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Early in the WW2, the German Army discovered the need for a self-loading semi-automatic rifle. German shoulder weapon firepower from the manually bolt-operated Karabiner 98k proved woefully inadequate. A specification was issued for the weapon in 1940. The end result was result was the production of the Mauser Gewehr 41(W). In the field, primarily in the Eastern Front, the G 41 was less than a success. The primary culprit was the gas-blowback system proved too complex and unreliable in actual combat conditions. Other flaws included the gun was too heavy, at over 11 lbs and the manufacturing cost per unit, excessive.
It was in Russia that the Germans encountered the superior Soviet Tokarev rifle. This weapon was carefully reverse engineered. Then the Germans adapted the Tokarev's gas-operated system and adapted it for the Gewehr 43, or G 43, the replacement for the wanting G 41.
The G 43 solved the vexing problems associated with its predecessor. The gun was lighter, with a weight of 9.7 lbs, more reliable and lower in cost to manufacture. The weapon, unlike the G 41, was popular with the German troops. The Gewher 43 used the standard German 7.92 cartridge and held 10 rounds in its magazine. The pictured G 43 sniper rifle was an effective and deadly weapon in the hands of German snipers and sharp-shooters.
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