MP43 and MP44 Sturmgewehr 44

The MP 43 was the forerunner of the MP 44. As a sub-machine gun it was entirely out of the class of the Maschinenpistolen described so far. It was in fact an automatic carbine designed to fire the special shortened 7.92mm standard rifle cartridge.

The MP43
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Its basic characteristics approximated to those of the MP 44 the production model. (The 1944 model carries the stamp "MP43" and also "K.44" (Karabiner 44) The MP 44 is noteworthy not merely for its efficient design but more especially for its simplicity of manufacture being made up largely of cheap pressings. (The worth of its design was not in fact lost on the Russians. whose present automatic rifle embodies all the original characteristics of the MP 44.)

The MP44
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Basic Data

Calibre: 7.92mm ("Intermediate" round)
Feed: Magazine. 30 rounds
M.V.: 2.250f/s
Bullet weight: 120 grains
Charger weight: 32 grains
Length overall: 36 3/4in
Length barrel: 16in
Weight: 9 1\2lb
Sights: Tangent and Peep 100 to 800 metres
Effective range: 300 yards
Method of operation: Gas
Type of fire: Single and automatic
Cooling: Air
Cyclic rate of fire: 800 rpm