There were many small variations introduced on the G/K43 throughout its production cycle. However, as a sniping platform many German snipers liked the Gewehr 43's semi-automatic abilities, good range, good ammo capacity and accuracy, however extreme long range sniping was best left to the more accurate bolt-action Mauser rifles. The German High Command saw this, and decided to issue 3 Gewehr 43 rifles for every platoon, 2 of which were to be used as sniper rifles away from frontline action, fitted with a Zielfernrohr ZF 4 scope.Īccording to accounts and testimony from German veterans of World War II, many German soldiers disliked the Gewehr 43, and preferred the tried and true Karabiner 98k, or, if they were lucky enough, scavenged American M1 rifles and Carbines whenever possible, despite this being officially against regulations. When put up against the M1 Garand, it was apparent that the Gewehr 43 was outclassed by the M1's superior machined parts, extremely reliable design, better gas system, better sights, faster and more reliable en-bloc clip system, simplicity and ease of maintenance, as well as it being general issue to all infantry whereas for every 50 Mauser rifles produced by Germany during the war, they only produced 1 Gewehr 43 rifle. It was also a complicated design, and required some practice to know how it all worked. When parts wore out or broke it was difficult to get replacements in the field and many German soldiers simply got rid of it when this happened. The Gewehr 43 stayed in service with the Czechoslovak army for several years after the war.Īlthough a better rifle than the G41(W), the Gewehr 43 was still known for its mechanical malfunctions, mainly due to cheap parts and exposed extracting spring, causing jams if not cleaned constantly. The rifle was also not equipped to use a bayonet.
Gewehr 43 parts kit serial#
The weapon was originally designed for use with the Schiessbecher device for firing rifle grenades (standard on the Kar 98k as well) and the Schalldämpfer suppressor, however these accessories were deemed unsuccessful in tests and were dropped even before the rifle made it to serial production. Total production by the end of the war was 402,713 of both models, including at least 53,435 sniper rifles: the G43/K43 was used as a designated marksman weapon, fitted with the Zielfernrohr 43 ( ZF 4) telescopic sight with 4x magnification. The G/K43 was issued in limited numbers in 19 to units of the Wehrmacht. The Gewehr 43 was put into production in October 1943, and followed in 1944 by the Karabiner 43 ( K43), which was identical to the G43 in every way save for the letter stamped on the side. The addition of a 10-round detachable box magazine also solved the slow reloading problem. The simpler mechanism of the G43 made it lighter, easier to mass produce, and far more reliable. The Tokarev used a simple gas-operated mechanism, which was soon emulated by Walther in the G41(W), producing the Gewehr 43 (or G43).
This proved to be somewhat of a shock to the Germans, who ramped up their semi-automatic rifle development efforts significantly. Just prior to the opening of hostilities the Red Army had started re-arming its infantry, complementing its older bolt-action rifles with the new semi-automatic Tokarev SVT-38s and SVT-40s. In 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union as part of Operation Barbarossa.
The Gewehr 43/Karabiner 43 joined the ranks of the Tokarev and Garand as general issue semi-automatic rifles during the war. It was accepted and entered into service as the Gewehr 43, renamed Karabiner 43 in 1944, with production amounting to just over 400,000. In 1943, Walther introduced a new modified gas system with aspects of the G41(W) providing greatly improved performance.
The Walther design fared better in combat but still suffered from reliability problems. The Mauser design proved unreliable in combat when introduced in 1941 and only several thousand were made.
Germany's quest for a semi-automatic infantry rifle resulted in two designs - the G41(M) and G41(W), from Mauser and Walther Arms respectively.
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