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MP44 receiver sheet metal?

S

shortfal

Well-known member
Since the new made receiver blocks for the MP44's are going to be available soon, I've been kicking around the idea of new made sheet metal receiver halves. I have to think that there are more than a few parts sets guys have that are not buildable due to the receiver sheet metal being either non existent, incomplete or torched too badly to save.
My machine shop guy is interested but I'm trying to figure out how to get a handle on whether it can make sense dollar wise.
Anyone out there have any ideas.
Pete
 
Pete

great idea do it!!! , put me down for at least one, maybe two. I also know of a few semi-auto builders rewelding pieces they may also be interested.

even crazier I know there are non purist out there that would buy these to do off one builds in other calibers

Jack
 
I'd be in for at least one.

There's a cat selling a rewelded semi-compliant (filled and has denial bars, I believe) receiver on GB and some of the collecting forums, he's been asking $4K and it has sat for a while.

I would guess between $1500 and $2500 ad you could find a good market for them -
 
The Germans had a tough time making these. Metal tears from the dies were quite common. I believe some were discarded and some were welded up. You would do well to change the design some. The trunions aren't welded or pinned in, they are crimped. I believe. That's hard to duplicate for most at home.
 
I'm sure you'd get some buyers. I kind of wonder though if there are enough kits out there to make it worth while. Also, kit builders are notorious penny pinchers so price would need to be right.

Seems like the areas that folks seem to have the hardest time coming up with are the rear halves (you got that covered) and the front section going back to the front of the magwell. Rewelds just got infinitely easier with your new trunnions though so I wonder if that might not be the way to go?
 
price??

actiondan said:
I know it's still early, but can you rough ballpark the price?
Click to expand...

WAY to early for any thought of price. Looking in STURMGEWEHR at the multiple stages the Germans went through to do them makes me wonder if it's doable at all given the number that could be sold is unknown.
My rear pieces did OK and I think the receiver blocks will sell well enough to justify the investment.
Doing the complete receiver shell is a whole nuther deal though.
Like I said just kicking it around for now, looking for input over time.
Pete
 
welded

nirvana said:
The Germans had a tough time making these. Metal tears from the dies were quite common. I believe some were discarded and some were welded up. You would do well to change the design some. The trunions aren't welded or pinned in, they are crimped. I believe. That's hard to duplicate for most at home.
Click to expand...

They are welded (spot welded) at the magwell and some at barrel hole and some at the very rear of the rec. block.
It looks like they did a final crimp of the whole shell to the rec. block. (Recalibration) according to the pictures in STURMGEWEHR.
I do not doubt the lost some due to tearing looking at the detailed forming that was done. Have to wonder if there was annealing done between multiple press stages.
Looking at my rifles sometimes I think "how'd dey do dat?"
Pete
 
How hard would it be to make a semi-only receiver?

It would be nice if somebody could make these stateside and import the BD43/BD44 as parts.

I guess the barrel would also have to be produced stateside as well.
 
Ingsoc75 said:
How hard would it be to make a semi-only receiver?

It would be nice if somebody could make these stateside and import the BD43/BD44 as parts.

I guess the barrel would also have to be produced stateside as well.
Click to expand...


we already have someone producing barrels stateside for these, despite what others contend there are lots of kits floating around and dummy parts rifles to warrant Pete to push forward, if anyone would do this correct its him. there is a kit out there right now thats a great attempt to replicate the receiver, but fall short and its geared to use HK 93 parts kits.

these could be made in to 80% non ffl receivers like the grease gun halves that are floating around. pete could even just produce flats and you bend them yourself like the HK G-3, 93, MP-5 builders do
plus he is doing the trunnions, since the trunnions are not one size fits all ( per his post) selling trunnions and receiver halves or flats is the way to go

all up to him
 
Kammerjaeger said:
I wonder if Nodak Spud would consider it?
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If the money is there, I'm sure they will build anything. That being said, look at what happened to their uzi receivers. There were PILES of parts kits out there, and they gave them up after less than a year. Its a tough market to be in. I wish someone would make DP-28 receivers and barrels...
 
amateurs use Nodak FFL pre-made receivers. the talented one's roll there own( and I don't mean flats) or use 80% bent.

assemblers are not builders
 
sprat said:
amateurs use Nodak FFL pre-made receivers. the talented one's roll there own( and I don't mean flats) or use 80% bent.

assemblers are not builders
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I've built, (excuse me assembled) a few AK rifles but those were from Childers or Nodak receivers all ready to go. Wouldn't one need some machining know how and equipment to as you say "roll their own"?
 
