What's the difference between an MP 43/1 and an STG 44? With firearms expert Jonathan Ferguson 

Hey, Jonathan. I hope this hasn't been done before (If so, I wasn't able to find it) but I'd be very interested in a video about the life cycle of a gun in the royal armouries. This would probably be a more elaborate video but I'd love to see what happens to a gun once it arrives at the museum, what makes you choose a specific gun for an exhibition and how it is maybe prepared beforehand etc.. Basically the whole process and inner-workings of the royal armouries in regards to guns. Anyway, love your content and happy new year :)

5:34 The lineage is even longer, the MKb42(h) was previously known as: sMP42 - schwere Maschinenpistole 42 / heavy sub-machinegun 42 MP42 - Maschinenpistole 42 / just sub machinegun 42 (heavy was removed) MP42s - Maschinenpistole 42 schwer / sub machinegun 42 heavy (the heavy was re added but to the end) MK42 - Maschinenkarabiner 42 / machinecarbine short MK, until the Germans notices the MK was already in use for "maschinenkanone" (autocannon / lit. machinecannon) MKb.42 - Maschinenkarabiner 42 / machinecarbine (this time written MKb. to prevent confusion with MK) MKb.42(h) - the (h) was not added untill Walther joint the competition. MKb.42 H.S. - Heanel had planed to make another MKb. to prevent confusion the one from Hugo Schmeisser was labes H.S. (Haenel Schmeisser)

I am so happy we have you and Ian in this space. Deep, calm and thorough content about the guns, whereas most gun channels turned loud and fast = funny = views I like demo ranch and alike, but the deep knowledge you share is just smth else.

11.25 "This little sticky outy bit..." You've just got to love Jonathan's precise technical descriptions.

Thanks Jonathan , I always learn something new when I watch a Royal Armouries video .

Jonathan's knowledge is amazing.

Interesting thoughts on how the STG 44 started become cruder as the war turned for Germany as well as the the introduction of genuine last ditch weapons. Reminds me of the reverse as you watch the The Sten go from a truly dreadfully finished Mk I and more prevalent Mk II to the Mk V that actually had places to put your hands and the luxury of mounting a useless bayonet!

LOL! ..."sticky-outy bit" being a technical term, of course! Great vid.

I'm a life long gun nerd and a social media denier, and I think these videos stand on their own just fine. Love the content you guys put up on this channel, don't you worry about that, just keep it coming!

I really do love this series!

I saw a picture of captured weapons in Iraq back in 2004, and aside from the AK variants and ubiquitous SVD, there was one lone STG at the end of the row.

I'm not one to tell a firearms expert about his job but... the term assault rifle is not problematic beyond the fact that some people think that semi-automatic rifles are assault rifles. The real problem term (at least here in the U.S.) is "assault weapon".

Jonathan (and the whole team at The Royal Armouries), thank you again for the magnificent information you provide! Just one little suggestion, though. Is there any way you could get more light? I do appreciate the dark theme, but earlier, on footage filmed in the conference room, we were able to actually see the item(s) you presented.

Very informative and enjoyable

Honestly I think you're one of the best GunTubers out there. I'm obsessed with watching anything you touch.

Do you have examples of the MkB 42 development i.e the Henchel and Walther wariants? Anyway fun video as always! Happy new year to Jonathan and the team!

Fascinating and informative.

A lovely presentation and thanks for it. Liked and shared.

Thank you for the wealth of information, very enjoyable video.

I remember hearing somewhere (FW?) that the reason for the elimination of the optic rails on the rear sight base is that it simply wasn't repeatable enough to hold zero well enough to be worth using.

The East German’s equipped African nations/ guerrilla units with them in the 1960’s/70’s

If I was an engineer sitting between all these weapons, I'd probably say that the AK (which is the contentious post-war design) is a conglomeration of the M1 Garand and the STG44. Uniquely from the STG44 being the short rifle cartridge and the over-barrel design of the gas piston. The specifics of what gun gets invented where lag behind the necessities of war, and that goes for the shape of the gun (which a lot comes from cheap stamping requirements). Mass produced enough and it becomes a "hero gun", even after that war is over. But it seems weird that the idea that the AK is just an STG44 knock-off is one that pops up pretty persistently. idk there are limited number of ways to port energy into rotation etc

Apparently, PSA announced at the 2023 SHOT show, they were introducting a slightly modernized Stg 44 with fairly simple caliber conversion between 8mm Kurz, 5.56, 300 Blackout and 7.62x39. A version you can shoot a lot and get spare parts for.

Thanks

This is why I love your videos, I thought they only made one version of the gun. Every time I watch a video I learn something new. 😀👍

This is a proper assault rifle

The mount for the optics was also meant for the ZG 1229 Vampire, or Zielgerät (Zielgeraet; aiming device) 1229 Vampir, which had been in development around that time as well.

What great vid This is so interesting thank you 😊

Awesome, thank you 👍😎

Back once again its the Gamespot master! Jonathan with the STG behaviour!

