Will there ever be STG44 replicas?

[SC4006]

I've always wondered about this because I've always been intrigued by the sturmgewehr 44 rifle, because of its innovative design and history.. and it's a cool looking rifle. I've wanted one for a while, but real ones I know are very rare and expensive, and I'd think they're all fully automatic as well. Why doesn't a company like WASR or Arsenal make a semi auto replica in the original 7.92x33 and sell it here? If there are already STG replicas, why are they not imported here?

[Jo6pak]

A few years ago, a company did make some STG44 replicas in 7.92x33mm.

Can't remember offhand who it was and they didn't make very many.

[tahunua001]

the stg44 is full auto so importing is next to impossible and lots of ATF paperwork just to own.

there is a STG44 replica in 22lr that is pretty convincing... don't know who owns it but it's been sitting at snake river arms for a while. they may have it on their website...
if you call them bill is kindof gruff but their prices are pretty decent.

[selector67]

Just picked up the 22 LR version the STG-44-22 yesterday and she is a beauty

[Come and take it.]

I have had one for a while and it is the best twenty two I ever owned. The only issue is that I am afraid to scratch it cause its so purrty.

Fully adjustable sights btw.

A leap year ahead of the HK replica

[Destructo6]

PTR44 is/was a Stg44 clone and a good one by many accounts.

At $5,000, a bit steep for most.

[MagnumWill]

Yep, right now there's a ton of STG44-22's on Gunbroker, and everyone seems to like them- they're ATI's.

On a side note, ATI seems to be gearing up and making some pretty decent stuff... (HDA-16's, AT-43 HK clones, MP5 .22 clones, etc)

[raftman]

The issue is can they be made at a reasonable enough cost to make it worth doing?

It would cost a ton because whoever attempts to build it would essentially be doing it from scratch. Unlike AR's and AK's which can be slapped together using parts made by the millions over several decades from a dozen different sources, the StG-44 has for all intents and purposes been extinct for a long time. A would-be manufacturer would have to re-invent the wheel and make every last part themselves because there's nowhere else to source anything from, all contributing to high R&D and manufacturing costs.

Evidence of the fact can be found by looking at the mags; even modern reproductions of StG-44 mags sell for around $150 a piece when you can find them, I certainly wouldn't expect a modern repro StG rifle to sell competitively against AK's or even AR's (both of which are technically superior weapons to the StG-44 and thus eliminate any practical reason for wanting one). There are of course impractical reasons for wanting an StG-44, such as the novelty of owning an StG-44 clone, but will enough people be willing to fork over a $2,500 for novelty?

[Ridge_Runner_5]

ATI doesn't actually make anything. They're an importer. The STG-44/22 and their MP5/22s are by German Sport Guns

There are a few guns coming through them marked with their brand, but they are Turkish-made clones.

[SC4006]

Good point raftman, didn't think of that at all. I guess I'll be stuck buying a .22 version when the time comes, it's just not the same as what owning a 7.92x33 version would be like though. Oh we'll a .22 version would still be pretty cool.

[Come and take it.]

The parts kits for the stg44 used to be available in huge numbers back in the late 90s and early 00s. You could purchase the parts kits for a little over 200 dollars. The american company that made the stg44 replica used parts kits built on their own receiver.

There were thousands of stg44s discovered in an arsenal in Syria by rebels only a few months back that are seeing action for the first time.

Even in Africa stg44s have turned up on occasion in the hands of militants.

Personally the rebels should sell those stg44s on the international market and buy 30 times their numbers in ak47s.

There were a huge number of these guns built by the end of ww2. The problem was getting them to the troops with sufficient ammunition. By that time transportation and fuel supplies were so suppressed that nothing could leave the factories and get to the troops (which suprisingly kept going until the surrender). Command and control was in tatters, you would find units all mixed together with different kinds of guns and no ammo while other units had ammo but no guns. Many armored vehicles were simply parked at tactical strongpoints with no fuel turning them into makeshift bunkers.

Sorry for the little history lesson. Only pointing out that there were huge numbers of the guns built considering the short period of time they were in production.

[raftman]

It's all relative. StG-44 production numbers were a drop in the bucket compared with AK's or AR's.

[RickB]

The GSG StG44 is a pretty nice piece. I've had one for a few months, but have had the nerve to put only 200 rounds through it (don't know when or if I'll ever buy any more rimfire ammo).
The PTR44s sold for about $5000 when they were in production, but they're three times that, now. I can't imagine a more "practical" version than the GSG, unless someone from Century Arms has parachuted into Syria with a suitcase full of money.

[Skans]

I had a chance to handle one of the STG-44-22's at a gun show, and boy was i impressed! I don't know how they shoot, but these seem to be really well done. I might just have to buy one!

[lcpiper]

I don't know. I was handling one of the MP5SD .22LR clones by STI at a local store and a part just fell off it. That put me right off real fast so when I saw the STG44 22s I looked a little closer then I normally might and while looking thru the bottom of the mag well it looked like the metal was pretty poor quality stuff. It's too bad they aren't made better or I would own both already.

[Come and take it.]

Your loss