Mg42

Here is another picture from the little shoot we had. Alot of people don't like the 42' as a shooter. "It's a monster" is the most common complaint. Others say it just wastes ammo. I LOVE THE MG 42! In 7,9 or 7.62, it is the show stopper. I enjoy my MG34 more but if it HAS to work, the 42 will always get the nod. I have an original WW2 German tripod but the post-war one is much easier to shoot off. JH

Is the cyclic rate the same for the 7.62 as the 8mm?

rpf2697 said:

Is the cyclic rate the same for the 7.62 as the 8mm?

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Hi Rhett,
Generaly,no. The 42/59 (7.62 Nato) with the std. 7,9 bolt times about 1000+ RPM. Heavier bolts and different booster assembly will slow the gun even more in 7.62. I have timed this MG42 at over 1300 RPM in 7,9 with some ammo and barrel/bolt combinations. JH

If you fired long extended periods of time at 1200 rnds/min.(like WWII combat), how long before you had to change barrels and when the other cooled off was it still usable and straight?

rpf2697 said:

If you fired long extended periods of time at 1200 rnds/min.(like WWII combat), how long before you had to change barrels and when the other cooled off was it still usable and straight?

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The manual suggests every 300 rounds (CONSTANT FIRING) between barrel changes, or every 300 round can of ammo. What happened in combat was probably quite different however. Off the tripod the gun would be mostly used with the 50 round belts in squads for the most part and just the small amount of time that it takes to reload the weapon would be sufficient to keep the barrel serviceable until it could be changed. The standard German unplated barrels wear out quite quickly compared to postwar manufacture. The Germans began to hard chrome the bore and chamber on MG42 barrels near the later part of the war. This was a GREAT improvement not only adding much longer life to the barrel but also in reducing stuck steel cases as the weapons got hot and dirty.I have quite a number of these chromed barrels which I continue to save. Besides being easy to spot as chromed, the barrel shoulder is marked with a "Cr". JH

PS: click for greater details on pictures

AM I to assume that there is supply source for 8mm/42 barrels..?

I have often wondered what 42 owners did for resupply as they had not been making the 42 in 7.9 for quite some time..

I figured there was plenty of war surplus barrels around for awhile ,but that would eventually run out..

Are they being produced aftermarket these days..

ANother great gun you have there....

If you are gonna collect German WW2 you might as well get them all I say....now if I just had the money and the ATF would let me get that 8.8cm in non-dewat.

agalland said:

AM I to assume that there is supply source for 8mm/42 barrels..?

I have often wondered what 42 owners did for resupply as they had not been making the 42 in 7.9 for quite some time..

I figured there was plenty of war surplus barrels around for awhile ,but that would eventually run out..

Are they being produced aftermarket these days..

ANother great gun you have there....

If you are gonna collect German WW2 you might as well get them all I say....now if I just had the money and the ATF would let me get that 8.8cm in non-dewat.

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There are barrels being built (mostly for the semi guns) for both the MG34 & 42.However the price of surplus ammo in the last 1 or 2 years has slowed the barrel cosumption rate quite a bit. Just a year before GW's AG stopped the importation of mg barrels, you could get 42 barrels for $25/each or $20/each if you bought 10. The guys in my group bought our share and then some. Now one has to watch the consumption of ones ammo..........go figure. I do believe Federal law would allow you to build that 88mm, DD's are not banned from new manufacture. But the cost & the ammo,well that might be a different story. JH

haak48 said:

I do believe Federal law would allow you to build that 88mm, DD's are not banned from new manufacture. But the cost & the ammo,well that might be a different story. JH

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Ok, anyone have a parts kit??



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Jim,
Why would an MG42 barrel in .308 have the WWII eagle over swastica still visible? Kinda funny that it served post war with the WWII proofs... what do you think... common?

Rhett the WW2 German barrel extensions were comonly reused, but the barrels themselfs would have had to been newly made for obvious reasons. Where have you seen such a barrel? JH

The barrel came from RTG Parts as a post war barrel. I recall the marking clearly but I am not sure what the barrel extension is for sure. I looked at the pics your posted on theis thread and now realize that the barrel can be removed from the extension? How difficult is it to remove? The WWII German proof and maker mark was indeed on the squarish piece (extension?) you show in the pictures. Are these .308 barrels chrome lined?

rpf2697 said:

The barrel came from RTG Parts as a post war barrel. I recall the marking clearly but I am not sure what the barrel extension is for sure. I looked at the pics your posted on theirs thread and now realize that the barrel can be removed from the extension? How difficult is it to remove? The WWII German proof and maker mark was indeed on the squarish piece (extension?) you show in the pictures. Are these .308 barrels chrome lined?

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Hi Rhett,
Removing the barrel from the extension and replacing with another it is much like rebarreling a k98 mauser. The extension is the "receiver" in this case. The post war 7.62 Nato barrels commonly for sale by RTG and others are not chrome lined as a rule, though such barrels do exist. Many / most of these Steyr barrels use WW2 German barrel extentsions. They (the 7.62 barrels) were made from a grade of steel much tougher than the WW2 era 8mm barrels and will last quite some time longer. JH

Jim,
I am hoping the current wildfires are not a threat to you or your family.

Thanks Rhett,but the biggest fire is about 70 miles north of us. Real mess for those in that area however.JH