Table of Contents
How good is MG42?
In spite of its tendency to overheat, the MG-42 was an excellent weapon that was light-years of ahead of the US counterpart, the Browning M-1919A4 machine gun. Germany produced roughly 400,000 MG-42s during the war, some of which are still in active service.
What will replace M2 Browning?
The XM806 weighed about 63 pounds (29 kg) less (49\% lighter), had 60\% less recoil than the M2, and had a greater rate of fire than the failed previous attempt to replace the M2, the XM312. The XM806 also had improvements to user safety and was easier to disassemble.
Why is the MG42 so fast?
Originally Answered: Why can the MG42 shoot so fast? It is recoil operated with a booster at the muzzle—the recoil energy of the round cycles the action, and gas pressure trapped inside the booster over the muzzle helps cycle the barrel as well. The combination means an exceptionally fast cycle time.
Is the M2 Browning obsolete?
Despite occasional improvements to the basic design however there is no replacement for the M2 in sight and the “Ma Deuce” could very well serve until the 22nd century.
What is the difference between the MG3 and the MG42?
The modifications to the basic MG 42 design include an extremely heavy bolt (950 g (33.51 oz) vs. the 675 g (23.81 oz) MG 3 bolt) which reduces the cyclic rate of fire to around 850 rounds per minute.
How do you change the firing rate of an MG 42?
The cyclic firing rate of the MG 42 can be altered by installing different bolts and recoil springs. A heavier bolt uses more recoil energy to overcome inertia, thus slowing the cyclic rate of the machine gun. Heavy bolts also were used along with stiffer return springs.
How many men does it take to operate an MG 42?
The optimum operating crew of an MG 42 in its medium machine gun role was six men: the squad leader, the machine gunner who carried and fired the gun, the assistant gunner/loader who carried the tripod, and three riflemen who carried 1,800 rounds of ammunition between them, spare barrels, entrenching tools, and other items.
What other weapons were inspired by the MG 42?
It also spawned the Yugoslav unlicensed nearly identical Zastava M53 . The MG 42 lent many design elements to the Swiss MG 51 and SIG MG 710-3, French AA-52, American M60 and Belgian MAG general-purpose machine guns and the Spanish 5.56×45mm NATO Ameli light machine gun .