Bizarre to hear of crates of the MP/STG 43/44 turning up in Syria. I wonder if the people who found/provided them realised what they had on their hands. Fairly certain there would've been a long queue of American collectors who would've paid a pretty penny for a good quality example.

The steel handguard is a fundamental design flaw, I wonder why they stuck with it ?

Very interesting

Jonathan Ferguson is an absolute treasure. Love the content !

Hi! Could you guys do a video on the stoner 63?

This German mp44/stg44 is clearly the inspiration for the AK 47. Though the ak shared some features with the equaly tough and reliable M14 garand

Fantastic Thanks, so well done; cripes my dad would have liked one of these in Greece, Crete, North Africa, and Italy with the 20th Battalion of the New Zealand Army. The 303 Enfield wasn't that bad!

One of the main reasons Hitler did not want production to start on MP-43 production was not only that it appeared ugly to him, but there was an ammunition shortage which would be made worse with introduction of a new cartridge, 8mm kurz.

Having a light grey table cloth rather than black would make it easier to see the weapons. Also better lighting for the closeups is needed.

11:21 "Sticky-outy bit" And that's how Jonathan Ferguson became the first honorary 'umie mekboy.

I demand a collab of Jonathan with Gun Jesus (Ian McCallum [Forgotten Weapons]) Cause this is just so good! I think they'd both be an amazing little series! :D

Quick question. Will this rifle give me emotional support like your STG 44 does? 😂

Johnathan, have you ever thought of showcasing a cartridge (I mean specific cartridge for example Balle D not overall 7x50mm R) on a What is this weapon or in RA's YT channel? It would be awesome as heck to see that

6:07 "... and we have examples of those too ( the two manufactures of Mkb - 42 )..." and I look forward to the day those rather interesting Mkb-42 (W) and (H) rifles are featured in a video here. Thanks to Jonathan and The Royal Armouries for this video! (:

I recall the Americans had a similar debate about whether or not the M1 Garand rifle could replace all other arms in the rifle squad and potentially the platoon. Shows a lot about how much doctrine was wedded to the basic capabilities of the repeating rifles. Moment someone has a weapon of similar bulk that can shoot a lot more in a hurry, people start dreaming that one gun can do it all.

The MKB-42 (H) is an awesome looking weapon. Red orchestra 2 one of my fav guns to use

I love this content but I’d love it even more with better lighting and seeing the weapons against a light or white table

One of these guns is the one Jonathan hugs after doing video with GameSpot and seeing all the cursed guns they have concocted

Thank you for a very informative and expert video. But please can we fix the lighting of these videos? My eyesight is not what it was, it would be super to be able to see the detail. Thank you for your work to bring the collection to a wider audience. Bravo!

I would love to see a day at the range with that collection..that would be a fun watch

Can you do a video on the MkB?

please do a video in which you tear down the Solothurn S3-200 belt fed. Also I hope you can also make a video on the Solothurn S2-200 magazine fed

25 minutes of Stg44 ASMR -- yes please

Great vid Jonathan Ferguson, also the stocks are diffrent mp43 is bigger lol (: keep the vids rolling all the best!

Is there any chance that you got a piece of the earlier variants of this gun like the Mkb 42 H, or the MKb 42 W. If yes I would love to see Jonathans thoughts on them.

Please make an episode about PPD-38, 38/40, PPSh-41, PPSh-2, PPS-42, PPS-43 etc.

I hope Jonathan reviews the GM-94 pump action Grenade Launcher behind him soon aka the Russian China Lake (but official)

You should a grey or white table cloth!

An interesting thing is why the Mp43/1 was special. The highest one I have seen is a registered one in the us at serial number 3xxxk/44. The Mp43/1 except for a few instances always had the heaven barrel. However Haenel did not use different serial number ranges. The MP43/1, Mp43, Mp44 & StG44 are all in consecutive numbers. There are no set blocks unless of course the dies wore out and the designation was no longer made, in which case it disappears from the produced nomenclature. There is more to the Mp43/1 barrel than is understood at this time.

20:00 To be fair, the US also had the Garand so ya' know, self loading rifles are pretty convenient. They were still using the Springfield so, not completely self-loading.

You should do one on the mp 3008 if you have one in the collection

aaaa the sticky outy bit... kkkk... the mostest technical term...

Hi Jonathan, we going to see an fg42 segment on here soon.??

hello where/when did you get the two samples you have there? thanks

I believe the real problem governments had with adopting semi and full automatic weapons was the cost and logistics of manufacture and transport of the new weapon along with a much larger volume of ammunition.

I imagine the HUB-23 suppressor would probably fit it. It used the same attachment method as the Schiessbecher (grenade launcher). I have only ever seen photos of rusted out battlefield recovered ones though.

Quite simply, yet another great and informative vid Jonathan. One day you might stop surpassing yourself!!!

Eugene Stoner and James Sullivan first saw constant recoil in the MP-44..Stoner called it that run out thing..

The Buttstock on the 43/1 looks bigger as well.

It's a Machine Pistol 43 with an improved cartridge used fur flank security for the MG-42. Even if the user is not the squad leader equivalent. Borgmann- for Borgman Royal Archives.

