MG 42 machine gun

E52182

The MG 42 machine gun is a German World War II-era general-purpose machine gun renowned for its extremely high rate of fire, reliability, and influential design that shaped postwar machine guns worldwide.

Aliases (1)

Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II-era German weapon
air-cooled machine gun
belt-fed machine gun
general-purpose machine gun
recoil-operated firearm
barrelLength about 530 mm
caliber 7.92×57mm Mauser
coolingSystem air-cooled
countryOfOrigin Germany
designer Metall- und Lackwarenfabrik Johannes Großfuß
Werner Gruner NERFINISHED
feedingSystem 50-round or 250-round non-disintegrating metal belts
fireMode fully automatic only
hasFeature quick-change barrel system
roller-locked bolt
stamped and welded construction
influenced CETME Ameli
FN MAG
M60 machine gun
MG 3
MG 51
SIG MG 710
inService 1942–present (in derivatives)
manufacturer Großfuß AG
Gustloff-Werke
Mauser
mass approximately 11.5 kg without accessories
mountingOptions bipod
tripod
nicknamed Hitler’s buzzsaw
Hitler’s saw
notableCharacteristic high reliability in adverse conditions
significant influence on postwar machine-gun design worldwide
very high rate of fire producing a distinctive sound
operation short-recoil operated
overallLength about 1,220 mm
predecessor MG 34
rateOfFire approximately 1,200–1,500 rounds per minute
replaced MG 34 in many frontline roles
role light machine gun when bipod-mounted
medium machine gun when tripod-mounted
standardServiceWeaponOf German infantry machine-gun squads in late World War II
successor MG 1
MG 3
usedBy Waffen-SS
Wehrmacht
usedInConflict World War II
yearOfIntroduction 1942

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Heer
usedEquipment

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