New here, hello!

[Crusader22]

Hi,

Well, I finally am plunging into the MG42 world, I have wanted to for a long, long time. I am an avid K98k collector, and have been doing that for many years. (I usually go by my "old" name ditch68 in that arena.)

I am currently in the US Army NG full time as an Apache crewchief, but was Infantry (Iraq OIF 3), and an M60 gunner for years. I love machineguns, studied thier employment and history from a professional and personal standpoint for years, and still consider myself an infantryman and MG gunner at heart.

Also love military vehicles - salt6, I don't know if you remember me from back when I was pretty regular over on the g838. I don't have my MUTT anymore, though. Hi there! I sent you a PM over there when I realized the connection.

The MG42 I got is an ar, all German parts kit dummy that I bought from a fellow K98k collector. It was apparently made into a dummy gun long ago. It is in the mail (UPS) and will be here Monday. It has all the parts, bolt, etc. I got it with only a few pics to go on, but I got it on an agreeable trade for a K98k sniper for the mg42 plus cash. I would like to make a semi auto someday (well, I would like a full auto someday...) but might end up buying a Wiselite mg53 at some point. I also have an MG3 tripod for it until I find a decent MG42 Lafette at a good price.

I am looking forward to the LARGE amount of learning I have to do. I hope the gun I got is a good one, I just have some pics to go off of, but the source is a great guy.

See you all around, you will likely get sick of me. I tend to throw myself into my interests a bit...

Jeff

[salt6]

[Crusader22]

First of a long list of questions...what is the red plate on the gun cradle my MG3 tripod for?

If I had to guess (which I do) I would say it preloads the recoil springs, possibly fpr blank fire?

I already ordered the English translation manuals from John, so I will get my answer there when they arrive in the mail next week. But if someone knows, I'd love to hear. If it is for blanks, I will pull the cotter pins and remove it.

Also, is there a source for new in package moisture devices fpr the optics for this rig?

Jeff

[42rocker]

Jeff
Welcome and THANKS for the service that you are doing for our country. Stay Safe.... John's books are great.... A lot of info is on this website....

BEST item is the search button.... If you run into topics in which the pics are gone then give a post and shout and some of us made have downloaded what you need and will post or email it to you.

Best of Luck to you and hope that you get to enjoy the weapon that was the fore runner of the MG60 the mg42....

Later 42rocker

[JBaum]

The plate is the blank shell deflector. The lafette works fine in full auto with it on, too.

If your moisture capsule is blue, it can be dried slowly with a hair drier or by putting it on a hot air register when teh furnace is running and reinserted. Pink/white=good, blue=bad if I remember right. There are no individual replacement cartridges available that I know of.

[haak48]

Welcome Jeff, from a fellow AZ machine gunner! JH

[Gulfstream4]

Welcome to the site and thanks for your service!!

[Crusader22]

Thanks for the welcome!

Got the gun, I think this might be the coolest thi.g I have ever owned.

Jeff

[42rocker]

Got the mg42/m53 and think that it's cool???? Wait till you get it on the range and fire it..... Of course you have used a M60 before so it might not be as cool as it was to me,,,,,BUT....

Be safe out there and enjoy the mg42/m53.... It does look cool also.....

Later 42rocker

[haak48]

Very nice Jeff! But be warned, these things tend to multiply! JH

[Crusader22]

Got the mg42/m53 and think that it's cool???? Wait till you get it on the range and fire it..... Of course you have used a M60 before so it might not be as cool as it was to me,,,,,BUT....

Be safe out there and enjoy the mg42/m53.... It does look cool also.....

Later 42rocker

Oh, no...unfortunately, this is an MG42 dummy gun, so no "bang bang".

BUT I am currently looking at selling some other items to finance a semi-auto gun, I really NEED to have a live one now!

(so haak, you are correct - they do multiply, it seems)

Yes, I have fired tens of thousands of rounds through M60s and M240B, M2, and M249 SAW in the military, and I was an instructor for the M240B and M2. I love MGs, and know a lot about the art/science of combat employment and use of them. Pretty amazing what a trained gunner can do with a T&E and tripod.