3:17 I thought the term "Assault Rifle" derives from the Lewis-"Assault Phase Rifle" from 1916 naming the rifle after the "Assault Phase" of trench warfare ..

Does the Royal Armories Have any of the East German wieger stg.940 series ? ? ? I've only just found out about it them and there's very few videos online.

Your videos are always interesting, but I often find myself staring at the two target rifles in the row behind you and wandering what they are...

I have a .22 version based externally on the Stg 44 same size and all, not sure about the weight.... semi auto but great fun and looks pretty cool. A US start-up tried to manufacture semi-auto replicas in 8mm Kurz and 7.62/39 (I think) but it appears that they failed and a lot of people lost deposits. They got close I understand but never got over the hump.

The stamping by the magazine appears to be different from the MP43/1 and MP43, too

Does Royal Armouries have an MKB 42H in its possession?

I think the Rumanians produced 7.92mm kurtz well after the war.

When I saw this I thought "GREAT! I'll bet the royal armouries has pristine examples of all the variants, can't wait to see" ... 7 minutes later they're finally on the table and I start playing "spot the differences" and then watch a slow progression through the differences, and a slightly jumbled run through of the history. As for all the differences being in front of the receiver: those two have different versions of buttstock, as you mentioned.

Jonathan, I can be mistaken, but isn't the buttstock different? It also showed up in the Dutch East Indies and Vietnam.

Beautiful gun, ahead of its time

So, does something marked MP43 give the same emotional support as the Stgw 44? When you say heavier than a first gen AK fo you mean type 1 stamped ones or the milled variant they switched to due to problems?

Is there any info about the STG 45? It's very difficult to find about.

I'm falling in love with your beard

I would disagree with the idea a standard assault rifle can replace the SMG. It can replace the SMG in general infantry service, but unless you go to a very cut down version (like the AKSU74), not as good a fit for the AFV crew defensive gun. (I'll disregard utterly the very niche roles, like VIP protection or special operations types with specialty requirements- the number of those users, compared to the overall army, is a rounding error.) If you argue that the SMG can be fully replaced in conventional military service by cut down variants like the AKSU74, then you have to accept assaukt rifle variants like the RPK and the USMC's IAR as legitimate "assault rifles", and they have absolutely established the *squad* / *section* level LMG can be replaced by an assault rifle variant (provided the base rifle platform isn't crap, like the L85/L86)... or at worst, a dedicated LMG (FN Minimi, HK MG4, Ultimax, Negev, etc.), in the intermediate cartridge (again, provided the LMG isn't crap ([cough, cough] CETME Ameli)), even if some use cases might call for pushing the "full power" GPMGs down to the squad/section level.

Not all of the MP43/1 rifles have the ZF41 rail on the back sight tower. Mp43/1 still had a some of the left over MKB42H parts, Stock, barrel. muzzle nut and sight tower.

I read somewhere one of the reasons for not replacing “standard weapons “ was ammunition production Having to switch to short cartridge production, would compromise the product of the standard cartridge Also there was millions of standard cartridges in storage

If this isn't the best lunch time treat!

The man should introduce himself as: Hi my name is Jonathan Gigachad Legend King of Yorkshire Ferguson. A really beautiful gun, despite it's spicy origin story.

If you want a new one you can buy them off Palmetto state armory later this year. The PSA STG 44 will be available in four chamberings: 8mm Kurtz, 5.56/.223, .300 Blackout, and 7.62x39mm.

the coolest thing is, after I've watched an episode of your videos or by forgotten weapons, I can play with that weapon in VR, because in H3VR many of these weapons are either in the game or can be modded into :) of course not every single one but some of them are ;-)

It's a handsome piece

That would be my dream job working in a place among all that history.

In Battlefield V you can actually swap between the larger and smaller stocks in the cosmetic customization Edit: that grenade launcher segment is great

5:52 On that note, I wonder why did the East Germans call their AKs MPi rather than MKb? The latter designation would both follow the older German terminology and align better with the Soviet one (автоматический карабин - automatic carbine). 7:42 I notice a slight difference in buttstock shape, is that related to some sort of later repair? 10:41 It is my understanding that such style of front sight protector was considered customary on German military rifles at that time. Similar problems are reported to occur with Kar.98k, and Germans had plenty of time to change the design, especially since the annexation of Czechoslovakia they got their hands on a better style of front sight protector as used on Vz. 24 rifles. 18:45 What about the Isaac Lewis's 'assault phase rifle' of 1918? 21:05 These were in Syrian army service some time in the 1960s (possibly acquired from Czechoslovakia), as far as I know the last photo of them used is dated to the early '70s, and after that they were likely put in storage.

Yep 👍

As I understood it, Sturmgewehr basically translated to something akin to "storm rifle", as in "to storm an objective" or "storm the beach", i.e. to assault something. So it was the weapon used in assaults etc.. And this is the dawn of the term assault rifle, right?

They’re useful for fire support and also emotional support

Question; The reduced power cartridge was also available in the form of the M1 carbine, which came first?

What about the STG 45 prototype?

there needs to be an STG for AR/AK foreign exchange program.