kBob
Member
The first "MG-1" GPMGs were simply WWII manufactured 7.92 x57 MG-42s that had been converted to 7.62NATO.
The one I shot for my first award of the German Shooting Knot still had Waffen Amp marking on it.
I was told by one of my German weapons instructors that an MG 42 that had been tossed into the Danau RIver off a bridge between Ulm and Neu Ulm FRG in 1945 was recovered by a dredge in 1969. WHile the section of loaded belt in it was corroded and unusable the gun was hosed out with a high pressure water hose. Lubed by a person familure with them , a new belt of clean 7.92x57 mm slapped in it and it fired the belt up.
Sounds awfully fragile.
Actually one of the danish madsen MGs fired at a higher rate than the MG 42.
The high rate of fire was such that those MG-1 guns in the West German Army of the early 1970's not in use on veheicles as Anti Aircraft/ anti soft skinned vehicle guns typically had a rate reduction system to lower the rate of fire to something more useful to ground combat.
WHile I had no difficulty squeezing off single rounds with the M-60 with the occassional two shot burst, with the Infantry MG-1s I had difficulty getting off the trigger before three rounds were gone.
Before shooting the MG-42, by whatever name, a few times I thought it was neato beyound belief. After shooting it and teaching its use to US troops, I felt it was not as useful to Infantry as an M-60 that was in decent shape and well maintaned. IF I were King of a largish country I would actually prefer to arm my MG crew Minions with the M-60 or FN MAG over the MG-42. Maybe even the PKM.
If however someone offered me aproperly papered original Full AUto MG42 in 7.62NATO or the original 7.92x57 (BTW .30-06 is to long for the action) for 5000 US dollars, I would be down at the sheriffs office trying to get a signature on my tax stamp paper work right now.
-Bob Hollingsworth
The one I shot for my first award of the German Shooting Knot still had Waffen Amp marking on it.
I was told by one of my German weapons instructors that an MG 42 that had been tossed into the Danau RIver off a bridge between Ulm and Neu Ulm FRG in 1945 was recovered by a dredge in 1969. WHile the section of loaded belt in it was corroded and unusable the gun was hosed out with a high pressure water hose. Lubed by a person familure with them , a new belt of clean 7.92x57 mm slapped in it and it fired the belt up.
Sounds awfully fragile.
Actually one of the danish madsen MGs fired at a higher rate than the MG 42.
The high rate of fire was such that those MG-1 guns in the West German Army of the early 1970's not in use on veheicles as Anti Aircraft/ anti soft skinned vehicle guns typically had a rate reduction system to lower the rate of fire to something more useful to ground combat.
WHile I had no difficulty squeezing off single rounds with the M-60 with the occassional two shot burst, with the Infantry MG-1s I had difficulty getting off the trigger before three rounds were gone.
Before shooting the MG-42, by whatever name, a few times I thought it was neato beyound belief. After shooting it and teaching its use to US troops, I felt it was not as useful to Infantry as an M-60 that was in decent shape and well maintaned. IF I were King of a largish country I would actually prefer to arm my MG crew Minions with the M-60 or FN MAG over the MG-42. Maybe even the PKM.
If however someone offered me aproperly papered original Full AUto MG42 in 7.62NATO or the original 7.92x57 (BTW .30-06 is to long for the action) for 5000 US dollars, I would be down at the sheriffs office trying to get a signature on my tax stamp paper work right now.
-Bob Hollingsworth
