Since i'm a mil-surp affecionado, while i watch the news and the coverage of war, I've noticed what Iraqi troops are armed with. Of course there is the AK-47 and the m-16, caught a glimpse of quite a few Mosin-nagants, lots of turkish style mausers, and just recently in a military gun rag I can't remember the name of showed a cache of captured rifles, a bunch of AK style sniper rifles without scopes, some euro assault rifles I hadn't heard of and a couple vintage German STG-44's!?!

How in the heck do these people figure out their ammo?

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and a couple vintage German STG-44's!?!

Are you sure they were MP43/STG44s??

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I've noticed what Iraqi troops

You sure those arms were used by "Iraqi Troops"?

.....Or perhaps just firearms taken in the US gun control/confiscation sweeps?

Yeah I read that same article. It was talking about the weapons used by the insurgents and terrorists. Including the STG-44, even had pictures of that gun. The details are a little sketchy how it happened but there seems to be a decent supply of STG-44 in the middle east.

The Pakistanis have been turning out those rifles for a while, now. You can get one brand new, without any kind of identifying numbers, if you know which hut to go to.

You could find them everywhere in Africa when the Soviets did not want to appear like suppliers of guerilla groups, Palestine, Erythrea, Somalia, etc.
they supplied the Viet Minh with it until 49.

in fact, 80 % of the manufactured MP 43/ StG 44 have been captured in military depot in Germany in 1945 since the 7.92 x 33 mm ammo production level was not high enough to supply more than 10 % of the needs for this specific round.

I believe Soldier of Fortune magazine had the picture of a Stg 44 in Iraqi. They think it came from an Iraqi musuem that was looted.

There are US contractors there destroying an average 40 tons of ammo and firearms a day since summer 2003.
I had received pictures of firearms from people there asking me to help ID them and request to supply parts for european firearms...
I almost cried when I received pictures of Persian Lugers in mint shape seized from Iraqis and being destroyed..