At the recent show this past weekend, there were more than the usual handful of neat rare guns. Specifically, there were several very cool German pieces for sale and show. In addition to the usual supply of MP40s, MG34s, and MG42s, we had at least one StG44:
Getting a bit rarer, we also had a table occupied by FG42, Inc. They're the company making semiauto FG42 replicas, and they brought prototypes of both their first and second model FGs. Very, very cool guns. The first type in particular is surprisingly light and well-balanced for a full-power battle rifle. Delivery of these will start in about three months, as all the ATF hurdles have now been cleared.
Finally, the rarest items at the show were a pair of hand-made replicas of last-ditch 7.92x33 Kurz carbines. The one in back is an StG45, of which just a handful of original examples remain. The one in front is a Grotto-3 (I think that's spelled right) and the only one of its kind, as no known original examples exist. It's basically a roller-locked, gas-operated G43 shrunk down to fire 8mm Kurz. Both of these two were entirely hand-made by a brilliant European gunsmith (the production and importation process for the StG45 has taken 14 years), and will not ever be available in quantity. I was lucky enough to listen in when the maker disassembled the StG45 and described all its details to a couple interested fellows (as you might expect only a small fraction of the folks who saw it recognized it).
Getting a bit rarer, we also had a table occupied by FG42, Inc. They're the company making semiauto FG42 replicas, and they brought prototypes of both their first and second model FGs. Very, very cool guns. The first type in particular is surprisingly light and well-balanced for a full-power battle rifle. Delivery of these will start in about three months, as all the ATF hurdles have now been cleared.
Finally, the rarest items at the show were a pair of hand-made replicas of last-ditch 7.92x33 Kurz carbines. The one in back is an StG45, of which just a handful of original examples remain. The one in front is a Grotto-3 (I think that's spelled right) and the only one of its kind, as no known original examples exist. It's basically a roller-locked, gas-operated G43 shrunk down to fire 8mm Kurz. Both of these two were entirely hand-made by a brilliant European gunsmith (the production and importation process for the StG45 has taken 14 years), and will not ever be available in quantity. I was lucky enough to listen in when the maker disassembled the StG45 and described all its details to a couple interested fellows (as you might expect only a small fraction of the folks who saw it recognized it).
