[6] According to Smith, the Germans were so familiar with the Garand upon its introduction that popular firearms publications in Germany included photos and descriptions of the M1.

In this system, propellant gases were captured by a cone-shaped gas trap at the muzzle, which in turn deflected them to operate a small piston which in turn pushed on a long piston rod that opened the breech and re-loaded the gun.

This is as opposed to the more common type of gas-actuated system, in which gases are tapped off from the barrel, and pushed back on a piston to open the breech to the rear.

In comparison to the Kar98k, the Gewehr 41 rifles were longer and heavier, and the only advantages they offered were limited to a higher rate of fire and an extra five rounds in the magazine.

[1] While the breech locking and firing systems on the G41(W) proved to be cheap and satisfactory enough for field use,[12] the complex gas trap system proved to be difficult to be kept meticulously clean in the field resulting in malfunctions,[13][14] often suffering from carbon fouling and/or corrosion.

[16] It was mostly used in the Eastern Front, where it proved to be less than successful due to the excessive weight and complexity of the Bang system, but it was the only semi-auto rifle the Germans were producing in significant quantities until the introduction of the improved Gewehr 43.