Volkssturmgewehr
 |
| Volkssturmgewehr 1-5 | |
|---|---|
| File:Volkssturmgewehr (Sketch).jpg | |
| Type | Semi-automatic rifle |
| Place of origin |  Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | February-May 1945 |
| Used by | Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | Late 1944 |
| Produced | January-May 1945 |
| No. built | Approx. 10,000 |
| Variants | Selective fire variant |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Template:Kg to lb |
| Length | Template:Mm to in |
| Barrel length | Template:Mm to in |
| Cartridge | 7.92x33mm Kurz |
| Action | Gas-delayed blowback |
| Rate of fire | Semi auto |
| Muzzle velocity | 685 m/s (2,247 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 300 m |
| Feed system | 30-round detachable StG 44 box magazine |
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The Volkssturmgewehr 1-5 ("People's Assault Rifle") is a 7.92x33mm Kurz caliber semi-automatic rifle developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. It was also known as the VG 1-5, Volkssturm-Gewehr 1-5, Versuchs-Gerät 1-5 and "Gustloff", and was intended as a cheaply mass-produced weapon for the Volkssturm militia.
Development
The VG 1-5 was designed by Karl Barnitzke of the Gustloff-Werke for the Primitiv-Waffen-Programm ("primitive weapons program") in 1944 and was intended to be used by the Volkssturm. Production of the VG 1-5 occurred from January 1945 till the end of the war; roughly 10,000 were made.
Design details
The weapon employed the same 7.92x33mm Kurz intermediate cartridge as the earlier StG 44 assault rifle and also used the same detachable 30-round box magazine.
The Volkssturmgewehr 1-5 uses a gas-delayed blowback action based on the Barnitzke system, whereby gas bled from the barrel near the chamber creates resistance to the rearward impulse of the operating parts, which ceases when the projectile leaves the muzzle, allowing the operating parts to be forced rearward by the residual pressure of the cartridge case. This principle has been used most successfully in the Heckler & Koch P7 pistol.
The VG 1-5 is constructed rather like many automatic pistols, it has a casing and spring around the barrel; the whole casing recoils backward. The breech block, with firing pin and extractor, is pinned to the back end of the barrel casing. The rear end of the gun does not recoil and has the hammer, sear and trigger built into it. Gas coming from four vents, near the end of the barrel, holds the bolt closed till the gas pressure drops to a safe level. Some selective fire VG 1-5s were made.
See also
- StG 44
- StG 45/AME 49 prototype rifle, with roller-delayed blowback operation.
- MP 3008 submachine gun, intended for use by the Volkssturm.
- List of World War II firearms of Germany
External links
- VG 1-5 Semi-Auto Carbine in 7,62x33mm Kurz_Germany article with photographs
- German WWII VG 1-5 gas delayed blowback rifle