Kalashnikov vs Sturmgewehr! 

German army: "The guns don't need to last, we'll give our soldiers new ones when the old ones wear out" Soviet army: "The gun needs to last forever, we'll just give the same guns to new soldiers when the previous ones die."

I think we can all agree on that the sturmgewehr is a beautiful firearm.

"They're not super-cheap." >$132,250

8:50 " the two countries came at this with opposite approches ." just like they did with poland

_We should all have Sturmgewehrs! You get a Sturmgewehr, you get a Sturmgewehr! Everyone gets a Sturmgewehr!_

GERMANY: We need a smaller rifle. RUSSIA: We need a bigger SMG.

It's good that you mentioned cleaning. It's so VITALLY important to keep an AK clean! If you don't clean it thoroughly, every couple of million rounds / thousand years (Whichever happens first) there is a possibility that the action may get slightly stiff.

The AK47. So easy, a child can use it. And they do. -- Nicholas cage (Lord of War)

The Type 56 was sold for $132,250? I Can probably get one for $50 in Africa

Can we just say that Sturmgewehr wins on being more fun to say?

The whole SKS vs AK adoption thing, was mainly russia playing it safe. The SKS was a relatively simple evolution of ww2 semi-auto rifles, and considered a safe, reliable weapon to hand out en masse to their troops. The AK represented a fairly innovative design, with several radical trade-offs vs the weapons it replaced, as well as a totally new battlefield doctrine to go with it. The SKS was put into production in case either the AK, or the philosophy behind it, didn't work out. Once it was obvious that the AK was a massive success, they fully committed to it

Stg: *The guy who said the joke.* Ak-47: *The guy who said it louder.*

Lots of Sturmgewehr's are being used in the Syria war at the minute. Seen pictures of the rebels (possible ISIS) using them with scopes bolted on. Apparently they raided a government warehouse which had 5,000 in storage.

German weapons will always have a special place in my heart.

Can somebody explain the prices of the auction? Sold for: $32,200 (MP-44) $132,250 (Type 56 AK) Why is the Chinese AK four times more expensive than the StG 44?

"lOOk tHE gERMAns arE uSiNg aK's!" Every person watching Downfall where I live

The AK47: if it's jamming, you're stupid and broke something.

I didn't expect that gun parts would shake that much when firing (in slow motion videos).

I remember playing a Medal of Honor game where if you played multiplayer split screen and it was Axis vs Allies, it pretty much came down to the STG 44 vs the BAR.

That German report really is the best example I've ever heard of how the assault rifle massively changed combat. The fact that they could advance without stopping, and retreat fully with cover as opposed to how it was before shows just how incredible the shift between the older low ammo rifles and the new high capacity select fire rifles is. Its actually quite similar to the change in the US military capability was in such a short time between the Civil War with muzzle-loaders and the Indian Wars with lever actions.

Since people are still asking about the price, here’s an explanation. The Type56 sold at auction was a fully original and matching example. It’s also a bring back from the Vietnam war. On top of this it is a fully transferable machine gun. The rarity and condition of the gun makes it a collectors wet dream. The war trophy status adds even more to the price. There is also a 15% buyers premium that raises the price even further.

STG 44s still turn up in 3rd worlds conflict zones .

132k for an AK? Comrade Kalshnikov is rolling in his grave right next to Karl Marx!

It is now 2023 and I can confirm people still believe the AK was a rip off of the STG... Some people just refuse to learn new things.

Never seen the side by side to see how much bigger the stg-44 is than the AK

I am surprised the AK sold for way more then the MP 44!

Stg:son Ak:yes dad Stg: im proud of you Ak: thanks dad.

Stg will always have a place in my heart along with the ppsh

For a second when I saw the Thumbnail I thought it said "AK VS Stug" and thought, "Yes nice idea compare an assault rifle to a tank"

"every man a machinegunner" german Huey Long

2:14 - look at how the metal in the gun flexes with the shots. That's a really cool slow-mo clip.

The tactical breakdown you mention was very informative Ian, thanks for making these videos!

Death: It’s time STG: Was I good? Death: No, they told me you were the best.

*German engineering*

I'm sorry, what the hell is "grains"? Please tell me how much is that in the human "gramms".

