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Early in World War II, the German Ordnance Department wanted a semi-automatic rifle for the military, and both Mauser and Walther submitted samples for what would become the G41. Walther's design would eventually be chosen, but there were restrictions placed on the design that only Mauser respected. The restrictions included: no gas port or holes in the barrel, no moving parts on the outside, and a bolt action had to be added in case the auto-loading mechanism failed. Thus, the result was an overly complex, unreliable and bulky gun. The G41 (M) was striker-fired, rotating-bolt locking and featured a traditional bolt/charging handle that automatically disconnected the bolt assembly from the recoil spring should the rifle be used in manual mode. Only about 6,000 G41 (M)s were made and it is one of the rare World War II small arms for collectors today. For more on the German G41 (M), watch this "I Have This Old Gun" segment from a recent episode of American Rifleman TV.
