Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Anything MG34 related.
Post Reply
MCP
Oberfeldwebel
Oberfeldwebel
Posts: 69
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2006 12:29 pm
Location: Manassas, Virginia

Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Post by MCP »

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...
User avatar
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Posts: 2442
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2005 12:24 am
Anti-spam: Mg42
Location: Minnesota

Re: Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Post by DARIVS ARCHITECTVS »

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.
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS
Knight's Armoury
MCP
Oberfeldwebel
Oberfeldwebel
Posts: 69
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2006 12:29 pm
Location: Manassas, Virginia

Re: Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Post by MCP »

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

Re: Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Post by Artie in Miami »

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
MCP
Oberfeldwebel
Oberfeldwebel
Posts: 69
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2006 12:29 pm
Location: Manassas, Virginia

Re: Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Post by MCP »

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!
Schnee

Re: Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Post by Schnee »

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
MCP
Oberfeldwebel
Oberfeldwebel
Posts: 69
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2006 12:29 pm
Location: Manassas, Virginia

Re: Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Post by MCP »

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. :shock:

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.
Bil
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Posts: 4873
Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2006 10:21 pm
Location: Brookline,VT

Re: Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Post by Bil »

I would like to see any pics you may have of this-when I get home I will look for the pic I have of a right-hand feed 34 in action. ---bil
"I dream of a world where I can buy alcohol,tobacco and firearms from the same drive-up window,and use them all on the way home from work!" Dogbert
Schnee

Re: Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Post by Schnee »

MG34 Right Hand Feed. Early gun, pre 1938.
Ed S
Stabshauptmann
Stabshauptmann
Posts: 282
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 11:08 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Post by Ed S »

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.
Attachments
A view from the front w/o the gun.  Large round hole is for the gun, the small hole is what the optic sight looks through (PzZF1)  Notice position of fortess ammo can
A view from the front w/o the gun. Large round hole is for the gun, the small hole is what the optic sight looks through (PzZF1) Notice position of fortess ammo can
You've seen this before:  my fortess mount.  Notice the ammo can position.  This makes it RH feed
You've seen this before: my fortess mount. Notice the ammo can position. This makes it RH feed
Not the best pic, but a side by side comparison of LH and RH feed parts.
Not the best pic, but a side by side comparison of LH and RH feed parts.
MG34 set up for RH feed
MG34 set up for RH feed
MCP
Oberfeldwebel
Oberfeldwebel
Posts: 69
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2006 12:29 pm
Location: Manassas, Virginia

Re: Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Post by MCP »

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. :thumbs:
Thanks!
Bil
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Posts: 4873
Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2006 10:21 pm
Location: Brookline,VT

Re: Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Post by Bil »

Thank you guys for the pics-very good illustrations of the differances. ---bil
"I dream of a world where I can buy alcohol,tobacco and firearms from the same drive-up window,and use them all on the way home from work!" Dogbert
Bil
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Posts: 4873
Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2006 10:21 pm
Location: Brookline,VT

Re: Top Cover - Right hand Feed Lever found in one of my kits

Post by Bil »

I found the picture!Took long enough. ---bil
mg34.jpg
"I dream of a world where I can buy alcohol,tobacco and firearms from the same drive-up window,and use them all on the way home from work!" Dogbert
Post Reply