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I have the opportunity to trade my enfields and sks plus some cash for a Gewehr 43. Thoughts on it? Not going to lie I am lusting after the G43, would be a really really cool piece to own. Thoughts? Is it worth it though? And yes it does have a shooters kit to tun the gas system to prevent wear and tear.
 
Only you can say whether it's worth it or not. I'd ask myself how readily available is ammo and casings if you reload.o_O
 
They are neat rifles for sure.
With that said...any of the ones that I have seen or shot...were rough to very rough in finish and fit.

And yeah I know that they were a "late war" rifle...but I still found the fit and finish a turn off for me to own one.
Andy
 
I've always found them historically and mechanically interesting. If it were me, I'd jump at the chance to trade an Enfield and SKS towards one. But different strokes, for different folks.

The last I checked, which admitted was a long time ago indeed, there was no problem finding 7.92×57㎜ ammo.
 
For the avid milsurp collector, a G43 would be a great addition to a collection. They are hard to come by and expensive. Looks like they are selling for about $3500 these days, if you can find one. 5-10 years ago, when I looked into getting one, they could be had for about $2000 as I recall.

That said, the interest to a collector would be purely historical. I had the opportunity to fire a friend's and my impression was that as shooters there is nothing special about them.

So, I would say it comes down to the relative values of your trade items and how much cash you have to put in, and do you want to have that much money tied up in a single gun?
 
I owned a couple of these decades ago when I was a teenager. I've told this story before, so I'll keep it short. One time I was shooting one, paused for a moment with the muzzle pointed at a 45 degree angle to the ground. Suddenly, the top of the action came off and went flying over my shoulder and into the sand. Glad this didn't happen when the rifle was up to my face. Or recoiling from a fired shot. The safety "switch" is held into the receiver forging by a C clip. Under the safety, are two pins that hold the guide rod (probably not correct nomenclature) in place. These two pins engage two corresponding holes in the back of the receiver. On this rifle, these holes wouldn't reliably hold the guide rod in place. Both of my rifles were made in 1945; at the time only about 21 years old. I don't think these rifles were all that well-made originally. I wouldn't consider one a shooter these days due to the value of the gun. They are an artifact.

If you want to get something as a semi-auto 8mm shooter, think about an FN Model 1949. Lots less expensive, way better made.

As to the proposed trade, "some cash" would be the determining factor. Two Enfields and an SKS, I'm no expert but those seem a long way short of what a decent (another operative word) G/K 43 would go for. Maybe you've got a screaming deal going here.

The K43's I bought in 1966 cost me $60 for both. And I probably got hosed in the deal.
 
I owned a couple of these decades ago when I was a teenager. I've told this story before, so I'll keep it short. One time I was shooting one, paused for a moment with the muzzle pointed at a 45 degree angle to the ground. Suddenly, the top of the action came off and went flying over my shoulder and into the sand. Glad this didn't happen when the rifle was up to my face. Or recoiling from a fired shot. The safety "switch" is held into the receiver forging by a C clip. Under the safety, are two pins that hold the guide rod (probably not correct nomenclature) in place. These two pins engage two corresponding holes in the back of the receiver. On this rifle, these holes wouldn't reliably hold the guide rod in place. Both of my rifles were made in 1945; at the time only about 21 years old. I don't think these rifles were all that well-made originally. I wouldn't consider one a shooter these days due to the value of the gun. They are an artifact.

If you want to get something as a semi-auto 8mm shooter, think about an FN Model 1949. Lots less expensive, way better made.

As to the proposed trade, "some cash" would be the determining factor. Two Enfields and an SKS, I'm no expert but those seem a long way short of what a decent (another operative word) G/K 43 would go for. Maybe you've got a screaming deal going here.

The K43's I bought in 1966 cost me $60 for both. And I probably got hosed in the deal.
Good advice and it would be a trade plus cash
 
If you want a semi-auto in 8mm Mauser(7.92x57) then look for an Egyptian Hakim in 8mm or the FN1949 mentioned by another poster. The Gewehr 43's are mechanically interesting but there is a reason the design was dropped immediately after WWII. Historically awesome, but they do have a bad habit of coming apart when you shoot them and other parts failures, if you plan on shooting it plan on having a gunsmith who is a good machinist on speed dial.

Cool but I'd never own a gun that has major parts breakages just from normal use.
Think of them as like a Jaguar car, expensive and frequent and expensive maintenance(from parts breakage).
 
Last Edited:
Alright folks. Ive decided im going to move forward with this deal. Im hesitating on trading my no1 mkiii* though. It is a cool rifle. But it is pretty beat up but all parts match except bolt. The wood is cracked in a few places but the bore is shiny and retains most of its rifling. I want to get another WWI era SMLE with a little better wood. No import marks either which is cool. Thoughts on trading or should I just put more money down. If there is hope that I can find another WWI era smle in the future, then I could probably do away with this one and look for one in a bit better condition. Kind of off topic, but thoughts?
 
Put more money down, they make more of that, you can make more. I doubt you can sweat out another Enfield.
Also, I have a source on replacement. No1 furniture, so it can be made to look lot better than whatever it is now.


Alright folks. Ive decided im going to move forward with this deal. Im hesitating on trading my no1 mkiii* though. It is a cool rifle. But it is pretty beat up but all parts match except bolt. The wood is cracked in a few places but the bore is shiny and retains most of its rifling. I want to get another WWI era SMLE with a little better wood. No import marks either which is cool. Thoughts on trading or should I just put more money down. If there is hope that I can find another WWI era smle in the future, then I could probably do away with this one and look for one in a bit better condition. Kind of off topic, but thoughts?
 

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