www.MG42.us

I discovered one armored jacket (Panzer lauf I believe is the correct nomenclature) kit [a dot 1945] with a top cover that has the right hand feed lever [the tab points to the left] it's a non-matching SN kit. I am thinking that this was just put into the kit to round it out, since the other 5 were left feed types.

I'm going through my parts kits to get them ready for a build and found that one of the armored jacket MG34 kit has a matching shroud, and top cover woohoo!

I understand that the right hand feed top covers were used in fortress MG34s, anyone confirm? If I decided to use it and do a right hand feed, do I need anything else or is the top cover the only thing, and maybe a modified feed tray?

Thank you in advance for any info, looks like I will have to dig into the translated German manuals...

Right hand feed covers were used on anti-aircraft mounts using two machine guns side by side. Theat way, the belts would be fed from outboard of each gun.

Cool! Thanks for the information. I never thought about the AA role, thinking that the Zwillingssockel 36 just mounted the 34s side by side.

In Folke's book, it says that the right hand feed mg34's need a special feed tray...I am pretty sure that it is the tray that works for feed from either side...(I have never heard of a right hand feed only tray) you can spot these because they do not have the arm with the hole that attaches to the top cover hinge pin. If you are into mg34's you should get a copy of Folke's book...it is excellent. Covers the development of the mg34, how it let to the mg42, problems shooting and how to fix them with pics from the orig manuals, and shows many of the accessories used. I think the title is "German Universal Machineguns/ MG34 MG42 or something like that.

artie in miami

artie,
I do have the book, it is great. I will have to get it back out and start refreshing my memory. Need to start inventorying for missing parts so I can get these things up and running...

Thanks again!

The zwillingssockel uses the standard left hand feed guns not the right hand feed. The right hand feed guns are used in the early side by side mount found in early German tanks. They are also used on the fortress ball mount. I have seen original photos of the right hand feed in use by the infantry as well.

Ryan Schnee

http://www.zwillingssockel.com
reschnee@earthlink.net

Thanks for the additional info. If I could edit my post I would have put Panzermantel instead of Panzerlauf.

I wonder what the post war arsenal folks did when they encountered one of these feed covers? Probably nothing if they are just checking function/fit and put them away.

I think that it would be another story for the ones that take it on the line or in combat to shoot it for the first time, and may not have closely checked.... I can't load this @#^&*( machine gun!! So the armorer just replaces the top cover and probably tosses the "bad one away" since they have plenty of guns and spare parts.

But on a serious note, I think that I will have to locally fabricate the booster retaining clip for mine, sine these are just as rare as the dismount kit.

MG34 Right Hand Feed. Early gun, pre 1938.

Ryan is correct: RH feed used on armoured vehicles and loop-hole mounts (fortress mounts). Since the MG42 barrel change works the way it does, the MG42 would not fit in many of these mounts. Also, the holes on many of these mounts are round and the MG42 is square. These are some reasons why the MG34 continued in production after the introduction of the 42.

Ed S,
Great pictures! Who knows maybe someone else might have a RH lever and not even know it. You're side by side comparison came out way better than the one I was going to post.
Thanks!