MG42

[Tom Niefer]

I've been reading about the MG42 and I'm impressed. I find conflicting rates of fire, some as high as 1200 rounds/minute. Does anyone have a factual rate of fire and what is your opinion of this machine gun? Has anyone here actually fired this weapon?

Cheers,
Tom

[MD650]

Maybe you find som info here:

http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6249

[Leibstandarte_reenactor]

1100 is standard, with the barrel being changed

[Tom Niefer]

Thanks for pointing me in that direction MD650. Interesting conversation, to be sure. I'd love to fire one of those babies.

Cheers,
Tom

[MD650]

Thanks for pointing me in that direction MD650. Interesting conversation, to be sure. I'd love to fire one of those babies.

Cheers,
Tom

Your welcome....

BTW I´ve tried one MG 42 but only five rounds (due security reasons) and it was nice.
I´ve tried the swedish version of MG 42 (Ksp 94) that we have in our Leopard tanks (Strv 122) and the difference to the MG 42 is that the firing rate is about 850 rounds/min. But it´s also nice.

Regards

[Leibstandarte_reenactor]

Thanks for pointing me in that direction MD650. Interesting conversation, to be sure. I'd love to fire one of those babies.

Cheers,
Tom

well if you want to own one
http://www.stoutguns.com

[Lawrence Tandy]

That's a neat site. Does anyone know of others that show videos of the MG42 in action?

[Leibstandarte_reenactor]

i have some photographs of the 42 shooting, e-mail Pete Stout and ask him for some photos or vids, he is a cool guy.

[Lawrence Tandy]

Thanks, I'll do that.

LT

[Tom Niefer]

Thanks for pointing me in that direction MD650. Interesting conversation, to be sure. I'd love to fire one of those babies.

Cheers,
Tom

well if you want to own one
http://www.stoutguns.com

Cool videos! 8)

Cheers,
Tom

[Preuße]

Hi,

my grandfather used between 1942 and 1945 a MG 42. He said it was extremly reliable (much more than its predecessor, the MG 34) and that it was always ready for use, even at extremly cold temperatures. The first version of the MG 42 had a firing rate between 1500 and 1600 rounds per minute, but the next versions had a rate of 1200 rounds per minute because of the shortage of ammunition.

Preuße

[Panzer Leo]

The MG42 is usually listed as having between 1200 and 1500 rpm as cyclic rate of fire.

The reasons are mainly two:

A light diversion because of different manufacturers and the most important reason:

It actually has a fluent ROF. Because of the inner parts speeding up in a prolongued burst, it will reach a ROF of 1500 as max, if you keep the trigger pulled (typically used in the setup with tripod and at least 20-30 rounds per burst).
If you use it on a bipod, you usually keep bursts as low as 5-10 rounds. Then it would have a ROF of around 1200.
Keeping the bursts short on bipod has to be made because the bipod setup usually being a squad weapon and less ammo is available as in the specialized tripod formations. Also the longer the burst, the less controlable it becomes on bipod.
Longer bursts on bipods are only used on short range anti-assaulting-fire (Sturmabwehrschießen), with the gunner traversing from one side to the other and the gun being fired on a kind of sinus curve.
The tripod (Lafette) absorbs the effect of loosing control over a longer burst.

[Alter Mann]

Its the only thing I don't like about the MG-42. A heavy machine gun section might have enough people to carry enough ammunition to sustain this rate of fire for a while, but an infantry section usually didn't. I also wish that the single shot option from the MG-34 had been incorporated. Expecially from a tripod, what a nce sniper weapon.

[ratdog]

Just pointing out some inaccuracies, the MG42 was classed as a Light MG. It was only considered a Heavy MG when on the tripod. Also the rate was slowed down near the end of the war and after by the insertion of a device in the bolt that reduced the rate of fire down. If anyone needs pics, I have a live MG42, and Tom, if you are ever in the PA area give me a shout and I'll let you shoot it.

[Leibstandarte_reenactor]

awsome set up, those tripods are HEAVY!!! do you have your FFL for automatic guns?