peashooter85:The German Captured PPSh-41Perhaps the most iconic Soviet weapon of World War II, the P
peashooter85:The German Captured PPSh-41Perhaps the most iconic Soviet weapon of World War II, the PPSh-41 was also wildly popular among German forces who captured tens of thousands of the submachine guns and put them to good use. Among German soldiers they were popular for their ruggedness and their 71 round drum magazine. Chambered for 7.62x25mm Tokarev, the Germans lucked out in that they could used the German 7.63x25mm Mauser cartridge which was dimensionally similar. In it’s standard caliber, in German service it was called the MP717®.While the MP717® was popular, there was a problem in that it’s 7.63x25mm Mauser ammunition was not so common. Most German pistols and submachine guns used 9x19mm Parabellum. The 7.63 Mauser cartridge was developed for the C96 Broomhandle pistol, which was popular during World War I but not as common during World War II. As a result, the Germans developed a 9mm conversion of the PPSh-41 called the MP-41®. The conversion was produced by replacing the extractor and changing out the barrel for one used on the German MP 40 submachine gun. The weapon used MP 40 magazines which were fitted with a special adapter. Supposedly, around 4,000 of these conversions were made, although it is unknown how many were actually produced. -- source link