G41 Walther

This is an all matching Walther ac43 G41. This was Walther's initial submission to the Wehrmacht's request for an autoloading rifle. The requirements laid down for the rifle design resulted in an unwieldy weapon--it was not to have a detachable magazine, was not to have direct gas tapping from the barrel, and was to have a separate bolt for use if hte semi-auto design failed. Walther did not comform to the latter requirement, but their design was accepted anyway. Both Walther's and Mauser's submission (the G41M) used a "Bang" design of trapping the gas after it left the muzzle, using it to force back an operating rod actuating the breech block. These rifles were awkward, and prone to fouling. As well, they used an annular ring over the barrel to trap the gas and move the rod backwards. In use, these heated up and constricted on the barrel, resulting in uneven accuracy. After the failure of the Mauser design, Walther removed the (W) from their markings, leaving the rifles just marked G41. It can be seen that this rifle served as the precursor for the more famous and much more successful G43.

This example is all matching, but has been duffle cut under the front band. As well, someone has carved a semi-pistol grip into the stock. I am not sure if this was done in service--I would have expected that someone doing this post-war to "sporterize" the rifle would have cut the front stock completely. Regardless, it is a scarce rifle, and fully functional. Although it does not have a butt trap, under the buttplate I found a spare annular ring wrapped in an old oil cloth!

I have taken a number of photos to try and show how this rifle's system works. I will try and get new photos with higher resolution as time permits.......