An unsung assault rifle : The Mauser MKb 42(M)

[klem]

Found on the net a few years ago (The Walther Volkspistole Forgotten Weapons - akross.info.html). This is an article from a French magazine whose title is not mentioned :- "It was generally thought that the adoption of the StG 44 was preceded by trials with two versions of the so-called MKb 42 (H) or (W). It seems that these prototypes were not the only ones tested as we have discovered a machine that may well be another challenger.
It bears no markings, but as Walther and Haënel were already involved in the competition, why not attribute this one to Mauser?
The weapon is short and compact. The frame is made of glued laminated wood, with a pistol grip and a handguard partially covering the barrel. The breech box is made of stamped sheet metal and has a hinged lid that lifts for disassembly.
The weapon functions by borrowing gas at the mouth, like the G 41 (M) or (W). A sleeve and a socket are placed at the end of the barrel, a flat connecting rod moves on the top and a stirrup operates the mobile unit. The latter comprises a manoeuvring piece and a helically locking mobile head with two locking pins which looks very similar to what will be the Kalashnikov. There is a stop of breech at the end of the magazine.
The safety is formed of a transverse push rod located on the front branch of the trigger guard. The selector is located at the top of the pistol grip, on the left, within reach of the thumb. It is marked with the letters "Es" and "D".
The magazine is not original and the one that appears on our prototype is a box manufactured especially for the circumstance in order to test the capacities of the machine. The original magazine had to have a trapezoidal profile, so it was not interchangeable with that of the StG 44.
The sights consisted of a naked front sight on a perforated base and a tangential rear sight (no sight plate or slider)-." (Deepl translation)

 

[Petrus]

Dear Klem, could you please clarify where you have found that scan from a French magazine?

Regards,
Piotr

 

[klem]

Dear Klem, could you please clarify where you have found that scan from a French magazine?

Regards,
Piotr

Sorry Dear Petrus, the only reference I kept is a web page archive in which this French magazine page appears (The Walther Volkspistole Forgotten Weapons - akross.info.html). Now, when I try to reopen the web page, it links to something else. I am attaching the converted web page to pdf and the full page of the magazine. I hope that a member of the SPF can identify the magazine from the extracted page.

 

[Ravinoff]

Okay that thing is all kinds of weird, I don't even know where to start. It's not one of the late-war G43/K43 7.92x33mm conversions since it's still got a gas trap action. Retranslating the description, the operating system is definitely consistent with a G41(M), a two-lug rotating bolt with action bars operating a helical cam on the bolt carrier...but it's not a reworked G41(M) because it doesn't have the signature bolt handle right off a K98 mechanism on the back of the receiver. The rotating-bolt action also rules out it being a Gerät 03, since that was roller-locked. Charging handle is different from the Walther though, sight is weird-looking too (but I think that's noted in the final paragraph of the article). Gas trap assembly is much closer to the Walther design than the Mauser, though the front sight is neither.

The pistol grip and bottom metal assembly are definitely grafted on from elsewhere, without modifying the original stock - you'd want to shorten it, the length of pull and general handling with a full rifle stock and a pistol grip like that would be very weird (see the M14E2/M14A1 for a traditional stock mutated to add a pistol grip). Suspect that was cobbled together to account for the much shorter magazine of a 7.92x33 without modifying the action or adding a spacer - think how Saiga and Vepr rifles were imported to the US in a "sporting" configuration and had to be converted back into a normal AK by moving the trigger assembly forward. The E/D selector markings are consistent with the StG 44 crossbolt selector, though I'll be damned if I can work out what D is supposed to stand for, E is always "Einzelfeuer" or single-fire in German.

Best guess? This has to be some postwar thing, amateur gunsmith or dead end that went unrecorded. Might do some more digging when it's not 0530, see what else I might be able to come up with.

 

[Grzesio]

though I'll be damned if I can work out what D is supposed to stand for

Dauerfeuer, i.e. full auto fire.

 

[SirCoutin]

I can confirm this is a prototype Mauser assault rifle, named the MkB 42(M). It resides in a French museum after the looting of the Mauser factory by French forces after the end of WW2.

 

[klem]

I can confirm this is a prototype Mauser assault rifle, named the MkB 42(M). It resides in a French museum after the looting of the Mauser factory by French forces after the end of WW2.

Thank you very much Dear SirCoutin for your constructive collaboration.you give a name to the tomb of the unknown soldier.the references of the book please. Regards

 

[GTX]

Yes, which book is that?

 

[SirCoutin]

Yes, which book is that?

Sturmgewehr! From Firepower to Strikepower by Collector's Grade books.

 

[GTX]

Yes, which book is that?

Sturmgewehr! From Firepower to Strikepower by Collector's Grade books.

Thanks:

• By Hans-Dieter Handrich
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0889355934

 

[klem]

It's really absurd. In all the documentation and books on the evolution of German assault rifles, it seems to me that this is the only book that talks about it, it must be admitted that for many this rifle has gone unnoticed.

 

[Petrus]

Please note that all that the book by Mr Handrich actually says about the alleged Mauser assault rifle for 7x39.1 (except for the pictures) is as follows:

 

[klem]

The book in the 2004 edition refers to the rifle as a pre-war Mauser Machine Carbine prototype originally chambered for the DWM 7x39.1mm without naming the weapon (1), but in the new revised and expanded edition the definitive name of the weapon is stated as Mkb 42(M) and shows the pre-war chambered for the DWM 7x39.1mm (2), so in both editions the weapon shown is the original pre-war model before any modification and not the definitive Mkb 42(M). Thus the only known model located in a French gun museum brought back at the end of WWII by French troops during or after their occupation of south-west Germany and the Mauser factory in Obendorf in April 1945, is not the definitive Mkb 42(M) but the pre-war prototype, later developed into Mk 42(M) and finally Mkb 42(M) which cannot be the one in the picture.

 

[publiusr]

Surprised Lucas didn’t make a Star Wars blaster out of that.