Hill & Mac Gunworks Introduces Modern StG 44 at SHOT 2016
Matt Korovesis 01.20.16
The Sturmgewehr 44 is one of the most iconic firearms from the Second World War. Held up as the original mass-production assault rifle, the flexibility and performance of the StG in the 1940s spurred the development of similar firearms by all major world powers, including the Soviet AK-47. For most shooters, the StG has remained an object of myth—very few original, fully-automatic rifles made it to the United States. This summer, Georgia-based Hill & Mac Gunworks (HMG) will start selling a “reborn” StG 44 tailored for the modern market, allowing a new generation of gun owners to get a taste of the Sturmgewehr legacy.
HMG’s rifle will initially be available in three primary models: the STG-N rifle ($1,799) with a 16.1-inch barrel, the STG-P pistol ($1,799) with a 13-inch barrel, and the STG-K SBR ($1,959), which will have several different barrel configurations. It will be offered in 7.92x33mm (also known as 8mm Kurz), 5.56x45mm, 7.62x39mm, and 300 BLK. The HMG STG isn’t a “rivet-for-rivet” reproduction, but utilizes the same long-strong gas piston with a tilting bolt as the original.
In a departure from the original, the HMG STG will feature a barrel nut system akin to that of an AR-15. The rifle’s 5.56x45mm barrels will feature 1/2×28 threads, while the 300 BLK and 7.62x39mm barrels will be topped with 5/8×24 threads. This will allow them to be used with a wider variety of modern muzzle attachments. Barrels will be constructed from 4150 steel.
Despite their outward similarities to the original StG mags, the polymer HMG STG mags are actually AR-pattern. The HMG STG will feed from any STANAG magazines.
The rifle’s rear sight base is removable, allowing an operator to attach a short Picatinny rail and use modern optics on the rifle. The gun also utilizes standard semiautomatic HK trigger packs, which can easily be swapped with other assemblies.
HMG’s rifle is right in the same weight class as the original, with the rifle coming in at 11 pounds and 10 ounces unloaded. The pistol will weigh around 10 pounds. HMG plans to have the their rifle for sale to the public by June 1 in nearly all configurations.
I've been a history and gun enthusiast since I was a kid. I love to shoot just about anything, from silenced bolt-action .22s to fully automatic heavy machine guns, and I love even more when I get to write about them. My main interests are modern small arms and the military small arms of World War II and prior conflicts, with a particular focus on Russian and Finnish firearms. Reading about guns like the Mosin-Nagant rifle in books and on the internet got me interested in collecting, shooting, and writing about them, and I hope to do the same for others through my work.
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