Love finding the forgotten weapons channel recently, just a treasure trove of knowledge.

Lighter than a rifle, but more powerful than SMG. Assault rifle, your handy primary weapon.

Funny that the scaled up SMG ended up with a more powerful cartridge than the scaled down rifle :)

Sturmgewehr is only the translation of assault rifle. That makes the AK just another sturmgewehr in German!

I love how when people start freaking out about "seeing a kalashnikov in a WW2 movie" and then when I explain the difference between these two they get bored. People are people.

I find the stories behind the doctrines fascinating, especially the bit of the unit testing StGs in the field. Great job, Ian.

I was fortunate enough to work at the Royal Armouries in Leeds UK for over 2 years. I fired both the Sturmgewehr and the AK47. Best job I ever had

good stuff as always

man, I wish everyone was like ian. he's a breath of fresh air :)

September 2021. Well after the auction, but the information is fascinating history, thank you Ian.

STG: My preferred weapon of choice in any WWII games.

I remember back in the late ‘70s seeing an ad for, among other guns, an MP44 for $750 plus transfer tax. Problem was you couldn’t get 8mm kurz ammo back then. I almost bought one and sure wish I had now. I bought a Vietnam war GI bring back AK47 way back then and it’s definitely a very cool gun but I always wanted to at least fire an Stg44. The slow rate of fire on automatic always intrigued me and had to add to accuracy.

Ak:I hate you! You killed my father. Stg 44:No kalash, I'm your father.

it is called MP44? I thought it was called the STG-44.

Interesting assessment. As I understand it, the AK-47 was designed really as a means for soviet soldiers to lay down mass firepower during a mass assault. I've seen old footage of a regiment moving forward with armor while firing the AK's from the hip. In such a situation, accuracy isn't paramount. Also, from reading about US soldiers who used AK's in Vietnam; they said the weapon was pretty much self cleaning. Tolerances were loose and gunk got sucked in and spat out the action. Pour motor oil on it if it gets dry, and go. I would like to see comparisons of the various AK derivatives. Namely, the Galil and Valmet types.

Sturmgewehr 44 should be compared with the Stoner M16 they have many times more similar structural elements

I live in the UK so gun laws are basically "...no.", but god do I want a Sturmgewehr, so streamlined and we'll designed in my eyes

Fascinating analysis Ian. One of your best.

The Stg 44 looks splendid. Does the slower rate of fire mean it's more accurate? As well as it's more stable. I

You should be teaching at West Point. Your knowledge of small arms is impressive.

It is really exceptionally rare that you see such a reasonable, balanced, and historical-context including comparisons between two of anything let alone firearms. I applaud this great lesson in firearms history and apt comparison.

Never considered to compare these two.

As a a kid in East Germany I once found a rusty Sturmgewehr leaning against a tree in the woods. As any self respecting boy would do, I took it home and it was in our garage until my dad eventually found it and gave me a lecture. Ach, das waren noch Zeiten!

In defense of the AK47 let me say that I was issued an old one in the Hungarian Army in 1963, with a machined receiver and it turned out to be an accurate and real low maintenance rifle. Before we took the oath we had to qualify on the range with three single shots at 150 meters in the prone position. The requirement was 21 points. They promised 3 days leave for a score of 27 or more. After I fired three shots in about 20 seconds, my score was 30! The group was less than 2 inches. The high score was the only one in the battalion. I have never gotten the three days leave though; that's socialism for you!

Come on Ian...time for you and Andy to stop talking about it and have a 2 gun shoot off! You get a MP44 and a Luger, Andy gets the AK and a Tokarev. I'd love to see that!

I fired both of these at a gun range last week. Preferred the Sturmgewehr. This is coming from a man with no military training or shooting experience. Edit: forgot I made this comment, what I liked more were the sights, lower rate of fire and easy acess fire selector. And that the end of the receiver didnt knock my ear defenders off while the guy next booth was shooting a Dshk.

Always interesting to see your take on weapons ! OTOH in this instance its also interesting to see your different ( if historically debatable ) account of their history of development and employment . I'm sure we could spend a long dinner evening discussing this topic alone !

The slow motion firing makes the vibrations so noticeable it looks like the whole weapon will fall apart after firing.

"The service life was figured to be longer than the lifespan of the soldier!" Hmmmm.

can you do an STG44 mud test?

