m60 links in a mg42?

[par0thead151]

is it possible to use m60 disintegrating links in a mg42? i printed off a PDF i saved about some guys troubleshooting of his FA MG42, and he mentioned with some modification to the feed tray the disintegrating links could be used.
i would be interested in doing this if it was only a mod to the feed tray or top cover...
anyone know the answer to this?
thanks

[par0thead151]

while im posting, might as wll ask another question as well.
its due time for me to buy an armorers/users manual, any and all manuals i will need to build a 80% receiver and 100% WLA build(im doing 2 builds). i understand that the manuals only depict problems and the most likely solutions. but knowing what might be the problem is a huge asset.
i have 2 yugo M53 kits, so im wondering if i should go with the mg42 manual or the mg3 manual.
thanks

[salt6]

If you build it as an MG3 you can use 60 links.

[par0thead151]

what all does building it up as a mg3 entail compared to a m53/mg42?
i have the 308 conversion top cover, feed tray and barrel, i assume i need the Recuperator replaced as well for the 308?

[JBaum]

If your MG is set up for .308, get an MG3 feed tray and top cover to shoot .308 in M60 links. Yes, it's that simple. http://www.robertrtg.com sells them.

Other than minor details, the MG42, MG53, and MG3 are the same gun. I believe there's a thread in the stickies section explaining this.

RE: Manuals.

Look on my website, read the manual descriptions, and see what it is you want to know. There are at least 10 manuals that apply to the MG42. Pick what you want. If you need to ask a specific question that's not already covered in the description, then ask. Repeating the details of the manual descriptions here would be a little silly.

And by the way, you don't need 1 manual. You'll need at least 3 or 4 of them to pretty well cover the major points. ZDv 3/14, HDv 241, and HDv 216/6 would be a start. Leave the HDv 181/7 for later. Other manuals will give you the fine points. When you own a $2,500 gun (or $35,000 if full auto), buying $100 worth of manuals should be a small matter.

I don't think you'll find ANYBODY who regrets their manual purchase (check the Review section). For the last 60 years, this information was simply not available. The only way to learn was to hang with the old timers, and most of them had it wrong, or simply didn't know themselves. You seem very interested, but starved for information. Feed the Need: http://www.GermanManuals.com It's very filling.

[amafrank]

The problem with M60 links in an unmodified MG42 feed tray is that they tend to tip, twist and jam the exit of the feedtray.
The MG3 feedtray has a guide on the exit side that keeps the links from moving around in a manner that jams things. It is possible to modify an MG42 feedtray to do the same thing but using 8mm in the M60 links is frequently not reliable due to the taper difference in the cartridges.
So if you are going to use the M60 links it will work best in .308 and in that case a simple swap of the topcover and feedtray from an MG3 or MG74 will do the job.
I had at one time a feedtray I modified for my 42 because I thought the disintegrating links were cool but after picking them up off the ground and fiddling with jams cause by rounds slipping out of links I decided it wasn't worth the trouble. If you are buying lots of pre linked .308 it might be worth doing up with the MG3 parts but if you have to link your own ammo its not. The MG42/MG3 belt loaders work so well and the belts are so much nicer to use that even guys with M240's like to swap over to belts from the crappy links....(M240's will use the MG3 belts with the proper feed tray in place).

Hope that helps
Frank

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

What are the advantages of disintegrating links over the old German belts? Is it simply that they are easier to produce and load in the factory? They are cetrainly harder to reload in the field than a linked belt.

[drooling idiot]

What are the advantages of disintegrating links over the old German belts?

That should be a topic all by itself.

Lets see.....

• 1) there cheap
  2) I don't feel like I'm destroying history if a link gets damaged.
  3) I can link any quantity i like. (well 2 or more anyway)
  3A) Much better for states that have round limits. (IE Jersey)
  4) No belt dangling out of the right side of the gun to trip over.
  5) Much easier to replace a bad D13 link than a bad belt link
  6) There available at more vendors
  7) Rambo uses them.
  8.) If your firing on the move you don't need to recover 1 of your limited supply of belts.
  9) They work with the 120 Rd ammo box.
  10) chicks dig them

[par0thead151]

fair enough...
i will stick with the medium that the mg was designed for, the belts. I just thought links might be cool to use, however i have enough belts now to last a lifetime, so im just creating more problems for a weapon that i do not even have functional yet...
i appreciate all the information. i will be reading up on the germanmanuals site to see which ones will be most beneficial for me.
thanks again

[amafrank]

Most of the chicks I know prefer the standard belts over the links. Some of them will even load magazines for subguns they shoot but none will load belts or links. You can' t win them all.

Cost per use is questionable in either case. M60 links direct cost is low but they tend to be damaged easily so may not be so reuseable. Picking them up is annoying even if you use a magnet. You still have to sort out all the brass and iron filings you pick up. If you don't want to pick them up than that may be an advantage pricewise. However we get right back to the links not working well with 8mm. If they don't work reliably than is it worth the cost saving???? not to me. Loading is another problem because the links have to lined up on the linker plate and most of the labor is handwork. With the belt loader its much simpler and less time consuming making belts much better in my opinion.

Thats basically what it comes down to on the links, opinion. I prefer belts, someone else prefers links and we each have our own reasons. Neither is right or wrong and you have to choose for yourself. Most of us have tried both ways in order to make an informed decision too....you may have to try that too.