Jeff

[42rocker]

Jeff
Don't be in a hurry to sell or whatever.... Another look at your receiver showed me that you have a German barrel shroud with a long step sight area. What that means is that the front end at least is German and not the common yugo. Now you stated it's a dummy weapon at this "time" So I have to ask what's missing or has been redone in such a way that it can't fire???? Barrel? Bolt? Rails? or???
You might have a basic receiver that you can start with. What can be done to restore this to a working weapon???? You might have to change out the rear and add a barrel and more, but with a German front end you have a better start than most parts kits.
More pics or lets talk about redoing....

Later 42rocker

[Crusader22]

This gun isn't going anywhere! I was considering buying another, seperate Wiselite MG53.

This gun was made into a dummy by someone completely replacing the rear reciever section from the (what I would call) trunnion back with a completely handmade representation which, externally, looks exactly correct.

It is made from bent sheet metal. All the rivets are in the right places and look real, but on the inside hold nothing on. No bolt guide rails, nothing. Even the ratchet plate is handmade with filed down bumps where the pressed bumps would be on a real ratchet plate. I am guessing this is an old build, certainly before repro ratchet plates were available.

They carefully cut out all the "moving" external parts, and welded them onto or into this dummy back half - like the buttstock/buffer retention button, ejector cover, and the cocking handle folds, but does nothing, it won't move back, etc. Feed tray and feed tray cover (bpr) and all associated parts are there and work.

It came with the bolt and recoil spring, though the bolt cannot be put into the reciever at all. Original grip stick is intact.

Barrel can be ejected and inserted.

I'll do some pics, you have to see this thing to believe it. Someone went to a great deal of effort to make it look convincing!

Jeff

[Crusader22]

Took it completely apart, and got everytbing cleaned, every nook and cranny. There must have been a pound of cosmoline on and in this thing. Got it all down to bare metal with solvent, and cleaned and lubed the entire gun with Ballistol. I use Ballistol on all my WWII German firearms. If it was good enough for them, it is good enough for me.

This wbole process enabled a very complete inspection. More Yugo parts than I had hoped, but mostly German. I am not voing to attempt a semi build with this one. It looks great as it is. I may try to pick up some German WWII parts to upgrade a few bits, but I love it as it is for now.

Now...to ACCESSORIZE!

Jeff

[42rocker]

Dude
That's a nice rebuild.... Looks like if you bought a brp ratchet place and unscrewed yours and did the spot weld thing it would be right. You have a German top cover, brp and a nice German long step front receiver, long step is the name for the step down into the long area before the front sight. Only German front ends have them.
Thanks for the addition photos and if you get the chance take the butt stock off and shoot a pic or two down the rear of the receiver. Love to see that thing work again. You could always try to find a cut up rear German receiver and weld it back in....

Well enjoy. An fyi go to the IMA website

http://www.ima-usa.com/militaria/machin ... -3604.html

and look at their dummy for $5,795. I think that yours has more German parts than theirs does also they have theirs mounted on a yugo redo lafette or at least the plate on it is yugo.... Cost on lafette under $1,000.
If I / we can do anything to help let us know...

Enjoy your new Christmas toy.

Later 42rocker

[Crusader22]

Well, glad it looks good to someone who knows more than me.

I think IMA is asking a little (lot) more than that particular vun is worth, so it is sort of an apples and oranges comparison. They say thiers is all German. I value mine right where I traded for it, and the gentleman who I got it from did me a favor and is a stand up guy.

Either way, my skills are not up to a conversion, and I would have a tough time accessing the machine shop equipment required to get it done.

Well, I'd love to do it, but it is a little over my head at this time.

Anyway, I love the gun, and I honestly have to say it may very well be the coolest thing I ha e ever owned.

I can see already, this os a very slippery slope, and I do nelieve I am already sliding.

Jeff

[Crusader22]

Also, is there any way I can xetermine the date of production of this gun?

Jeff

[42rocker]

Date--------- Yes and no -------------
That said the rear left side of the receiver, does it have an markings or has this area been replaced? Show a pic of the marking (if) and we might be able to time date it to the year. If?
We might be able to narrow it down some due the front sight area being a long step. i.e. what time were they stamped that way. I'll try to check during the Christmas Holidays.

On the ima one the following that I noticed were yugo. Front sight, butt stock, front AA sight is repo, and two yugo plates on the lafette tripod.

Later 42rocker

[Woodey]

That is awesome, looks like you could bring it back to life with a little work