G43 Restoration

[barbarossa]

M4a3sherman, i think you have got the righteous restorer's bug alright. I too derive considerable pleasure from restoring the odd chopped up rifle that bubba has done worked his magic on. I started pursuing this aspect of gun collecting about the time I was your age and am now considerably older and more skilled at the restorer's art with each passing year. So, buy your reference books, examine every rifle you pass with a hard eye for the subtle aspects of bluing, stock patina and stock contour and you'll be miles ahead of many guys with a similar bug. Remember, knowledge is power! Over the years I have salvaged some truly rare rifles most especially Lee Enfields or Springfield 03's which had been gotten the bubba treatment. Some jobs take years to complete but that's half the fun--locating all the correct parts and restoring the rifle to its former glory. Believe it or not, I rarely lose money on these restoration jobs. If done properly, it will be hard to discern a rifle you've restored from the real deal. When you get that good at it, you know you have finally arrived!

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[m4a3sherman]

@barbarossa
Absolutely! My library of information grows with every gun I pick up; its a rule of mine to have a book on whatever I can and then some. Knowledge is indeed power and seemingly a more and more rare thing in these days in the age of Antiques Roadshow and Pawn Stars. (it seems like everyone has Hitler's canoe, or that everything made in the past 80 years is WWII) Everyone thinks that they have something special when the point is that only a FEW special things exist; knowledge is just as important for making a good deal as it is for protecting yourself from being screwed over. Just as important is practice! I work in a gunshop as a gunsmith and thusly have a chance to try out new techniques and skills all the time and the access to good equipment is a great boost as well.

[boltaction]

Very nice find, very nice job on the restoration, and glad to see another person who likes these old milsurps. If only these guns could talk, they would tell some pretty horrific tales. They are pieces of history and they need to be preserved with honor.

Ed

[m4a3sherman]

The stock came out of Poland from a guy who had made a limited run of the correct laminate.
GERMAN WW2 REPRO LAMINATED STOCK FOR G43 K43 RIFLE : Rifle Stocks at GunBroker.com

that is the same guy and auction I won mine from. There is another for the same price but in NJ however it will come from Poland as well so expect several weeks worth of wait either way. Will definitely require fitting!

[nhetzer]

Collector54,
If your missing parts from the gas system and plan on shooting it, my advice would be to get one of the modern after market ones that are adjustable. It's no secret that these guns are a bit over powered on account of not having an adjustable system, something the Russians got right with the SVT 40.

In the end it will really help preserve your rifle by toning down the slamming of the bolt into the rear of the receiver. No sense in beating these old girls to death. You can find them on Gunbroker and sometimes eBay. I got mine from a gentleman named Rob Applegate. You can find him and his services at http://www.apfeltor.com. I met him in person and he showed me around the shop. Nice guy and he did great work.


---
I am here: Google Maps

[m4a3sherman]

Additionally, Wolffe makes a full spring kit for these guns and I have their kit in mine. None of my original springs were broken but I have to assume the likely 'questionable' quality of late-war, slave-made, WWII German springs that have also been around and probably being used for almost 80 years now. I still have the originals anyway but I figured if I was going to go through all the trouble anyway, I might as well give it all a tune up. I have not put a new gas system on mine, but I have thought about it. If I can get my magazine to feed well, I will probably consider it though.

[esu]

You definitely need to contact Rob at Apfeltor and get one one of his shooting kits. They come with a series of orifices with different size apetures to coincide with the ammo you shoot. It turns a wall hanger into something you can shoot and enjoy. I have a shooter AC45 also that I picked up a few years back for $600 that came with a solid walnut repro stock. Ive always wanted one of the Polish laminate repops. You did good in restoring the old warhorse,,,,

[m4a3sherman]

For what it's worth, the stock has been darkened a bit to look more correct. Very pretty, pics later I'm sure.