I'd be very interested in a link to that German report.

John from the future here (2020)... the two auction houses make a great symbiotic relationship with you, Ian. You get hands-on (and sometimes live fire) of a multitude of firearms and they get superior, widespread advertisement of their auctions. You "done good", as they say, in hitting that niche before others got a chance to do it. Congrats, I guarantee business at JJ and RIA has gone up since you started making videos in conjunction with them.

Did i just understand that properly that the AKS/AKM 47 is the better rifle because of it's reliability? If i would be in CQC i'd rather choose the StG44 having less recoil and more accuracy.

Woah not gonna lie the Stg was a LOT bigger than I had anticipated. How much does a loaded one weigh???

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to Germany won the war, but I wondered would the stg44 today be the Kalashnikov of today?? or a model developed from it??

Very good, always useful to have the background to their development

Would You make video about Korovin Avtomat, Tokarev AT-44, Korovin AK-44 end other very early assault rifles? There is so maaaaany interesting russian rifles I think it would be nice to show them.

The AKA 47 Looks Like It was Design by Star Trek Klingons.

The StG was a genius idea at the time. Imagine playing an online shooter and you're the only player having an AR while everyone else is stuck with SMGs or bolt action rifles. But the AK is simply the more practical weapon in real life, where economy, supply and reliability matter. The fact this weapon is still used in every damn war 70 years later is a testament to that.

I absolutely love the technicalities of your speech Keep it going mate. Marius from UK

Am i the only one thinking why the type 56 went for about 100k more then the STG

I still findthe fg42 more interesting than the sturmgewehr :)

StG looks nicer

Hugo Schmeisser was one of the developers of the assault rifle 44.In October 1945 Hugo Schmeisser was assigned to work in a so-called Technical Commission of the Red Army. The task of these commissions was to determine the state of the art in German weapons technology in order to incorporate the results into their own Soviet developments. In October 1946 Hugo Schmeisser was forcibly deported to the Soviet Union for several years as a weapon technology specialist as part of the Ossawakim campaign. This fate affected many weapon designers from the works of the city of Suhl. The German weapons designers were brought to Izhevsk on October 24, 1946, the capital of the Udmurt ASSR in the foothills of the Middle Urals and since 1807 the location of an arms factory (today Ischmasch). Little is known about Hugo Schmeisser's precise activities in Izhevsk between 1946 and 1952. How important he was for the Soviet Union was shown again in 1952, when all other German specialists were allowed to return, but his stay in the Soviet Union was extended at short notice by six months, so that he did not return to Germany until June 9, 1952. The purely external similarity between the 44 assault rifle and the AK-47 developed by Mikhail Timofejewitsch Kalashnikov often leads to the false assumption that Hugo Schmeisser contributed to the development of the AK-47.

Still being watched in 2019.

"Time showed that the AK is the better rifle" Yes? I am not so sure: - Yes, with a milled reciever (in general: with a significant higher budget for every single gun) you can make a more durable gun. Alternative: With decades of developement you end up with a given concept more optimized as if you have to press a quickly developed gun into service (developed to the point that it is acceptable) during war times. - Why was the AK a success and the STG44 not? The AK was a gun every nation of the red army was incuraged to adopt and was given to many other armys in form of weapon aid or in form of production licences including technical support. The STG44 was a german gun. They lost the war, had no weapon industry for a longer period after the war, are pretty conservative with international gun sales ever since and within the NATO the US with their questionable decision to make a battle rifle round the NATO standard, the concept of the Sturmgewehr was delayed for decades. So, the STG44 never had a chance after WW2. But I am sure, if Germany had developed the AK and the Soviets the STG44 I am pretty confident that the STG44 today would be the most produced gun ever.

