Hello! I am new to here!
I have searched for some posts about MG42 Lafette here, however I still have some questions within these photos.
These photos were from a seller who offering me a MG42 Lafette, nonetheless, there are several questions in my mind.
1. is it a must for an original MG42 to have a marking? if yes, where would it be? ( as I cannot find a proper marking in these photos)
2. the size, is there any size difference between MG3 and MG42 Lafette?
Here is where the manufacture marked the Lafette. Also, if original the Germans marked every part. They were fanatical about that. Also, here is a link for an original MG34 Lafette. It will show you how they marked all the parts with Waa stamps.
In case you don't realize it from Tom's photo, the markings are beneath the rear of the receiver (with the gun mounted on the lafette). His photo is looking directly down from above. The markings are on the top of the rearmost crossmember of the lafette.
Thank you for all of your kind replys!
now at least I am sure that the seller is hiding from the truth of marking
as he is not willing to give me any photo of detail markings on the lafette
thank you again! mate!
Shadowrax
On your first picture on the tripod just under the front part of the stock it looks like a number possible 43. That area as seen above Tomcats toes in his picture that you need another picture from. Now that said there has been talk on this website about if the yugo's made lafette tripods or just redid Germans ones, scubbing the German markings off of them. Or towards the end of the war that the Germans did not get the small pieces marked.
What parts are in this deal??? Just the lafette tripod or optics or everything?
aside form the maker Ids, date, and waffen stampings that hsould be there, from looking at the small fired case deflector, which is diffiicult to see, but which appears to be the stamped variety, I suggest that the tripod is from an MG34, not the MG42 types. Usuallya the spare bolt box is also for the MG34 bolt and not the MG42 bolt, but they are also different in construction and their internal details. Many of the MG42 tripods in the US will have MG34 tripods and either WWII or post war cradles. The Yugo M53 tripods are being offered in the US with repro range cards, new paint jobs and other rehab aspects to make them appear to be WWII German, so care must be taken to identify exactly what it being offered. You'll need much clsoer inspecition fhte mount to actually determine what is its vintage......
The Austrians did major rehab of German WWII Lafettes after the war which is apaprently where many of the converted MG34 tripod/MG42 cradles combinations came from. There are not a lot of correct orignal MG42 Lafettes in the US since so manyhave been through verioius rehab programs as well as the mix of Yugo stuff imported in the last ten years. Good luck.
Thanks for everyone's detail and kind reply
I would sadly say this is not an original MG42 Lafette as the seller said he can hardly find any waffen stamp or other details mentioned above
