Gewehr 41 (W)
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 546 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.98 kg
- Introduced
- 1941
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Gewehr 41 (W) was a German semi-automatic rifle developed by Carl Walther for the Wehrmacht during World War II, chambered in the standard 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge. It was Germany's response to Soviet semi-automatic rifles and used a muzzle gas-trap (Bang) operating system that captured propellant gases at the muzzle to drive an annular piston, cycling a non-reciprocating bolt. Ammunition was loaded into a fixed 10-round internal magazine via two five-round stripper clips, the same clips used by the Karabiner 98k.
The G41's muzzle gas-trap operating principle was derived from a system patented by Danish designer Soren H. Bang decades earlier; the resulting mechanism was so fouling-prone and front-heavy that German troops nicknamed it cumbersome, and it was quickly superseded by the Gewehr 43 once Germany copied the cleaner Soviet Tokarev gas system.
The Walther G41(W) competed against the Mauser G41(M); both were required to avoid a bolt-cycling handle and to retain manual-cycling capability, constraints that hampered the designs. The complex muzzle gas-trap system fouled easily and the rifle was muzzle-heavy. Lessons learned led directly to the simpler, gas-piston-operated Gewehr 43.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Carl Walther GmbH
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- Germany
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1941 to 1943
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 546 mm
- Overall length
- 1140 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.98 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated long stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 10
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 776 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3850 J
- Effective range
- 400 m
- Maximum range
- 800 m
- Rate of fire
- 30 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
- Bang muzzle gas trap system
Fixed internal magazine
Stripper clip loading
Non reciprocating bolt
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 36 7.92x57mm Mauser rifles | 4.98 kg | 4.00 kg | Among the heaviest tenth |
| Overall lengthAmong 35 7.92x57mm Mauser rifles | 1140 mm | 1105 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 35 7.92x57mm Mauser rifles | 546 mm | 600 mm | Among the shortest tenth |
| Magazine capacityAmong 36 7.92x57mm Mauser rifles | 10 | 5 | Among the largest capacities |
Answers
Questions about the Gewehr 41 (W)
How much does the Gewehr 41 (W) weigh?
The Gewehr 41 (W) weighs 4.98 kg (10.98 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Gewehr 41 (W)?
The Gewehr 41 (W) is chambered in 7.92x57mm Mauser.
How many rounds does the Gewehr 41 (W) hold?
The Gewehr 41 (W) holds 10 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Gewehr 41 (W)?
The Gewehr 41 (W) is 1140 mm (44.9 in) long overall, with a 546 mm (21.5 in) barrel.
Who makes the Gewehr 41 (W)?
The Gewehr 41 (W) is made by Carl Walther GmbH (Germany). It was designed by Carl Walther GmbH.
When was the Gewehr 41 (W) introduced?
The Gewehr 41 (W) was introduced in 1941 and discontinued in 1943.
How does the Gewehr 41 (W) operate?
The Gewehr 41 (W) uses a gas operated long stroke action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Nazi Germany (Wehrmacht)
- 1941
Provenance
Confidence in this record
80%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/gewehr-41' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "gewehr-41", "name": "Gewehr 41 (W)", "manufacturer": { "id": "walther", "name": "Carl Walther GmbH", "countryCode": "DE", "foundedYear": 1886, "website": "https://www.carl-walther.de", "logoUrl": null, "description": "German manufacturer of sporting, competition, and defense firearms. Founded in 1886, Carl Walther is known for precision weapons technology.", "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:40", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:48", "version": "d65d37557d49efec8a72ef6019ef9e5cab9430c505d88b909eaad72b3bf3cfb3" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "DE", "year_introduced": 1941, "barrel_length_mm": 546, "weight_empty_g": 4980, "action_type": "gas_operated_long_stroke"}