Blank firing StG44

[r_hufschmied]

Good news for reenactors. During 2009 the German firm Röhm RG are releasing a blank firing StG44 in 9mm P.A.K. Price is pegged around 1000€. Available in semi- and full auto. Click link for PDF:

http://www.roehm-rg.de/fileadmin/use...f/Stgw44_e.pdf

[Admiraal]

That is great! to bad we can't have these on dutch re-enactment permits, because it are replica's
Maybe something can be arranged, i hope so.

[rkoy]

cool

[DennyB]

If my math is correct, 1000 rifles sold at $4,000 each would be $4 million bucks. Most reenactors would also buy 7 mags (1 in the gun, 6 in the pouches) these could be sold for $100 each since originals are fetching more than $300. (this is a guess) The blanks and ammo could probably bring $25-$30 per 100.
To me, this looks like a U.S. company would be interested in tooling up for this or buying the machines that they are currently being made on in Germany. The only designing cost would be making sure that they were made to be semi-auto only. It would seem that with modern technology, they could produce them cheaper and maybe better than the originals.
This looks like a business opportunity for someone holding a Class 2 Manufacturer's License and has a machine shop capable of handling such an operation.
The question is, would there be a market for 1,000 of these guns in the U.S. at that price? I would buy one, 7 mags and a couple of thousand rounds of ammo in blank and live.
Denny

[Bob Hritz]

Trying to find a US company that wants to make replica German arms might be a bit of a problem. With all the political correctness, they would be accused of catering to undesireables. You never see any successful reenactor supplier of German regalia featured in Forbes magazine. Ever wonder why?????

Bob Hritz

[landsknechte]

Trying to find a US company that wants to make replica German arms might be a bit of a problem. With all the political correctness, they would be accused of catering to undesireables. You never see any successful reenactor supplier of German regalia featured in Forbes magazine. Ever wonder why?????

Bob Hritz

Are there any reenactor suppliers doing that well?

[rkoy]

anybody have one????

[florian_geyer72]

Hello,

This replica will be available for the end 2009.

Best regards.

F..

[Dan P]

A Japanese company named Shoei make a very high quality blank firing MP44. Price is about $1400. Here's a link to see in action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYx1B...eature=related

They also make a gas blowback airsoft version, an airsoft AEG version, and a display model with dummy brass rounds. All are full metal and wood and very high quality.

[DennyB]

I would venture to say that At The Front is doing quite well although they are not listed in Fortune 500. I know that Rollin Curtis bought out Joe Covais' New Columbia a few years ago for an unknown amount but it was offered to me for $25,000. Rollin bought it after Covais went bankrupt because he went blind and tried to manage it by telephone. His employees ran it aground. I went there to look the place over and they were sitting around for the entire hour I was there, smoking and joking, thinking I was a customer not a perspective owner.
Go to the At The Front website and look at the number of reenacting units, some have more than 40 members. I would guess that he is doing a pretty good business but in a hobby that has probably less than 10,000 nationally, he is making a good living.

[PlaceOfBayonets]

Question on the War time issue STG44? I looked at you tube and one video said the original rifle only had a two year service life. Was this a low service life back then? How does it compare to modern assault weapons? What becomes of a rifle after it's service life is up? Can it be re barreled and re fit?

Wilhelm

[Pfalz DIIIa]

Look closer...

Go to the At The Front website and look at the number of reenacting units, some have more than 40 members.

Check those links Denny. 2/3 of them are broken/dead links. I don't think he manages this per his disclaimer. I tried to link up with a US Para unit in the midwest and busted out on most of them...

That portion of the Website needs a major overhaul/update.

Cheers.

Michael Collins

[r_hufschmied]

A Japanese company named Shoei make a very high quality blank firing MP44. Price is about $1400. Here's a link to see in action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYx1B...eature=related

They also make a gas blowback airsoft version, an airsoft AEG version, and a display model with dummy brass rounds. All are full metal and wood and very high quality.

The Shoei is not a true blank-fire, it is a "model gun" that uses special cartridges loaded with caps to cycle the action. The cycling and ejection is "real" enough but the report is, for lack of a better word, pitiful.

The quality is excellent though, museum grade, almost a tad too good. And the only source for a MKb42(H) replica.

[Dan P]

The Shoei is not a true blank-fire, it is a "model gun" that uses special cartridges loaded with caps to cycle the action. The cycling and ejection is "real" enough but the report is, for lack of a better word, pitiful.

The quality is excellent though, museum grade, almost a tad too good. And the only source for a MKb42(H) replica.

Never really thought of it since I'm not into blank firing guns, but you're right, Shoei is not true blank firing.

I was considering getting their airsoft gas blowback version of the MP44 since I'm into WWII airsoft guns and wanted a gun with the Escort blowback system, but it would probably just rattle around with no "recoil" anyway, which in the end doesn't seem very appealing to me. I had Shoei's GBB MG42 but sold it a while back without ever firing it.

Yeah, I like the looks of the MKb42(H). I think that's just a dummy display model.

[BenVK]

I don't think the Röhm MP44 would ever get permission to be made and released in the US.
These guys are the only ones I know who've managed to get fully auto replicas passed by the BATF and it took a long, long time.
http://www.ssroom.com/index.htm