www.MG42.us

I just got my wise lite semi auto mg-42 the other day and was wondering a few things about it. I was told the receiver was an inch longer than normal. I also have been studding the extension welded on to the back of the bolt carrier. It looks to be longer than an inch maybe 2.5 or 3. I also see they clipped the spring shorter. So I see why they welded the extension on and why they extended the receiver. So I guess what I’m trying to ask is was the receiver extended and the spring shortened to make up for the extra length added to the back of the bolt carrier? Just for understanding purposes could someone extend the receiver the same length as the bolt carrier extension, that 2.5” to 3” or whatever it is and then use the stock spring length? I can see how you would run in to problems with a stock receiver length and just shortening the spring to make up for all of it. I’m sure there are much better ways to word this but I hope someone will understand what I’m getting at. I’m also sorry if this has already been talked about but I have done some searching around and haven’t found it

Wiselite would be the only one to answer definitively why they picked 1" longer for their receiver.

My speculation is ... That was as long as they could make the receiver and still get it to fit the ground tripod. Plus if they'd made it 3" longer it would have been MUCH more noticeable and made the gun less desirable.

Yes 3" longer would not be as desirable. I keep reading around that the overall receiver length should be 37 11/16”. Mine is 38 3/8 so not an inch but more like 0.6875”. That’s not that far off from the original. Are the original germen mg42’s 37 11/16”? I’m also guessing this measurement is taken with the gun striped down to only welded on parts.

As mentioned, really all we can do is speculate, given what is spent by these companies to do R&D and the submission to Tech Branch, the wait, investment money tied up, etc.,,this likely was the best design they could develop that would satiate Tech Branch and get production ramped up ASAP. As it was, they were not w/o their growing pains as a company and as a design.

To WLA's credit with this and all their models, they rushed to fill a void in the market with haste because you never knew, or know, how soon a new gun control bill could go through. A ban hangs like the sword of Damocles, leaving these companies highly leveraged and exposed from a finance standpoint, to say nothing of currently a weak economy.

The aforementioned is not political, both parties are loathsome for different reasons, and both have attacked gun rights with alacrity.

It is longer and it will not fit in a laffette with out an adapter and some modifications.

So far not one of my questions has been addressed.

1 was the receiver extended and the spring shortened to make up for the extra length added to the back of the bolt carrier?

2 for understanding purposes could someone extend the receiver the same length as the bolt carrier extension, that 2.5” to 3” or whatever it is and then use the stock spring length?

3 Are the original germen mg42’s 37 11/16”?

4 Is this measurement is taken with the gun striped down to only welded on parts.

All I’m asking is for everyone to speculate as that is what I have done. If everyone else speculates the same thing I do then that will give me confidence in my speculation. I’m not going to hold anyone on their word just tell me your thoughts. Thanks for everyone’s help so far.

clear questions get clear answers.

1) The spring was shortened to make up the space for the bolt extension. There is no need to extend the receiver, plenty of rewelded guns running the standard length.

2) Yes, But the ejection port can't be moved back as well. You would need to extend the buffer nose the corresponding length you stretch the receiver.

3 +4 ) The receiver OAL is generally between 37 9/16" to 37 5/8". Receiver not gun OAL.

WOW totally missed that the buffer nose plays a part on where the case ejects but after looking close I see how that works. Thanks for the help.

The earliest wiselites were different. They had a much shorter bolt extension,longer spring and used a regular unaltered buffer. They sent out a recall letter to buyers to repair them for slam firing if I remember correctly.