#8mmMauser

In my last article on the K.43 I said that if I was able to get my grubby paws on an SVT-40 I’d do a comparison of the gas systems. Well, after getting extremely lucky on a GunBroker listing, I’m able to do just that.

Today’s Photo of the Day comes courtesy of my inability to keep my wallet closed. The Karabiner 43, or K.43, is a Second World War era semi-automatic rifle chambered in 8mm Mauser. Sometimes referred to as “Hitler’s Garand” (most notably by the book of that title) this rifle was created to replace the more finicky Gewehr 41. The Gewehr 43 (G.43) uses a gas system very similar to that of an SVT-40, a three-part short-stroke gas piston. In fact, a side-by-side comparison of the SVT-40’s gas system and the Gewehr 43’s gas system shows some parts that look almost interchangeable. Though of course, they are not.

Today’s Photo of the Day is taken from a Bavarian called “ Schrombo“, who takes excellent photographs of many interesting firearms – both modern and historical.

The Mauser 98 stands in history as Paul Mauser’s masterpiece; Every little thing, every improvement that he could think of came together in the Model 1898, and the K98k is a carbine version of his famous rifle. The K98k rifle is notorious for being used and implemented by Nazi Germany, but countless other nations have used the rifle to suit their needs. Today the gun is still in production, and most bolt action rifles being produced today use a modified Mauser action of some sort (with most changes being present for cost cutting reasons). In this episode of TFBTV we take apart a 1944 dated K98k.

The German FG42 (Fallschirmjägergewehr 42) was a rifle designed as a multi-role combat small arm for airborne troops that was part rifle and part light machine gun. Only about 10,000 were made during WWII, but the design was very influential after the conflict ended (especially in the USA).
A company In Decatur Texas is now reproducing these guns in semi-auto only configuration, and in this video we put one to the test!

The German K98k served Nazi Germany from the mid 1930s until the end of World War II, and was by far the most prolific German small arm during the conflict. The rifle is essentially a shorter, lighter, and handier version of the old Gewehr 98 rifles with some tweaks and modifications to make it more suitable for use by the German war machine. In this video, we take out one of these old workhorses and do a bit of shooting.

TFB’s IWA coverage comes courtesy of Troubleshooter Berlin, who made it out to Nürnberg for the show. Many thanks to him for providing the pictures and information.