Rare, Iconic Volkssturmgewehr VG 1-5

Description

6/4/26 - This is a very nice example of a very rare late WWII Nazi VG1.5 or Volkssturmgewehr or "Peoples Assault Rifle" that was manufactured by Gustloff-Werke in Suhl.  Fewer than 10,000 were ever produced and the survival rate is very low.  These rifles were also never officially sanctioned or adopted by the German Army and consequently will not have any acceptance proofs or markings.  This example has the original, late-war phosphate finish which shows some general patina but is in great shape overall.  The gun is not marked in any way aside from the stock.  Left side stock is marked 'Th.2232', which is the serial and 'Th.' presumably refers to Thuringia.  The wood furniture is in excellent condition with only a minor chip near the rivets.  Excellent, shiny bore.  Rare, original canvas sling.  Takes a standard STG / MP 44 mag.  

These rifles were a late war development and designed along the same lines as the MP43 and MP44 series of rifles, which were intended to be an even cheaper and simpler method of producing a semi-automatic rifle for the last ditch efforts in defending the Third Reich. They were made up primarily with all stamped sheet metal parts and components that were welded or pinned together to prevent disassembly, all which minimized the use of depleted German manufacturing resources. The only real machined parts on the entire rifle were the barrel, bolt head and various springs. These rifles were never officially sanctioned or adopted by the German Army and consequently will not have any acceptance proofs or markings. In fact they were kept in secret from Hitler who despised their crude and unrefined manufactured appearance. These rifles function on a direct blow back operated basis, where the entire outside of the barrel jacket/receiver recoils. The barrel has a fluted chamber to aid in extraction and it fires the short 7.92 mm Kurz cartridge, which is the same as the MP44.