Jump to content

My First MP43 / STG44


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 74
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Nice. I'm waiting on one too. What brand of ammo do you plan on using?

PPU is the only commercial 8 mm Kurz new manufacture that is currently available in the US. Some original WW2 German ammo is out there and several counties including East Germany made some in the 1940s into the 1950s but all that stuff is corrosive so I'd avoid it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Nice. I'm waiting on one too. What brand of ammo do you plan on using?

PPU is the only commercial 8 mm Kurz new manufacture that is currently available in the US. Some original WW2 German ammo is out there and several counties including East Germany made some in the 1940s into the 1950s but all that stuff is corrosive so I'd avoid it.

The PPU 8MM Kurz shoots great ,,, Stock up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is also going to be my next purchase. I am on the hunt, so any leads would be appreciated Colt Chopper, looks like you have a winner there. Congrats on the MP44. Did you purchase your MP43 from Indian Springs Armory(ISA)? I found a MP43 from ISA that was brought back from a vet, with a missing front sight hood, but was already sold.

 

Your weapon looks just like that one :D.

Edited by NFA amnesty
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is also going to be my next purchase. I am on the hunt, so any leads would be appreciated Colt Chopper, looks like you have a winner there. Congrats on the MP44. Did you purchase your MP43 from Indian Springs Armory(ISA)? I found a MP43 from ISA that was brought back from a vet, with a missing front sight hood, but was already sold.

 

Your weapon looks just like that one :D.

You are spot on. ICA was carrying it around at the Knob Creek Shoot and I was able to make a deal on it.

It came with some original documentation, dated 1946, as being brought back as a "War Trophy", then registered on a form 5 to the descendant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

That is also going to be my next purchase. I am on the hunt, so any leads would be appreciated Colt Chopper, looks like you have a winner there. Congrats on the MP44. Did you purchase your MP43 from Indian Springs Armory(ISA)? I found a MP43 from ISA that was brought back from a vet, with a missing front sight hood, but was already sold.

 

Your weapon looks just like that one :D.

You are spot on. ICA was carrying it around at the Knob Creek Shoot and I was able to make a deal on it.

It came with some original documentation, dated 1946, as being brought back as a "War Trophy", then registered on a form 5 to the descendant.

That is fantastic my friend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very nice! By your serial number 2433k/44 I'll assume it's an Erma/ WaA280 code. I have an Erma MP43 with a 1804k/44 serial number. Looks like ours were assembled the same week! Mine was captured in Jan '45 and shipped home in Aug '45. If you choose to shoot it I too would recommend PPU ammo. It performs well in mine. Congrats on owning one of the coolest WW2 German small arms! Todd in Oregon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Always nice to see examples of early post-war bring backs. Looking over the pics, it is clear to me, due to the shape and

condition of the end of the pin that is shown, that the barrel retaining crosspin has been removed and replaced a number of times. It will be interesting to remove the foregrip and check the barrel to see its markings and possibly serial number. Not all guns had serialled barrels.

Rifle front sight hoods that fit the MPs, are cheap and easy to find, but an original, often marked, will be extremely hard to find and very expensive. The sight hoods pop off the MPs really easily so many, many of the guns in the US have replacements.

FWIW

Edited by Black River Militaria CII
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congrats Colt Chopper!! Its my favorite WW2 machine gun. The PPU ammo runs great and if you can find some East German surplus Kurz ammo from the 60s that runs good too. Dont waste your money buying repro magazines they do not feed properly. Only buy the vintage German ones. I had a few repro 30 round mags for my MP43 that wouldnt feed correctly and Dan Block here on the forum cut them down into 10round mags. They work perfect and are much easier to handle while benching the gun. There is a company called D-K productions selling repro 10round sturm mags but i have no idea how they run. A G43 sight hood is the same as the sturm series so look for one of those too.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Nice. I'm waiting on one too. What brand of ammo do you plan on using?

PPU is the only commercial 8 mm Kurz new manufacture that is currently available in the US. Some original WW2 German ammo is out there and several counties including East Germany made some in the 1940s into the 1950s but all that stuff is corrosive so I'd avoid it.

The is absolutely no reason to avoid corrosive ammo if you clean you gun after shooting it. I also shoot MP-44, and each MP-43/44/StG-44 behaves a little differently with regard to mag compatibility and powder charge needed to cycle it properly. Mine is mag finicky (postwar East German 1001 marked mags won't work), but will take low power PPU rounds and cycle them just fine. A friend's MP-43 short cycles with it, occasionally having FTF's due to the weaker, shorter return stroke of the bolt/carrier, and needs slightly more powerful reloads to cycle reliably.

 

MP-44right.jpg

Edited by DARIVS
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great posts and pics !

 

I got real lucky at the last Louisville show and picked up 1,000 rds of PPU for a fair price. (.55 a rd)

 

Definitely need to find a sight hood and sling.

 

Where is the date code located ?

 

Also, the gas cylinder plug appears to be bent down a bit, is this easily straightened, or better left alone ?

 

Thanks, Jack

Edited by Colt Chopper
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never get tired of looking at pics of the sturm. Nice photos guys!! The problem i found with the repro mags is after about 12-13 rounds loading in the rounds start to nose dive and its a jam o matic. The vintage mags i can load in 25 or so and the rounds will seat properly up against the feed lips. I recently bought a 1001 post war E German mag but have not tested it yet at the range. I need to find a nice shooter grade sturm so i dont put too many miles on my matching rifle. I did replace the bolt and carrier with non matching for shooting at the range. The post war 60s e German ammo runs fine but there is an occasional dud. I clean the rifle after shooting so no issues with corrosion that i can see.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great posts and pics !

 

I got real lucky at the last Louisville show and picked up 1,000 rds of PPU for a fair price. (.55 a rd)

 

 

 

 

Defini

tely need to find a sight hood and sling.

 

 

Where is the date code located ?

 

 

Also, the gas cylinder plug appears to be bent down a bit, is this easily straightened, or better left alone ?

 

 

Thanks, Jack

Jack.... 55cents a round is good for PPU. The lowest i could find is .69 cents. There is an add on GB with a sight hood, grips,gas piston plug and an original operating instructions pamphlet that is usually located in the stock compartment. Maybe you can ask the seller for the sight hood and piston plug only. Also the K98 sight hood is only slightly different shape than the sturm so it would work if you cant find one right now. The K98 hoods are very cheap and easy to find. Vin Edited by Petroleum 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Owned this Mp43/1 and Mp44 for about thirty years. Got bored with them a few years ago and sold them to fund my Maxim purchases. For ammunition I reloaded mine own, both functioned perfectly with the reloads.

MP4344 C.jpg

Kurz C.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...