Gewehr 43
Country: 
GermanyManufacturer: Walther / Berlin-Lübecker Maschinenfabrik
Semi-automatic rifle chambered in 7.92×57 mm Mauser, developed by Walther as the German answer to the Soviet SVT-40; widely used by the Wehrmacht with the ZF4 optic as a designated-marksman rifle.
Gewehr 43
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Data trust
- Reliability
- Unverified
- Sources
- Sources pending review
Identity
- Designation
- Gewehr 43
- Alias
- Karabiner 43 / G43 / K43
- Manufacturer
- Walther / Berlin-Lübecker Maschinenfabrik
- Country
- Germany
- Year
- 1943
- Category
- Sniper rifle
- Status
- Historic
Ballistics
- Caliber
- 7,92×57 mm Mauser
- Muzzle velocity
- 776 m/s
- Effective range
- 500 m
- Maximum range
- 800 m
Dimensions
- Barrel length
- 558 mm
- Overall length
- 1117 mm
- Empty weight
- 4.4 kg
Mechanics
- Operating system
- Presa di gas (sistema SVT-40)
- Bolt / action
- Semi-automatica, otturatore basculante
Feed
- System
- Caricatore amovibile da 10 colpi
- Standard capacity
- 10 rounds
Fire modes
Historical profile
Development
The Gewehr 43 (later renamed Karabiner 43) was developed by Walther in response to the German need for a modern semi-automatic rifle after encountering Soviet Tokarev SVT-40s on the Eastern Front.
Adopted in 1943, it replaced the problematic Gewehr 41 (W) from which it inherited the overall design, but with a radically improved gas system copied directly from the Tokarev.
Design
Chambered in 7.92×57 mm Mauser, it operates on gas-tappet system with a muzzle-end gas port and a tilting bolt.
Detachable 10-round magazine and a dovetail mount on the right side of the receiver for the ZF 4 (4×) optic, making it the first mass-produced German semi-automatic sniper rifle.
Operational service
Produced in approximately 400,000 units through 1945, it was issued mainly to squad designated marksmen (1 per platoon) on both the Eastern and Western fronts.
The sniper version had significant impact: although limited in numbers, it was appreciated for reliability and rate of fire, and was retained in postwar Czechoslovakia (vz. 43).
Variants
Main users
Germany (Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS) · Czechoslovakia · France (dopoguerra)
Key components
- ●Stock — Shoulder rest.
- ●Receiver — Weapon body with internal mechanisms.
- ●Grip — Primary grip.
- ●Magazine — Cartridge feed.
- ●Barrel — Guides the projectile.
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Recent reviews
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