In this system, gases from the bullet were trapped near the muzzle in a ring-shaped cone, which in turn pulled on a long piston that opened the breech and re-loaded the gun. and in case the autoloading mechanism failed, a bolt action was to be included.īoth models therefore used a mechanism known as the 'Bang' system (after its Danish designer Søren H.the rifles were not to have any moving parts on the surface.no holes for tapping gas for the loading mechanism were to be bored into the barrel.However, some restrictions were placed upon the design:

The army issued a specification to various manufacturers, and both Mauser and Walther submitted prototypes that were very similar. It was accepted and entered into service as the Gewehr 43, renamed Karabiner 43 in 1944, with production amounting to just over 400,000 between 1943-1945.īy 1940, it became apparent that some form of a semi-automatic rifle, with a higher rate of fire than existing bolt-action rifle models, was necessary to improve the infantry's combat efficiency. In 1943, Walther combined 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 was introduced in 1941 and at least 12,755 were made, but it proved unreliable in combat. 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. It was a modification of the earlier G41(W), using an improved gas system similar to that of the Soviet Tokarev SVT-40. The Gewehr 43 or Karabiner 43 (abbreviated G43, K43, Gew 43, Kar 43) is a 7.92×57mm Mauser caliber semi-automatic rifle developed by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Gewehr 43 serial numbers