Maximum range 300 yards!Well I am Serbian war veteran and we shoot on target practice not in war at that range both on single shot regime and automatic regime!On single shot regime AK 47 is very accurate on 500 yards and I also shot with ex Yugoslavian sniper who is almost totally like AK only with longer barrel and bigger calibre(i think 7,9mm and our AKs had 7,62mm In that time.Now I think whole Serbian army have 5,56mm standard NATO calibre) and I could shoot and didnt missed target on 800 even 1000 yards!But most important thing about AK is how that riffle wont "betrayed"you no meter minus 20 at winter or 40 on summer,are you in dust or water..One story from war-we were In foxholes for 2 and during afternoon started to rain and it kept raining whole night and morning so our foxhole turn in to swimming pool so big that we couldn't protect our riffles any longer from so much water!Tomorow round 11 we had Muslim attack(before was some 45 mins artillery barrage)and we both(me and my friend,my brother in arms!)were afraid that our AKs wont work after such heavy rain!But everything was OK!AK never betrayed you!Thats why that is best riffle in the World!But Sturmgewehr is not only such a beautiful rifle but everyone can see direct influence o AK!General Kalashnikov(RIP)was always angry how Sturmgewehr and AK47 dont have same(he said even similar) system.Sadly I never had Sturmgewehr in my arms or shoot with it(I shoot with M-4,M-16,FAL,Steyer,Thompson...)so I cant say did Kalashnikov stole from Hugo Shmeisser?But...I dont know?

Excellent overview of both. Thank you!

$132,250... That must be the most expensive AK in history! For a gun that probably cost about $50 to manufacture, that's crazy! "Not super cheap" is more than a little understating it!

Storm rifle. Or assault rifle. Sturmgewehr means assault rifle. SAY IT GUYS. ASSAULT RIFLE. No dancing around and saying "there is no such things as an assault rifle"

Who would have thought that when you give smg qualities to a rifle, and rifle qualities to an smg, you get similar weapons

It's amazing how much both weapons flex and distort when fired. @2:13 & @3:13

we called it STG 44 not MP 44, i think its the best weapon for infantry in the ww2, i think the correct translation for english is Storm Rifle 44 (SR44)

Always surprises me how big the StG44 is!

Yeah, the first time i saw the “sturmgewehr” in the heroes and generals video game i thought: this is the closest we are going to get to modern stuff, its basically an ak: its got the gas thing, its got the big sight that sticks up on the front, and it has a bent mag.

Ian, You say “The Sturmgewehr’s were fired during the war with exclusively quite corrosive ammunition”. This is a very untrue statement. Most all German small arms ammunition during the war (1939-1945) utilized non corrosive primed ammunition. The Pistol Patrone 43 m.E (7.92x33) was designed utilizing the German 30/40 non corrosive primer. There was a few lots made that utilized the 88 type mildly corrosive primer the Germans had been utilizing since 1888. But this was less than 1% of the 7.92x33 ammunition produced during the war. The Germans In 1904 developed a non corrosive non mercuric primer, however it was not standardized or adopted as they found its lifespan was not as great as the primer 88 with a very low 15% mercury fulminate. In 1930 the Germans standardized a non corrosive primer, the type 30. However, they kept utilizing the type 88 mildly corrosive primes as it was more reliant in adverse storage and atmospheric conditions. The German air force tried out the non corrosive variations, but relied on the type 88 for combat ammunition as it was more reliably at high altitude atmospheric conditions. However, they overwhelmingly utilized the non corrosive types for training. I can provide any documentation in German you wish.

I have to agree at this point, the StG IS pretty sexy but... The AK has a more aggressive yet sleek look to it. The son looks better than it's father.

The Sturmgewehr looks like everyone's first attempt at drawing the AK-47 But I think it's still a good looking rifle

Nice video! Where to find the battlefield report? Would be interesting to read that.

I'd love to see a comprehensive review between these, the FAL / SLR / L1A1 and the AR-15 / M-16A1

An AK is ... well, just an AK... A sturmgewehr is ... WOW!

I got a feeling we will never see a semi auto STG clone that is affordable. I would have loved it if Hill and Mac would finished development of their stg clone. Having the original 8mm kurz and being able to convert it to 5.56 would be just too cool

All combatant forces in WW II came to the realization that most infantry on infantry encounters took place at much closer distances than they heretofore anticipated and that heavy rifles were not the type of personal weapon that was needed for this type of combat. The Germans, typically, beat everyone to the punch with the Sturmgewehr. Truly a magnificent gun. Cheers!

Having a sturmgewehr, is like having the forefather of all modern rifles, shooting and holding the piece of history is a privilege,

I wonder if the 8mm kurz would be a viable cartridge choice compared to modern rounds.