www.MG42.us

I found a gunners wallet for my Solothurn. It even had the spare firing pin, a spanner and a couple punches in it. I had a few of the missing tools at home. Other than that I didn't find anything I couldn't live without. I didn't get a lot of time to wander though....had to work.

Frank

You tell him John.....I agree 100%.

see ya thursday setting up.


Frank

The type of ammo you use and how the gun is set up can make a huge difference. The MG15 ejects pretty violently under normal conditions so some things to check are the booster, ammo and what ejected rounds are being ejected into. My gun shredded cases when set up on the bench because the cases were ...

You need to remember that the gun Folke pictured is a one off using a belt that is not available to the masses. Just modding the feedtray might work if you have their belts. If you're forced to use another belt you will need to mod other parts as well. That was the point I was trying to make with th...

I'm sure there are guys who are taking 1919 308 or 06 barrels and rechambering them to 7.62X54R but that doesn't make it a good idea. The bore diameter of the 308 is indeed .308 while the 54R is .311 to .313. I know you can run them and let the barrel swage the bullets but it will bump pressures and...

I see Frank managed to avoid the camera yet again. Never did understand the fame thing....I just want fortune.

Frank

Folke will be at the show too and might have some insight on the original Finnish gun. I think he handled it in person. My opinion of the conversion is that it won't be simple or as bulletproof as the 8mm/308 conversion. The big rim makes problems for more than just belts and the Czechs knew that. I...

When I see Troy at Knob Creek in Oct I'll talk with him about the project. Troy has BARRELXCHANGE and does a lot of 1919 30.06 or .308 to 7.62x54 rebuilds. http://barrelxchange.com/index.html I also know that he has work on the mg42 at some point so should make for a interesting talk. With the diff...

It was an interesting thread but needed more research. The Vz59 belts were a good idea but they don't work the same way the MG42 belts do. They require a rail in front of the belt to stop the link from being pushed forward. The rail also assists in angling the round down into the chamber. On the 42 ...

Have a look at the manual.....normally they show a couple belts loaded with the bullets pointing one way then a few more belts with the bullets pointing the other. That keeps it more even and keeps it from falling over. Some cans have a wedge in the bottom that makes this unnecessary.....ZB37 and is...

Since the yugo boosters are made for the M53 which is an 8mm machinegun I'd say the yugo boosters will work for 8mm in the MG42 as well. I've seen boosters with orifice diameters of 11.5mm to 14.5mm used on the MG42 successfully. I'd not go to the small end there as the rate of fire can get out of c...

I have seen some very early guns with some numbered matching parts but none with electropencil markings are factory done to the best of my knowledge. A lot of wartime and postwar guns were reworked after the war. Looking at a number of Yugoslav M53's and part sets it is evident that they did a lot o...

Its a hungarian 43M. Google it...


Frank

The MGz40 came out prior to the MG42 being on the scene and was used with the MG34 first and throughout the war. Part of the issue was the location of the viewing eyepiece on the top of the sight. In the MGZ40 this eyepiece was relocated to a lower position. There was a periscope made for the earlie...

Are you talking about an MG34 or MG42 booster? I don't know of any one piece boosters for either during the war but there is a one piece (2 if you count the barrel bearing) on the 42/MG3 done in the 50's/60's.
Is your 34 a machinegun or is it a semi? It makes it easier to help if we know.

Frank

Clean the barrels out with hot soapy water before using regular cleaning solvent and they will tend to grow much less crap in the bore. Using soluble oil (machine shop coolant oil) in the water will keep the jacket coated with oil and that helps the jacket drain better. I still like Bobs hair dryer ...

It is a firing pin retainer for an MG34. It is the later version which is probably the most common. I have no idea whether its worth anything. Firing pins break off at the tip sometimes but I have yet to see one of those broken.

Frank

not that it matters much but the MG08 and 08/15 do not use a muzzle BRAKE. They use a booster. The function of a BRAKE is to slow things down. On a firearm they work by using the high velocity muzzle gasses to pull the gun forward and BRAKE the rearward travel. The function of the muzzle booster on ...

I know he has made quite a few parts....I worked on some of them. He did have some parts that weren't good enough to use but were good enough to get dimensions for making a copy. Some parts he has yet to find as far as I know. The receivers are considerably different as well so its not just a matter...

Good luck, another member here has been looking for at least 10 years that I know of and has been forced to make some parts. Not sure if his search has resulted in a complet kit yet.....


Frank