Gerat 06H - STG45M scratch build

[kingmaker]

To add to Volksturms Gerat06h thread i will showing my better build of this ww2 German proto-type.This is inspired by the Forgotten weapons YouTube video on this assault rifle,what i mean by better is improved on the prototype i posted pics of previously.
I think it is very important as it could be made in about 4 hours using steel stampings,have the same performance,except for a lower rate of fire,as an mp44 and be nearly half the price.Ugly it may be,but lots of cheap effective rifles is what you need in war.Its lighter and only has about 70 parts,almost as basic as a sten to make
The prototypes were looked at by the allies after the war,put in a museum and ignored a lot of the technology.Heckler and Koch then patented this Bolt design in the 1960's,and used it on the G3,MP5,G33.The construction style was passed on to them also.
I will be using a v3 gearbox with an AK nozzle and selector plate,and a g36 trigger and motor frame as this will get me a more accurate receiver shape,and allow the AK safety quadrant to be used and an Ak hop unit which I like because it is held in place with screws,and not just located in a body,which is easy with injection moulding,but not hand made sheet metal.

I used pictures on forgotten weapons website of an incomplete 06h receiver,it has a cm rule next to it so i can scale it,i enlarged the image in an Ipad so it was 1:1 made a drawing.Above is the reciever mould,it is made from Oak,fibre board,pu foam,steel and lots of glue paint and filler.I will use the mould to make a stamping tool for the receiver halfs,and then weld them together.
That is an original mp44 mag from Latvia.it had 28 rounds in it when dug up,for some reason although it only takes 30 rounds,the spring is 4 inches from the bottom,seems like a lot of space was wasted in the design to me.the AGM MP Mag is very accurate indeed in all dimensions apart from being 5mm longer.

[volkssturm]

Interesting project. I'm impressed that you can work with steel stampings.

[kingmaker]

The form tool for the receiver is very expensive,so profit is not possible but i am now working on 2 STG 45M rifles to sell,as most of the work is by Hand it will take several days work per rifle.I am doing most of it in my spare time.
There are 5 main assemblies from 1.2mm mild sheet metal.the first is shown below,this is a semi finished receiver half.My photo will not upload,worked yesterday though,any help on this anyone.si google images as good as photo bucket for saving forum space?


<img style="max-width:100%;" alt="" src="">

[LϟϟAH1944]

Were out of space on the forum You need to post them to another website.

[kingmaker]

I have made a full set of engineering drawings of all the parts,i have photo copied all the sheet metal parts and glued it onto the steel.Next i used a small angle grinder with a 1mm wide cutting wheel and cut out the parts.Many of the holes were put in while every thing is flat with a hand held whitney punch.The grooves on the front barrel cover are then rolled in and the tube shape formed by using a nylon mallet to hammer it over a tin smiths stake.

[kingmaker]

These are the front barrel trunnions, that go at the front of the tube with grooves rolled in the previous photo.Only one is on each rifle though.They are aluminium.

[kingmaker]

On the top row of part are the rectangular which is a blank for a front sight hood.It is cs70 carbon steel.To the right is a shaped hood and the steel former it is bent around,and then an assembled front sight.The sight hood must be heated,quenched in oil and then tempered at 310 deg c,this will give it finished colour also.
On the bottom row box that  the mag will fit in ,it has a slot for the mag catch.The element hop up and systema 6.04 is screwed on top of it.Far left is the paper pattern to make the box and far right a machined block of steel to hammer the plate around to get a good fir for the mp44 mag.The mag catch is on the bottom row,it is m16 style although depressed from the opposite side so not so ergonomic.

[kingmaker]

Feb 20, 2014 18:37:43 GMT -5 kingmaker said:

Next the rear sight assembly,at the bottom the 3 paper patterns that make this housing,They are welded with acetylene and some brazing also,this is then held with 2 m3 screws to the grooved tube part of the receiver.A 'L' shaped leaf spring puts pressure on the Sight leaf from below.The sight leaf is from an AK47,I have riveted it to a small block of Aluminum,and it will pivot on a diameter 2.5mm piece of wire.The tab that is at the right hand side holds the top bolt cover on top of the receiver,a similar tab on the stock sleeve holds this cover at the other end so it can be removed in seconds.                                   Above the sight parts is the fire selector/safety lever,like on an m16,this is a modified airsoft m16 one.I have drilled a hole in the centre so it can screwed to the geared quadrant that moves the selector plate and safety lever on the right side of the v3 gearbox.Most stg45's don't have the safety so far back,but one of the prototypes at least does have this position.The engineers were trying lots of things,out of the 30 guns made they are all slightly different.The mp44 has separate safety and fire selector levers.
The tube shaped part is the plug that will be screwed into the end of the outer barrel to support the far end of the inner barrel.This will be taken out so the hop can be moved away from the gearbox which can then be removed,the barrel can then be taken from the gun through the stock end of the reciever,so this last part does not need to be split in 2 like most airsoft AEG' S

[volkssturm]

In interesting game could be predicated on the war going into 1946. German troop would be armed with STG44's and STG45's. Americans with the T22 Garand, full auto with 20 round mag, which in real history was ordered into production in mid-1945 but cancelled when Imperial Japan surrendered, and probably M2 carbines, which were being fielded at the end of the war. Of course, someone would have to come out with an M2 carbine AEG.

