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G43 and K43 Serial Numbers

Tiger 2 Tank said:
That rifle has an aftermarket stock. The original was butchered up. Any Gustloff G.43 is a rare rifle, but that one is a re-done one. Probably a decent shooter, but too over priced for a shooter. Not one to get if you are trying to get a collector grade, correct rifle. It will take a lot of patience to find a true correct rifle. I will say this; to not have a correct rifle (no rifle at all in a collection) is way better than having one that was messed with and a regret in buying.
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What do you mean by “re-done”? I know about the stock being replaced be of the original stock has a duffle cut. Are the parts messed with or the finish redone?
 
AN-94 said:
I'm in the same place as you, ironmann. A fledgling collector looking to get into German weapons. I bought Rough Forged and it is a very good read for someone starting from nothing. There's a lot for me to learn even after reading the books so I'm taking my time to research more before committing to buying one. This is an expensive hobby to partake in though, saving up for a K43 is going to take a while.
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I’ve been saving for quite awhile now time for a g43 and every time I think I have enough cash put aside to buy a rifle, it seems that the rifles I like will sell just a little more than I have in my pockets. Sometimes I wish that I didn’t like the g43 or k43s so much because I could buy several rifles for the price of one of these. Lol
 
ironmannf said:
What do you mean by “re-done”? I know about the stock being replaced be of the original stock has a duffle cut. Are the parts messed with or the finish redone?
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Yeah, from the photos, the bolt carrier looks too gray like it’s been parkerized and I can’t see any metal mill marks which is suspicious to me. The mag has a hole in it. The front stock band has a hole in the bottom of it for some strange reason. And, the stock of course is a mess.
 
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Tiger 2 Tank said:
Yeah, from the photos, the bolt carrier looks too gray like it’s been parkerized and I can’t see any metal mill marks which is suspicious to me. The mag has a hole in it. The front stock band has a hole in the bottom of it for some strange reason. And, the stock of course is a mess.
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Thats interesting to hear and I now see what you're talking about...good eyes! My eyes are old, and I obviously overlooked all of that stuff and probably more. Thank you so much for your input because I know now a little more about these rifles than before!
 
ironmannf said:
I’ve been saving for quite awhile now time for a g43 and every time I think I have enough cash put aside to buy a rifle, it seems that the rifles I like will sell just a little more than I have in my pockets. Sometimes I wish that I didn’t like the g43 or k43s so much because I could buy several rifles for the price of one of these. Lol
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Yeah money is only the half of it. Really important to know what you are buying. It's kind of a fragile gun and some of them are a bit beat up.
 
togor said:
Yeah money is only the half of it. Really important to know what you are buying. It's kind of a fragile gun and some of them are a bit beat up.
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I do recall hearing something about the safety being weak and stress cracks in the bolt housing. There’s probably more that I don’t even know about too.
 
ironmannf said:
I do recall hearing something about the safety being weak and stress cracks in the bolt housing. There’s probably more that I don’t even know about too.
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Oh Lord....

Bolt carrier, firing pin carrier, hold-open face on the bolt body, head space...the list goes on.
 
ironmannf said:
If there's so many problems with these rifles, why do they commend such a high value?
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Because there are so few correct ones around. Supply and demand. When one pops up that’s correct, collectors are willing to pay the money for one. Anything G/K.43 is expensive now. Mags that are nice are really crazy in price tag too.
 
Tiger 2 Tank said:
Because there are so few correct ones around. Supply and demand. When one pops up that’s correct, collectors are willing to pay the money for one. Anything G/K.43 is expensive now. Mags that are nice are really crazy in price tag too.
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There's also the mystique of them being a semi-auto in an army where they normally issued bolt actions, the general Nazi tax, plus the late war / fall of empire manufacturing mystique. It's all the same reasons a SVT sells for more than a Mosin, a K98k sells for more than a Carcano, and a Kriegsmodel sells for more than a bog standard BYF 42, all crammed into one gun.

