G43 AEG Mk2: Complete

I know some people are quite excited about this project so let’s get straight stuck straight in with some pictures!

Left side:

Right side:

The 3D printed receiver.

The rear sight, adjustable for elevation via the leaf. The rear sight adjustment is controlled by the bar across the leaf which is held in place by teeth and spring tension.

The receiver open. You can now see the finishing touches to the slide, which has been painted up using a mix of acrylics and coarse sand. This simulates the rough cast surfaces left over that were not milled flat as a manufacturing expediency.

The foresight unit, 3D printed and pinned in place. The blade is adjustable for windage once the hood is removed.

The barrel is black painted. Production versions of this may be oil blacked, though the fore-end cap will likely be printed rather than metal.

The magazine well and trigger guard. I may have to beef up the trigger guard in future versions. The magazine release is the small catch between the  magazine and the guard. Although not greatly ergonomic, the original was designed to be fed with stripper clips to be fair.

A second view.

The buttstock needs a bit more work for production, but it’s a satisfying result. For production I am going to try and put a sling mounting through it as per the original.

The buttplate comes off to access the battery compartment.

A quick view down the gun from the back.

I’m very pleased with this build I must admit. It looks the part and has a nice heft to it. Of course there have had to be some dimensional changes to fit the airsoft internals, but they aren’t any worse than AEG M1 Garands and without a direct comparison it ought not stand out too much.

Finally WWII airsofters have an option for a rifle that isn’t a K98k or an STG44.

 

If you have enjoyed this project or have an idea of your own, drop us a line on enquiries.vintageairsoft@gmail.com to discuss. ‘Like’ our Facebook page or follow the blog to get regular updates on projects and interesting videos and articles.

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G43 AEG Build 2: Part 3

The last leg of the G43 build are the details that will make it really look the part. First up: the rear sight leaf. This is adjustable for elevation, using a spring and teeth that engage on the right side of the leaf.

At the front, I’ve had a spring 3D printed. This slots into the nose cap provided by the client.

At the back of the receiver, the new one has the disassembly lever.

The rear sight in the flesh. It is kept down by the spring in the front of it.

Eagle eyed viewers will notice that the receiver has changed a bit, there are now two scoops in the side up by the chamber. There are also stronger rails which had proven a little bit weak to stand up to repeated disassembly.

The rear sight in place on the new receiver. 

The foresight is pinned in place with two 3mm pins. The foresight blade is adjustable for windage, so with the rear sight elevation adjustable you have a good range of adjustment.

 

Although this is now nominally all in place, I need to do some last bits of finishing. Although it is all there there is something missing to give it that ‘X-factor’. I expect it’ll all come together once the painting has been done.

 

If you are interested in this project or have an idea of your own, drop us a line on enquiries.vintageairsoft@gmail.com to discuss. ‘Like’ our Facebook page or follow the blog to get regular updates on projects and interesting videos and articles. 

Don’t forget you can buy our complete products via Etsy.

 

G43 AEG Build 2: Part 2

The first job for this part of the build was to modify my receiver design to fit the gearbox with comfortable space around it.

Effectively I added a slither of extra space down the middle to add width.

Once printed, it all fits quite nicely. The slide moves freely, needing only a slight tweak to put it in place.

While there isn’t a function to the action opening, it’s one of those things that is nice to have.

I decided at this stage to get the stock parts recut to improve the shape slightly.

 

The action now fits deeper inside  the stock and the receiver needs fitting into the woodwork rather than sitting on top.

I routed out the top so that the receiver fitted snugly in. As before it hooks onto the back and screws down at the front.

I routed out the top guard to fit the barrel and marked out cut lines.

I marked out some of the shape for the top guard at the same time.

Fitting the front cap provided by the client, the top guard is partly secured in place here and will be at the back as well.

With this in place, I can rough shape the stock itself. The top and bottom are rounded off for comfort as far back as possible.

Even at this stage the stock is developing a pattern quite pleasingly similar to the original!

I welded up a buttplate, the battery compartment needs still more work to fit an original alas.

With some careful design, the first version of the trigger guard and magwell just slots straight into the stock. Two screws in the front will hold it in place along with two lugs at the back.

The build is now starting to look distinctly G43-ish.

The magazine is a snug fit, but the catch engages nicely.

A little test piece to see what the varnish/stain will do to the woodwork.

Much of the rest of the work on this is painting and finishing work with just a few details to add.

 

If you are interested in this project or have an idea of your own, drop us a line on enquiries.vintageairsoft@gmail.com to discuss. ‘Like’ our Facebook page or follow the blog to get regular updates on projects and interesting videos and articles. 

Don’t forget you can buy our complete products via Etsy.

G43 AEG Build 2: Part 1

The aim of this build is twofold. In the previous G43 build it was a conversion from a wood-stocked M14. There were two problems with this:

1. The M14 stock isn’t quite the right shape
2. Wood-stocked M14s have become almost completely impossible to find

So as the G43 is one of my most asked-for builds I have finally come up with a solution. Making a stock from scratch is the simplest way to go, this one has taken a bit of time to get right but I now have a design I’m confident of.

Laser cut from ply, the parts are stuck together one layer at a time.

Checking the fit, the ‘lightly’ modified M14 action slots in. At this stage my main concern was the motor space as it is snug by necessity for strength.

Out of the second side, I have to cut a section to fit part of the M14 receiver. This is chiselled out and is invisible from the outside of the rifle.

In situ, the only part out of place here is the rear-wiring, which would normally live inside the stock. However it needs re-soldering on the motor here and doesn’t go in easily as such. This will be solved easily enough though.

The second side glued and clamped in place. I’ve put the battery transfer wire through from the battery compartment (in the buttstock) through to the motor housing. 

The action fits in snugly, and I fit the repro front cap provided by the client.

Although the donor action looks weirdly bent, that is the shape of an M14 once you strip the receiver bits off. The nozzle goes up into the feed ramp at an angle. It’s weird, but it works.

 

The next step is to create the faux receiver. I designed it for 3D printing. It may need a little tweaking to fit around the gearbox.

My initial design will need a little tweaking to fit around the gearbox mounting but the majority of the work is done.

I am hoping to have an opening receiver. Although it’ll have no function, it’s one of those touches that is nice to have.

 

More of this build coming soon!

 

If you would like to find out some of the history of this rifle, you can see my long-ago written intro to the G43 here.

 

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