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A lot of things really come down to build preference. Some install the rails before, I like to install them later in the build. Some rivet them (which is the factory way) though Ive seen some guys weld them. My thing is if I need to tweak them later and I find that out late in the build both of thos...

Yeah that would probably be me, the dremel is my mill :lol: as a garage builder. If you have some machining background you should be fine with this build. I've built a couple, working on my 3rd right now. They are a fun build if you take your time. With some patience, a lot of reading (and a lot of ...

Glad to be of help. GM is great to deal with BTW. They ship very fast too. If you need anything else give a shout. One other thing you might want to consider getting is a rear MG3 receiver stub from RTG, they are like $35. You can splice them on (how I build mine), but also even if you don't use it ...

Welcome to the site. Besides BRP, Global Machine and tool makes a good set of receiver shells for the MG42/53. If you have a M53 kit that has the camming section cut off (no camming windows), the the GM receivers shells would be a good option because they are longer having the camming area included....

Not sure if its what you are looking for but Apex has Yugo 8mm cans, VG $20, fair as is $15. I bought some of their fair as-is cans last year. Expect them to be very dirty and well used and in need of repainting, but you may get lucky like I did. Of the last two I got one was a Yugo post war can and...

Man, that is a super nice long front shroud section. Most like the ones I've built were cut in front of the first rail hole. Whatever you do keep as much of that length as you can and just square it. Having the rail and recuperator holes will be a big plus. I've used the Global Machining shells BTW,...

The metal MG1 type drums are rarer than the MG3 plastic, but they aren't super rare. Thing is they have dried up from the vendors but they do pop up once in a while on Gunbroker 2nd hand. I've seen them on Ebay as well once in while. Back when a batch of them came into the US about 10 years ago they...

First off, welcome to the board. The MG3 type drums (the plastic black round and plastic green box type can only attach to a MG3 feed tray. The metal 8mm Yugo and German type drums can only attach to the 8mm feed tray. The .308 MG1 type are also known as "Spanish contract" drums which are a more rar...

That looks like bluing. You may get decent results just cold bluing over it for touch up then wiping it with an oiled cloth. Myself I kinds like the worn finish it has.

For replicating WWII era it should be blued. I have seen parts on STG44s that were left "in the white" (unblued bare metal) as they were built near the end of the war in many different shops and colors varied greatly. That said and I could be wrong, but all the wartime MG42's I've seen have been blu...

If it's actual bluing and not park, then it will come off pretty easy with the rust and blue remover I mentioned. Any method is going to remove it to bare metal, so the what ever is under the coating will not be salvagable. So far as I know the post war Yugo M53's were blued like the German MG42's a...

Man, thats a great find

Blueing can be removed pretty easy with chemicals like Birchwood Casey's "rust and blue remover", but it sounds like you are are talking about parkerizing which is more difficult to remove. Abrasive methods like blasting work best. You can use fine aluminum oxide if you are going to blue it then pol...

Nice pics...thanks for posting them.

Just to clarify, what I meant on the .308 vs 8mm...I refering only to the barrel bearings that are different in some cases. Other than that with the correct parts they build with the same specs. The thing is the later MG3 type (usually chromed) barrel bearings meant for the MG3 type flash hider is s...

The 8mm retracted and 13mm extended is a measurment we use assuming you are using the shorter 8mm type (MG42 or M53) barrel bearing. The MG3 bearing is slightly longer and the numbers will be different if you use the later longer type (I found that out the hard way). There are a couple of ways you c...

Yes, you are correct. There is a scalloped area in the rear of the bushing for the barrel opening side (right). Some bushings like the MG3 type also have a notch on the threaded end which orients towards the left (non barrel openig side) at the 3 o'clock postion looking from the front.

Sounds very interesting.

The receiver bushing is the threaded part that is permanently attached to the front of the receiver/shroud and has slots in it for the barrel bearing to fit into. The barrel bearing is a removable part that has lugs that fit into the receiver bushing in which the barrel slides into. Bushing; permane...

Being that it was buried for decades its hard to say. Steel gets brittle with age and hardened steel is brittle to begin with. One thing could have been the mud inside may have froze and expanded the whole receiver slightly sort of like when you have too many ice cubes in a glass and they expand and...