Since I'm on a roll of fantasy history here, another potential US weapon to redress the firepower advantage the Germans gain from their Sturmgewhres might be the Johnson LMG. Mel Johnson never quite gave up on his design and produced an M1944 model which was tested by the Army. It would make a neat AEG.

www.forgottenweapons.com/light-machine-guns/johnson-m1944e1/

I'll stop hijacking the thread now. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to more pictures.

[kingmaker]

OK good seems my history lesson has gone down well,was'nt sure if it was too off topic for this section.
Below is the oak stock,in ww2 is was laminate but i have loads of oak and it looks great and makes it good quality.
I have glued my pattern to it,than band sawed it out.Previously  i drilled the battery compartment on a pillar drill,but it can wander of and i could only get a dia 3/4 x 8" hole and it my wander of line at that depth.I have clamped the stock to a 1" bar in the lathe tool post.I have marked a pencil cross at either end of the stock,i line these up with 60 degree centers,or pointers if that makes it easier to understand,these go in the main chuck and tailstock.This lines up the centre line of the lathe axis with the axis of the hole i want to drill in the wood.
I happen to have a longer 3/4" drill with parallel shank that i can't fit in my pillar drill,this is put in the lathe chuck where the components normally are held.
I can then get my 3/4" x 9" hole,in exact position,i can even auto feed it on the lathe and watch and have a coffee,great,then i move the stock over 20mm and drill a second hole 5.25" deep,then i can move it again and take out the wall between the 2 holes, this way I have a stepped compartment in the stock
This will take 9.6 and 8.4 stick,mini and crane stock NIMH, and most airsoft LIPOS,handy to have and few Airsoft rifles could do this.

[LϟϟAH1944]

How much do you sell them for?

[shiftysgarand]

Very very cool. I wish I had a lathe like that.

[LϟϟAH1944]

Definitely awesome work.

[kingmaker]

Here is a reciecer half you can see it was designed like a tube construction like a STEN,i think the germans working on this thought of the one piece stamping later in the project,who knows,there are at least 3 main areas where the stretching is massive and i must do some hand hammering and then anneal which a torch,or else it will just tear a whole.Press techniques were crude back then,as mine is now with limited resources.Tools to do this work can cost 5 figure sums.Apparently 40% of stg44 receivers had welded repairs on them so the Germans had trouble with the techniqe,also the soviets made the AK47 with milled receivers for 10 years,as the industry could not solve the press work problems,so I have read.The USA stuck with wood stocks in the M14,they like the British also said the sheet metal was not durable in service.Also the USA did not like the intermediate cartridge like on this STG44 +45,saying it was underpowered,although the UK had a 7.1 cartridge that the FAL and EM2 Prototypes ,used in the early 1950's,full rifle cartridges were made NATO standard,it was to powerful for an assault rifle on full auto.
The groove in tube section of my stamping is the bolt guide rail,the grip is pressed,although wood covers are seen later.

[2nd Bat]

I wish you were devoting this energy and effort to fill a vacant need for a weapon not currently available that was actually used during the war but it is impressive none the less and I wish you well.

[kingmaker]

This is the trigger ring,i cut the trigger slot while it is flat,hammer it around my oak wood former and then weld it up,then the hole in the receiver must be filed out,things like this take a lot of time.I have made it about 5 mm too wide then i will tack it in place with a few spots of braze and grind it down to get the correct lip above the receiver level.
Also the stock sleeve,a press tool is used for this,its too hard to panel beat,it is made in 2 half's,it will be held in place by an mp5 spring loaded pin which is the same design as the ww2 mp44 pin.I have made one before but it was a nightmare.

[kingmaker]

This is the top cover for the receiver,it has a a spring loaded fake bolt,it moves on a slot with 2 loose rivets as guides.The rod on the top row is welding wire it is the guide for the bolt spring.Hop adjustments can be made through the cocking handle slot and the oval hole which is the ejection port,so this way you can get at the left and right side of the hop unit,useful sometimes.If this cover is removed,you can change your hop nub while the barrel is still in. The gun.
This rifle was unpopular with the people approving this for combat as the shell goes almost straight up at about 1 o clock and was thought to give away the position of the user.
I made this gun originally because i could fabricate it relatively easily,i have made this better copy with some tooling,now with reflection it may have been more worthwhile to have made a rifle that saw service,but i liked being the first to do it,although a Japanese airsofter made A Gerat 06 about 4 years ago,mine is an 06H ,it is on a web site and on you-tube but the guy who owns it now thinks its an stg44.
Copying things that are made with mass production tooling by hand is a road to commercial disaster and you end up with something that looks a bit **** possibly too.I am just doing this for the love of the hobby,i hope i may get my tooling cost back.
Does anybody have advice on sending airsofts to the states will it get through? pm me if you know anything about it.
I do have an FG42 on the drawing board,and have got some internals to base the design on.i thought about putting massive effort into this 1st,but the receiver is very complicated and thin also,so a gearbox will make it look wrong.

