Yes i agree,
Post deleted

Just wanted to jump in to say I remember buying MP/STG44 magazines for $39. When I was in High School German helmets were $5.00 mail order.
Guns magazine ads for Lugers were $39.95. When the Lugers were gone the same company sold P38's for $39.95. But gas was twenty five cents a gallon.
Yep, I'm that damn old. Now I want a G41 in nice condition. I guess I'm a sick man! Everyone have a nice 4th.!

Hello, can someone help me? I am looking for this 10 round magazine for the StG44 or MP44. I am very grateful to anyone who can give any information.Where can you order it?

roos1984 said:

Hello, can someone help me? I am looking for this 10 round magazine for the StG44 or MP44. I am very grateful to anyone who can give any information.Where can you order it?

Click to expand...

That is one weird looking magazine, nothing like the ones i have

One advantage of a short mag would be a lower profile in the prone position. This has obvious and possibly life saving advantages.

dingo said:

That is one weird looking magazine, nothing like the ones i have

Click to expand...

Yes, it is somehow a different sheet metal stamping

Post war repro?

Yes, it is a repro.

And where can you buy such a magazine? Can someone please tell me