They're fun guns, though, and they will absolutely turn heads at the range.
 
ironmannf said:
If there's so many problems with these rifles, why do they commend such a high value?
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The design of these were close to being just right. The problem is the super high gas system. This is why the "shooters kit" was made. When the gas system is brought way down, these function amazingly. Why didn't Germany reduce the gas way back when? They needed super high gas to work in the Eastern Front. The rifle was rushed into service without the bugs being worked out. All bolt rifles are going to be more brawny and stout than a semi auto plain and simple! a K98 is almost indestructible so the G/K takes a reputation hit because of more broken parts. If it had an adjustable gas system originally, you would have seen FAR less broken parts on these. If you are into building these like I am, you find the best parts and you put them together. If there is a stout reproduction part, you may find it to be more reliable than an original because you really don't know how much abuse the original has had in its life time. These are very fun at the range and I keep telling myself that I am not going to build anymore because of the cost of these things, but I just completed two and am waiting on stocks and I have enough parts to build another. I also don't believe that a complete 100% matching gun should be shot. There are plenty of mismatch shooters out there for that. One this is for certain, no matter which way you chose to go with a G/K43, it is going to cost you!!!
 
daltrey99 said:
The design of these were close to being just right. The problem is the super high gas system. This is why the "shooters kit" was made. When the gas system is brought way down, these function amazingly. Why didn't Germany reduce the gas way back when? They needed super high gas to work in the Eastern Front. The rifle was rushed into service without the bugs being worked out. All bolt rifles are going to be more brawny and stout than a semi auto plain and simple! a K98 is almost indestructible so the G/K takes a reputation hit because of more broken parts. If it had an adjustable gas system originally, you would have seen FAR less broken parts on these. If you are into building these like I am, you find the best parts and you put them together. If there is a stout reproduction part, you may find it to be more reliable than an original because you really don't know how much abuse the original has had in its life time. These are very fun at the range and I keep telling myself that I am not going to build anymore because of the cost of these things, but I just completed two and am waiting on stocks and I have enough parts to build another. I also don't believe that a complete 100% matching gun should be shot. There are plenty of mismatch shooters out there for that. One this is for certain, no matter which way you chose to go with a G/K43, it is going to cost you!!!
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I used to collect Civil War items and they were nice to look at but too fragile to handle, so I sold off most of my collection except some choice Confederate stuff and Confederate muskets and started collecting WWI and WWII pistols and rifles because I can at least shoot them at the range. I do have several German weapons in my collection, and I just love them because they're beautifully made but I don't have a G43 or K43 which (IMO) is the Holy Grail, unfortunately it comes with a hefty price tag. I've been wanting one of these for a long time and I've been saving for one that's 100% correct but I never gave a thought to building one. What is the typical cost to build one of these, it's got to be fairly pricy too?
 
Building one can exceed the cost of just buying a complete mismatch. It is fun though. Parts add up fast depending what you start with.
 
Roger S said:
Building one can exceed the cost of just buying a complete mismatch. It is fun though. Parts add up fast depending what you start with.
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That is very true for the most part. I have a thing for orphans and if I can get something for a decent price, I snag it up. Most projects that I have done have been under the price of a complete one ONLY because if I stumble upon a deal I grab it and put it aside until I have what I need. I know these things inside and out. Everyone of them that I have completed have been great shooters. Putting one together part by part is not recommended to the every day person. You will get aggravated in your search AND cost.
 
daltrey99 said:
That is very true for the most part. I have a thing for orphans and if I can get something for a decent price, I snag it up. Most projects that I have done have been under the price of a complete one ONLY because if I stumble upon a deal I grab it and put it aside until I have what I need. I know these things inside and out. Everyone of them that I have completed have been great shooters. Putting one together part by part is not recommended to the every day person. You will get aggravated in your search AND cost.
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I "corrected" several M1 Garands and M1 Carbines so I understand exactly what you're saying. I can only imagine the difficulty you go through in finding parts, etc. for your rifles.
 
daltrey99 said:
The design of these were close to being just right. The problem is the super high gas system. This is why the "shooters kit" was made. When the gas system is brought way down, these function amazingly. Why didn't Germany reduce the gas way back when? They needed super high gas to work in the Eastern Front. The rifle was rushed into service without the bugs being worked out.
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This describes a LOT of late war German stuff. The panther was a notorious nightmare in a bunch of ways - the crew ergos were awful, vision from the inside was abysmal (and especially for the gunner which is the worst part and actively slowed the effective rate of fire), the transmission was famously garbage, and it was a real headache to service. I've got an acquaintance who researches armor who described it as the first draft of what could have been a good tank that got rushed into the field.
 
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