www.MG42.us

Hello All,
I'm looking over an MG-42. It's a 1944 gun with dfb as the manufacturer. I noted that the bolt head and body, barrel and feed tray all match the serial number of the gun. How common is it to find matching numbers these days?

Regards,
Joe

It is very uncommon but they do exist.
Ed

Is the gun operational? Post some pictures.

Force matched?
Don't remember ever seeing a serial number stamped on any feed trays.

Electro pencils were often used on smaller parts, but yes, there are a few matching guns out there. I still have the barrel serial numbered to my 42, and some of the removable parts are electro penciled. It's a new barrel, still filled with grease inside. Each gun was issued with 3 matching barrels, one in it, two in carriers.

DI,

"Don't remember ever seeing a serial number stamped on any feed trays."

I have an early CRA with stamped numbered reciever, feed tray, and pitol grip.

greg

DI,

Sorry, I meant to attach this photo to the last email.

What is really rare is a matching barrel, ,and slightly less scarce are matching numbered wooden stocks. Often feed trays are serialled and a surprising number of original 42 s have etched matching last two digits on the rear sight at the front top.
Many early 42 s still have a couple matching parts, but unless all numbered parts are there it really doesn't matter much as far a value.
Having seen several hundred 42s over the years in my shop, at shoots and in collections of various sorts, it is surprising how few have all their numbered parts. Too easy to swap them out.

Bob Naess
Black River Milkitaria CIII

Okay, here are some photos. First is of the rear of the receiver, bolt and barrel.

Photo of gun

I can provide other photos if there is something specific that you guys want to see. Please just let me know.
Joe

Joe,

Nice gun!!!!!

Very Cool!!1

Photo of the top cover and the area around the camming device would add a lot of information to this tread.

Later 42rocker

To add to the information. I'm guessing that this is a papered Full Auto not a reweld. Right?
Happy to state that it fits in the tables that Kada set up.
Gustioff-Werke Suhl was the company that put the final touches on this using a arz made receiver. arz was the receiver maker Deutsche Kuhl u Kraftmaschinen GmbH.
dfb was the code with the year MU - 1944 and your serial number fits the range of having holes in the muzzle area and a short rear tripod mount with a front sight area in the form of double U and of course finishing with receiver code of arz.

A lot of rewelds and rebuilds do not match. That stated yours looks super nice and I'm betting Full Auto not cut.

Later 42rocker

Nice gun, but this numbering was done postwar and not in the Gustloff factory. In origin Gustloff guns had also Gustloff barrels and Gustloff bolts. The complete serialnumber was stamped on the dfb-barrel near the code. Only the last two digits of the serialnumber were electropencilled on the bolt head and on the rear sight and the last two digits were stamped on the left side of the feed tray. The butt stocks and the covers were not numbered and the serial number from the camming piece has nothing to do with the serialnumber ofthe gun, because the camming piece as a high precision part got it´s own serial number in the production. Latewar less parts were numbered. What I told you is the numbering of Gustloff guns and not the numbering style of Maget, Steyr and Mauser guns.

searchandfind
That was some great information on what was stamped and what was not. Thank You.

Do you have any information on what the other companies did? I hope.

Good to see you posting. Had a phone call from one of my clients from Koln earlier today. Nice fellow. Like most of us to young for war stories.

Later 42rocker