VG.1

Volkssturmgewehr VG-1 rifle
Volkssturmgewehr VG-1 rifle
image courtesy: James D. Julia auction house, USA

 

Volkssturmgewehr VG.1 rifle, close up view on the receiver and magazine
Volkssturmgewehr VG.1 rifle, close up view on the receiver and magazine
image courtesy: James D. Julia auction house, USA

 

Caliber: 7.92×57 mm
Action: manually operated
Overall length: 1092 mm
Barrel length: 589 mm
Weigth: 3.77 kg empty
Magazine capacity: 10 rounds

 

During the closing months of the WW2 Hitler tried all possible means to stop Allied advances on all fronts. One of such means was creation of the Volkssturm organization, which conscripted males aged between 16 and 60 who were not already serving in German armed forces. Hastily trained and usually armed with second-hand or obsolete weapons, the Volkssturm formed the last line of defense of Third Reich. Due to shortage of small arms during late 1944 and early 1945, German industry developed a number of cheap, rude but at least marginally effective weapons, solely intended for Volkssturm use. Most of these weapons were very basic in design, crude in finish, made of inferior materials and with little attention to durability, fit and finish. The Volkssturmgewehr VG.1 rifle was developed by Walther company, and produced in small numbers during early months of 1945. This was very crude 'last ditch' weapon, which, if encountered today, might be unsafe to fire with anything but blank ammunition.

The Volkssturmgewehr VG.1 rifle is manually operated bolt action rifle. It uses simple rotating bolt, with locking provided by the two frontal lugs; crude bolt handle engaged the cut in cast steel receiver to provide additional safety. The feed is from detachable box magazines, originally developed for G.43 rifle. Manual safety is also very crude, and consist of a stamped steel lever, pinned to the trigger guard just behind the trigger. When engaged, the safety lever blocks trigger movement. To disengage the safety user must turn it sideways by the finger. The stock is crudely made from wood, and non-adjustable iron sights are provided for close-range shooting only.