Gerat 06H

The Gerat 06H was the first fully roller-locker rifle,and the ancestor of all today’s roller-locked firearms (most notably the HK91 and clones). The 06H was a development of the Gerat 06, which was roller locked and gas operated. Mauser engineers determined that with special attention paid to part geometry, the gas piston of the Gerat 06 could be left out entirely, and the roller system could function as a delayed blowback action. This made for an extremely simple (and inexpensive) design. The body of the weapon was also designed for cheap manufacture, being made of metal stampings and as few machined parts as possible.

The Gerat 06H was chambered for the German 7.92×33 cartridge, and used the same magazines as the mass-produced StG44. The 06H would eventually be adopted as the StG45 and was intended to replace the StG44, but the war ended before more than a few could be produced. The designer engineers continued their work in Spain after WWII (producing the CETME rifle) before returning to Germany in the employ of Heckler & Koch.

Very few of these rifles were built, and the one we have photos of here is unfortunately incomplete.

Photos

16 Comments

  2. Hi, like the website, hope that it grows. I am looking for a Breda37 manual or anything that shows all the parts. Any ideas on where to find one?

    Thank you, Chris

    Reply

  4. Modern delayed blowback require significant force to unlock. Usually a cam is used. How did they do it with the Great?

    Reply

    • I don’t really know about accuracy, especially since all sorts of barrels were recut for rifles by the end of the war. However, I would give the handling edge to the 06H over the StG44. They are fairly similar, but the 06H is lighter and just fits me a little better.

      Reply

  6. Aah, that is very interesting! I feel confident you also have experience with the AK-47. How would you compare the German MKb’s with the AK?

    And a second question, I may be pushing my luck here, but could you tell me if the Gerät 06H had a modified ejection system? As said in the video, its top right ejection was initially rejected.

    Thanks and keep up the splendid work!

    Reply

    • The 06H is heavier than the AK and fires a slightly lighter cartridge, so it’s recoil is noticeably less than that of a 7.62×39 AK. The 06H will fit a lot of people better than an AK, as it has a longer length of pull, and a safety lever much more ergonomically placed (for a right-handed, anyway). However, it does not have any insulation on the handguard, which heats up pretty fast.

      Overall, the two are on pretty close footing, IMO. Having to choose between them on their merits alone would be a tough decision…I think I would probably go with the 06H.

      Reply

    • Having fired both the AK-47 and AKM in the Army (long story there) I found that my MP43 is both better ergonomically and easier to control on full auto. In fact, it compares favorably to the M16A1 in both ergonomics and controllability in full auto, with the M16A1 only pulling ahead on weight and longer range fire. The flatter trajectory of the 5.56mm round is a real advantage over either the 7.62×39 or 7.92×33 rounds past 150-200 meters.

      On the other hand, I’d love to have a comparison shoot between my MP43 and the Gerät06/StG45. Ian, if you’re ever in Virginia with one of the repro StG45s, please contact me.

      Reply

      • I agree with that. I would love to see a good comparison between the StG/MP 43 and the StG 45 ! I am sure Ian is already on his way to Virginia now 🙂

        Reply

  8. I clicked on the link and then downloaded the .pdf file of the patent. When I try to open it, it says “corrupted file”. Do you have any other source where I can download the same patent?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*