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MG42/M53 canvas action cover mystery

Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 5:07 pm
by hakentt
I did use search and can't find a thread on real purpose of action cover for the MG? Yugoslav M53 manual shows the picture of it but does not say what the real reason for use is. But it details what everything in the gunner's pouch does. It wraps around the rear section, and it supposed to prevent what...dust going in where belt goes?

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Re: MG42/M53 canvas action cover mystery

Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 3:04 pm
by hakentt
yeah this forum is dead

Re: MG42/M53 canvas action cover mystery

Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 5:02 pm
by Der Alder
When the gun is being transported or stored action covers help prevent snow rain and dust from entering the action...same as muzzle caps.

Re: MG42/M53 canvas action cover mystery

Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 7:46 pm
by hakentt
Der Alder wrote:When the gun is being transported or stored action covers help prevent snow rain and dust from entering the action...same as muzzle caps.
But rain will soak the canvas, also snow will melt and soak the canvas wet and you don't want wet fabric against metal. In Yugo service manual it says that during rain the whole M53 should be covered with tent wing.
MG3 action cover is made rain proof and also covers the whole gun.

Re: MG42/M53 canvas action cover mystery

Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 9:05 pm
by Der Alder
Which is why most were never used and are now in great shape....

Anytime close to combat they were probably disguarded and seen as a waste of gear to those in combat, probably another 'army intelligence idea' if you know how most militaries work....speaking from the point of US gun covers, cases and scabbards...I'm sure other armies were the same.

Many times even bipods were thrown in ditches (if you read reports of Yugo's who carried M53's or even US GI's carrying BAR's as something else could be procured from a carry bag to a window sill to a rock rather than carry worthless weight which gets heavy after a 20 mile hump when carrying lots of ammo to boot...That's when those near the front start 'loosing' items not really needed when getting close to combat.

Covers were intended for transportation, where guns when stacked in trucks, depots or carried while marching soldiers on the way to tend to front fall down, drop their guns, get wet, muddy and dusty, etc (this was the idea behind them)...I never said they were effective nor needed and I'm sure those issued them felt the same.