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Has anyone ever seen an MG34 with the barrel jacket stripped of the front sight, AA sight mount and bi-pod channel? I was looking over a parts set and noted this. The finish is really worn and the jacket also seemed to have some re-inforcing rings in a couple of places. My feeling is that this gun was used in some sort of armoured vehicle or fortress mount. The finish wear makes me think "tanks". I served on US M60 A1's and A3's. Things on tanks get worn really fast! I am new to this interest in German universal MG's and haven't seen much stuff yet.
The parts set I was looking at (some weeks ago now) still had the rear sight and the buttstock seemed like any other (wood). I will have to look at it again if anyone knows what else I should check for.

It sounds like the tank version cooling jacket.I have one of those somewhere in my attic

MG34s used on fortress mounts had to have the front AA sight bracket removed.

Sounds like the Tanker version which Ohio Ordnance Works was selling.

here is a link to the tanker jacket posted here. http://www.panzer46.net/mg42board/viewt ... highlight=

I tried the link, but it seems dead now. The MG34 parts set I was looking at does have all the fittings removed, to include the AA sight bracket. It looks like some flat steel rings were added for strength? I thought the "Ohio Ordnance Tanker" MG34's didn't have a conventional buttstock. This set does have a wooden buttstock, but no bi-pod. I will have to go take another look at this to see the year and maker and maybe other details. Anything in particular I should be looking for?

OOPS, I tried the link again and this time it worked! Having looked at the image displayed I can say the barrel jacket I have observed doesn't match the one pictured. The one included with the parts set locally has cooling holes like a conventional MG34.

Try this link then. http://www.panzer46.net/mg42board/viewt ... highlight= It is a fortress mount. The ball obscures most of the jacket though. The tanker models had the butt, front sight and bipod in a seperate can. Their is a lpage here that I think Ryan Schnee put up showing the can and its contents.

That is a very nice shot of the fortress mount. Devices like that must have consumed a lot of Germany's resources! Unfortunately you can see very little of the barrel jacket since the mount does a good job of enclosing it. I wonder why those had to be a right hand feed. OH, I guess that is what I need to check on that parts set. I'll try and have a look at the feed tray and top cover to see if it is a right hand feed. I am not sure if the shop owner is going to be at the "Cross Roads" show this weekend. If so I won't be able to check this out until next week.