[LϟϟAH1944]

Looking amazing! I personally prefer the wood grip, but the metal ones look cool as well!

[2nd Bat]

You can easily export to the states for buyers here but everything with regard to literature must refect that is an airsoft replica and your barrel must be painted in permanent blaze orange for at least 1/2 inch of the muzzle to clear customs. Any viable brand logos of actual production companies must be removed or descreit. Not an issue in your case. It is fun watching your efforts and progress.

[kingmaker]

Next up sling mounts,the front loop could not have been cheaper if you tried.The Gerat06h seems to be made to accept the standard k98 sling also used on mp44,re pros are readily available.
The Two Hideous pieces of rusty metal are a tool i already had to make medieval stirrup strap loops,the 3 silver 10mm wide strips of steel sheet are the loops at various stages,flat, stamped and fully formed,that are riveted to the gun with 2 1/8" round head rivets,its very strong indeed. You can see a finished loop on the tube that is the front of the receiver.
The stock has a slot in the wood and an angled cut-out for the strap keeper to sit in.This was done on the lathe same way as the battery hole drilling ,the small cutter is for the slot and big one for the recess,the cutter goes in the main chuck and the wood is 'g' clamped to the tool post.This operation could take longer to do on a milling machine in my opinion.
The sling is on the right side of the gun,i thought this would be horrible to use but if i put my arm through the sling and hang from my shoulder muzzle down,the is less likely to swing about as most of the weight is high up,i can then lift it up and take aim with out taking the sling of my shoulder,and then let go of the gun again and have free hands.Some MP44 post war had the slings move to the left side of the gun.Sorry photos are not in sequence with  the text.

[kingmaker]

Here is the front sight again.The main body is 1" square aircraft alu. The red circle is the hole for the barrel and the cross hatched areas are cut away and a vertical metal cutting band saw.The semi finished sight needs the hood tinkered about a bit to get it central.
Also the receiver is taking more shape now.

[kingmaker]

Try this link,you need to down load the photo gallery to see the original parts i am copying
www.forgottenweapons.com/german-ww2-rifles/gerat-06h/

Also you tube from the same company,all the info you could need.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEPwmYcCPFs

If the above link doesn't work search Gerat06H Last ditch innovation. on you-tube
I actually think my version looks more like the originals than the working copy seen in this video,maybe that is not for me to say so i will shut up.Apparently the firing replicas were made in the UK as well but I am not certain.
I may not post many more pictures for a couple of weeks as I want to get the parts chemically blacked before I assemble them.
Unless there is anything any body wants to know,i hope what i have put on so far will help you guys with your own builds,although i am using equipment out of reach of most.

M

[2nd Bat]

This has been a wonderful project and a fabulous tutorial. I think I speak for many when I say thanks for posting.

[halfnelson]

I'm with you on that, 2nd Bat! It's great to just sit here and watch your progress. Awesome thread!

[kingmaker]

Here is a photo of an original Gerat 06h receiver,this is the name for the prototype,it would have been called STG45M when in production and service,however this never happened as the 30 test trial guns were never assembled before the wars end.As I have said before there hardly seems to be 2 the same so they may have been made that way so different features could be tested.

[kingmaker]

Next up is the finished item,the rifle at the top is the new one it has a full length agm mp44 mag,the bottom rifle is the original prototype,that used ak47 mags,that is seen elsewhere on this forum.The centre gun is a Tokyo Marui MC51,which is a suppressed g3 carbine used for a short time by the UK special Boat Squadron,which is basically SAS IN BOATS.It has full prometheus internals and runs on a 12v nicad at 24rps.Any way the G3 H+K produced rifle that the stg45 grew into it was very successful on all levels.You can see it has the bolt rails stamped into the sheet metal.

[kingmaker]

The originals have v20 stamped on the side of the magwell i have done this to mine also.You cane pop the gearbox out in a couple of minuets.Once you have the stock of there are 5 screws to undo with a 2.5mm allen key.(hex head driver)
I have managed to shorten one of the agm mags.The gerat 06 rifles are seen with 5 and 10 round mags,this was mainly for test shooting no doubt full size mags would have been used.Some mp44 are seen with field modified short mags.They were factory made also for a semi auto volksturm rifle vg1-5.My version holds 160 rounds.
 

[kingmaker]

I have had the parts chemically blacked,it has a dull black look,i got this by putting a wire brush cup wheel in an angle grinder before i sent it out to be finished,the wire wheel on the grinder is a potentialy dangerous process so beware.

[ssgjoe]

I am very impressed and a bit jealous that you can stamp your own metal


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

[kingmaker]

The whole gun with a small lipo,no sling and the short mag weighs just over 3kg.or 6.6 pounds,and it is not too front heavy,so it handles well.I have made a handy box after seeing a replica semi auto .22 replica that was sold with one of these.
If any body has any question here is my web site link
www.stgeorgearmoury.co.uk/87712.html
I have one gun finished to sell ,and another shell that i am saving up to put a lonex gearbox in it.i hope to sell 2 so it pays for the tooling which broke the bank big time.I hope to have one for myself also as i am only doing this for fun.