Slow Motion: Gewehr 43

The G43 was intended to become the standard infantry rifle for the Wehrmacht (replacing the Kar 98k), but production never ramped up sufficiently, and the concept of the intermediate-caliber Sturmgewehr took over by the end of the war. Mechanically, the G43 uses a flap-locking system copied directly from the earlier Walther Gewehr 41 coupled with a gas pistol system derived from the Soviet SVT-38/40. Most G43s were significantly over-gassed when they left the factories, because reliable operation in the cold and mud of Russia was much more important than having a long service lifespan. This rifle has had its gas system replaced with a “shooter’s kit” from Apfeltor, which reduces the gas system pressure to only what is necessary to run the gun in clean conditions. Without this modification, parts breakage is likely with extended shooting.