Ingsoc75 said:
I've built, (excuse me assembled) a few AK rifles but those were from Childers or Nodak receivers all ready to go. Wouldn't one need some machining know how and equipment to as you say "roll their own"?
Click to expand...

just a common metal brake long before the days of flats we rolled our own. even childers ( dark knight) used to roll his own I have known him along time, heck he use too heat treated his homemade receivers in the BBQ pit. trial and error. he has got a good niche business going

my point is/was there enough kits for Pete to setup production, but we dont want this to get out of hand. if its kept at a level where guys with some sort of talent can put these together I am all for it. heck I would set up a tutorial to do it. but pete is the master and master mind

the price of original MP-44 parts is going through the roof tonight a complete bolt sold for over $750, the gas block went for over $ 150. its a expense hobby and build. I thought original east german parts ak parts & kits were high.

my other point is, the crowd that buy FFL ar-15 lowers, then a rifle kit slap that puppy together and like magic their builders NOT

if Pete were to do the halves or a flat it would not be slam dunk build or just popping a few rivets and hit the range

jack
 
German stampings

nirvana said:
The Germans had a tough time making these. Metal tears from the dies were quite common. I believe some were discarded and some were welded up. You would do well to change the design some. The trunions aren't welded or pinned in, they are crimped. I believe. That's hard to duplicate for most at home.
Click to expand...

I'm curious to know where the info re the German stamping problems comes from. I get every piece of information on the MP's I find, but there's lots of stuff out there I'm not aware of.
Probably 25 years too late to look into finding anyone who actually worked on the making of the guns or parts during the war.
Pete
 
good points

sprat said:
just a common metal brake long before the days of flats we rolled our own. even childers ( dark knight) used to roll his own I have known him along time, heck he use too heat treated his homemade receivers in the BBQ pit. trial and error. he has got a good niche business going

my point is/was there enough kits for Pete to setup production, but we dont want this to get out of hand. if its kept at a level where guys with some sort of talent can put these together I am all for it. heck I would set up a tutorial to do it. but pete is the master and master mind

the price of original MP-44 parts is going through the roof tonight a complete bolt sold for over $750, the gas block went for over $ 150. its a expense hobby and build. I thought original east german parts ak parts & kits were high.

my other point is, the crowd that buy FFL ar-15 lowers, then a rifle kit slap that puppy together and like magic their builders NOT

if Pete were to do the halves or a flat it would not be slam dunk build or just popping a few rivets and hit the range

jack
Click to expand...
Good thoughts Jack. Ours are special interest rifles. High dollar guns shooting ammo that many (think) is almost impossible to get. I do not really get the prices that appear to be being being paid for the parts and or sets lately. Are guns being built up more or less regularly? A paid for semi build could easily get into or exceed the 6 to 8 thousand dollar range, getting close to half what a transferable can be found for if one looks hard enough. The interest has to be real though or guys would not be paying what they pay for the 44 items.
How the blocks sell will tell a lot about the market for new made receiver parts.
Thinking if the sheet metal happens they would be R and L halves that could be welded at the very top front to back over a mandrel. The sight base would cover a good portion of the weld. Ejection port and cocking handle slot would be milled after the sheet metal was assembled to the block and the rear bottom area welded. Just thinking for now.

Got an interesting resto going on a horribly torched rec shell. Much missing in the pivot pin/mag catch area and the front. Going to redo that rear area like a MKb42. Got drawings I made from a MK that I reactivated for a guy but wish I had a MKb42 trigger housing! Vaporware probably.
Pete
 
I think the interest is there. But from alot of comments I've read in the past, alot of guys dont want to pay $5k for a repro semi only MP44 clone. If there were a semi only receiver available who really knows how many parts sets are stashed away in closets that will either get sold for alot more than it was originally priced at. Or how many would be built into working semi's. To bad SSD or whatever they call themselves these days dont sell just parts stateside. Without a source for parts, affordable reliable parts, it might be hard to sell just a receiver.
 
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