Hope that helps

Frank

[machinegunbob]

Robert RTG has German MG-42 links. They are REAL expensive. Before you try anything new in an expensive piece of equipment, (MG-42), do a little research. Take a loaded German/Yugo belt (with at least ten rounds loaded). Then take an equal amount of the same ammo linked up with M-60 links. There is a HUGE difference in the spacing. If you run the M-60 links for any prolonged period, I can not believe that it won't damage your top cover. Belts are farther apart in between each round than links. A LOT FARTHER. So when you run links you are shoving the rounds into the cartridge stop violently. Maybe on a semi you can get away with this. My guns run 25 rounds per second ( I run 8mm). Beating up the top cover, and putting huge stresses on the bolt carrier is just not worth doing. A lot of people run links, so I know that they will work. Some people run bulk oil in BMW's, too. I guess it just depends on how long you expect the machine to run in between overhauls.
MGB

[Bil]

It is not so much a problem of an overhaul,I think it is more of a problem of a sudden stop and break! ---bil

[FNP90]

What does the German military currently use?

[machinegunbob]

bil - If the top cover, driven by the bolt, is constantly trying to shove the belt farther than it can go, do you think that it cold make the bolt tilt (cant) to the right? If so, wouldn't it tend to bend the upper part of the left rail upward, and the lower part of the right rail downward, thus causing premature replacement of the rails (a rebuild, of sorts)? I know that this is just a bunch of theoretical crap floating around in my mind, but does any of that seem possible to you? Machinery that binds tends to find it's own path eventually. And that path is usually not the one that it was intended to take. Does any of this make sense, or am I just full of bull$#it?
MGB

[JBaum]

Take a loaded German/Yugo belt (with at least ten rounds loaded). Then take an equal amount of the same ammo linked up with M-60 links. There is a HUGE difference in the spacing. If you run the M-60 links for any prolonged period, I can not believe that it won't damage your top cover. Belts are farther apart in between each round than links. A LOT FARTHER. So when you run links you are shoving the rounds into the cartridge stop violently.
MGB

M60 linked ammo is not shoved into the cartridge stop any harder than with the usual 50 round belts..... the cartridge spacing difference doesn't mean a thing to the one cartridge that hits the cartridge stop. The cartridge spacing only makes a difference when the feed pawls for the continuous belts are trying to catch the second cartridge, which it has a hard time doing because of the extra gap between cartridges. The feed pawl lever for M60 links has a pivot hole in a slightly different position to make the feed pawls travel further with the feed pawl assembly that is made to work with the continuous belts.

What does the German military currently use?

The MG3 can use the continuous link DM1 belt and the disintegrating link DM6, DM13 and US M13 (M60) belts.

[machinegunbob]

John - I see what you mean about the spacing only effecting the feed pawls. Do you think that by running the M-60 links, that you will only damage the top cover? Or do you think that it will have no negative effect on the top cover, either? I owned a brand new Maramount M-60 built by Tim La France. It (of course) used the M-60 links. I guess I just can't understand why people would want to run M-60 links in an MG-42. Even if they ran perfectly, what is the advantage? You have to pick them out of a pile of empty cartridges when you are done shooting, and if you run steel case ammo, a magnet won't even help you. If you are walking around shooting from the hip, they end up everywhere. And if you step on them, they either sink into the mud, of get bent if the ground is hard and dry. They are cheaper to buy, but if someone can afford to feed an MG-42 they should be able to afford some five dollar belts from RTG. I only shoot 8mm thru my MG-42's. Is this some sort of a thing you do when you convert over to .308? Is this what I am missing here? Are the .308 top covers working off of a different pivot point, thus reducing the throw of the feed pawls? I guess the more we discuss this, the more wrong it appears that I am. I don't mind being wrong, hell, I'm wrong all the time (just ask the wife!). I just need to know why someone would want to run links in a machine designed to run belts. I'm sure that there is a good reason, I just haven't found it yet. Enlighten me, please!
MGB

[JBaum]

Reason that the MG3 is able to run M60 links: NATO.

Germany is a member, the USA is a member. For joint exercises, having a common ammo makes sense. The MG3 can run the 7.62 ammo from US or German supplies. In combat exercises, nobody is worried about picking up links. Military surplus ammo used to be common in M60 links, so shooting it was less trouble than delinking it from disintegrating links and then relinking it into continuous belts.

There is no damage to the top cover, nor any other part when running M60 links with the correct feed pawl assembly. The MG3 feed tray is designed to not jam with M60 links, and works just fine with the 50 round continuous belts, too, so NATO ammo, regardless of the source, runs fine.

Of course, the MG42 can be easily converted to run 7.62 ammo, and almost as easily converted to run disintegrating links. When 8mm is cheap, people shoot 8mm. When 7.62 is cheap, people shoot that. When 7.62 on M60 links is cheap, a few quick parts swapped and you can shoot it too.

[machinegunbob]

John - I'm glad that you posted that info. I used to have an M-60. I still have several thousand rounds linked up for it. I was going to de-link it, and put it on MG-42 belts.
You just saved my wife one helluva lot of work! (She has to polish the Harley, too).
Thanks
MGB

[Bil]

Bob-I cannot believe you make your wife polish your Harley-I hope that at least with the weather getting colder,you put it in the living room,so she can be more comfortable! It is the least you could do! ---bil

[BigBoy99]

Most of the chicks I know prefer the standard belts over the links. Some of them will even load magazines for subguns they shoot but none will load belts or links. You can' t win them all.

Get a belt loader where all you have to do is turn a handle and the belt is loaded in no time. My wife will only load the belts this way. If the belts are to be loaded by hand, it is MY job.

Bill