I have taken a bunch of pics from the Vermont Veterans Militia Museum today...some of them are up close..MACRO shots of the MP44 (weird thing is the tag said MP38/42..did they make such a thing?)

Pics added!!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: WE_STAND_ALONE,

The MP38/42 was a Beretta submachinegun that the Germans adopted for their troops in Italy. There was also an MP-38/44, which was simplified.

I can't imagine why an MP-44 assault rifle had "MP38/42" markings... that's just odd. Please post the pics, this intrigues me!

The very first varient produced in any numbers (for testing, not issue) was the MKb 42 (Machine Karbiner 1942), was that possibly what the tag said?

It definitely says MP-38/42 on the tag, but that's most assuredly a German short-cartridge assault rifle. They came in four designations, which were all basically the same rifle: MP-43, MP-43/I, MP-44 and StG-44. The MP-43/I sometimes had notches cut into the rear sight base for mounting a scope, but the weapon wasn't accurate enough for sniping work, so they quit doing it. All four guns are pretty much identical, just renamed as the war progressed.

The gun was initially called MP-43 (Machine Pistol 1943) to mislead Hitler, who stopped all work on new rifles. Then Hitler found out, and renamed it the MP-44 after he was convinced of its usefulness. Later, he wanted to score some propaganda victory, and renamed it the Sturmgewehr-44 (Assault Rifle 1944).

But one thing's for sure, that ain't no MP-38/42.

Well, the front sight assembly and muzzle show that it's not an MP-43/I, and the lack of any muzzle threading at all makes me think it's probably a late-war StG-44. All of the earlier examples I've seen had a threaded muzzle protected by a ferrule. In fact, I've never seen one without the muzzle nut and threading. I can only assume that it's a last-ditch, late-war production example and the Krauts were cranking 'em out as simplified as possible.