MG-34 Waffen Maschinengewehr
02 March 2004, 04:15 PM
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MG-34 Waffen Maschinengewehr
Now for something completely different. Not sure how many re-enactors there are on here, if any.
As the title says, a 1941 German MG-34 Maschinengewehr. All original Waffen markings on the various components (small German eagle) and date stamps.
The rifle has been de-activated.
It is still strippable with single and auto fire selectable. The safety works. It can be cocked and dry fired. Feeding a round will jam the rifle.
The condition is superb with all the original bluing intact. There are signs of wear but it was used during the war so you'd expect that.
The rifle comes with an assault drum (as you've seen in Day of Defeat) complete with a belt of inert ammunition (45 7.92mm rounds including starter tab). I have a spare empty belt for display purposes.
I also have a separate ammunition case from the period with original leather handles.
The carrying strap is original.
For pictures or more information please email me. Price on application. It's an unusual piece of history. Replies to emails will be discriminatory. Try to say if you are a collector or which regiment you are with. I'm expecting a few weirdos on this one. If you are a collector or such like you'll know what they fetch already. This one is excellent.
Sale due to arrival of MG-42, MP-44, and FG-42.
Glen
dosenoffner@hotmail.com
History Lesson
The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG34, was a German machine gun first issued in 1934, considered by many to be the first modern general-purpose machine gun. It was used as the primary infantry machine gun during the 1930s, and remained as the primary tank and aircraft defensive weapon. It was intended that it would be replaced in infantry service by the related MG42, but there were never enough of the new design to go around, and MG34s soldiered on in all roles until the end of World War II.
The MG34 was designed primarily by Heinrich Vollmer from Mauser Werke, based on the recently introduced Rheinmetall designed Solothurn 1930 (MG30) that was starting to enter service in Switzerland. The principle changes were to move the feed mechanism to a more convenient location on the left of the breech, and the addition of a shroud around the barrel. Changes to the operating mechanism improved the rate of fire to between 800 and 900 RPM.
The MG34 could use both magazine-fed and belt-fed 7.92mm ammunition. Belts were supplied in 50-round single strips or 250-round boxes. The drums held either 50 rounds in the standard version, or 75 in the "double drum" version. Early guns had to be modified to use the drums by replacing a part on the gun, but this modification was later supplied from the factory.
In the light machine gun role it was used with a bipod and weighed only 12.1 kg, considerably less than other machine guns of the era. In the medium machine gun role it could be mounted on one of two tripods, a smaller one weighing 6.75 kg, the larger 23.6 kg. The larger included a number of features making it useful for a number of roles. The legs could be extended to allow it to be used in the anti-aircraft role (and many were), and when lowered it could be placed to allow the gun to be fired "remotely" while it swept an arc in front of the mounting with fire, or aimed through a periscope attached to the tripod.
The new gun was accepted for service almost immediately and was generally liked by the troops. It was used to great effect by German soldiers assisting the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. At the time it was considerably more advanced than guns being used by other forces (with the exception of the MG30), both in terms of rate of fire, and in being easily man portable by a single gunner. However the MG34 was also very expensive, both in terms of construction and the raw materials needed (49 kg of steel) and it was unable to be built in the sorts of numbers required for the ever expanding German army. It also proved to be rather tempermental, jamming easily when dirty.
By the late 1930s an effort had started to simplify the MG34, leading to the MG42. The MG42's square barrel cover made it unsuitable for use in tank cupolas however, and the MG34 remained in production until the end of the war for this role.
The MG34 was also used as the basis of a new aircraft gun, the MG81. For this role the breech was slighly modified to allow feeds from either side, and in one version two guns were bolted together on a single trigger to form a weapon known as the MG81Z (for zwilling, twin in German). Production of the MG34 was never enough to satisfy any of its users, and while the MG81 was a huge improvement over the earlier MG30-based MG15 and MG17, those guns could be still found in use until the end of the war.
Statistics
Caliber: 7.92mm
Load: continuous belt feed / 75-round beltless saddle drum
Action: select fire, air cooled
Rate of Fire: 800-900rpm
Weight: 26.7 lbs
As the title says, a 1941 German MG-34 Maschinengewehr. All original Waffen markings on the various components (small German eagle) and date stamps.
The rifle has been de-activated.
It is still strippable with single and auto fire selectable. The safety works. It can be cocked and dry fired. Feeding a round will jam the rifle.
The condition is superb with all the original bluing intact. There are signs of wear but it was used during the war so you'd expect that.
The rifle comes with an assault drum (as you've seen in Day of Defeat) complete with a belt of inert ammunition (45 7.92mm rounds including starter tab). I have a spare empty belt for display purposes.
I also have a separate ammunition case from the period with original leather handles.
The carrying strap is original.
For pictures or more information please email me. Price on application. It's an unusual piece of history. Replies to emails will be discriminatory. Try to say if you are a collector or which regiment you are with. I'm expecting a few weirdos on this one. If you are a collector or such like you'll know what they fetch already. This one is excellent.
Sale due to arrival of MG-42, MP-44, and FG-42.
Glen
dosenoffner@hotmail.com
History Lesson
The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG34, was a German machine gun first issued in 1934, considered by many to be the first modern general-purpose machine gun. It was used as the primary infantry machine gun during the 1930s, and remained as the primary tank and aircraft defensive weapon. It was intended that it would be replaced in infantry service by the related MG42, but there were never enough of the new design to go around, and MG34s soldiered on in all roles until the end of World War II.
The MG34 was designed primarily by Heinrich Vollmer from Mauser Werke, based on the recently introduced Rheinmetall designed Solothurn 1930 (MG30) that was starting to enter service in Switzerland. The principle changes were to move the feed mechanism to a more convenient location on the left of the breech, and the addition of a shroud around the barrel. Changes to the operating mechanism improved the rate of fire to between 800 and 900 RPM.
The MG34 could use both magazine-fed and belt-fed 7.92mm ammunition. Belts were supplied in 50-round single strips or 250-round boxes. The drums held either 50 rounds in the standard version, or 75 in the "double drum" version. Early guns had to be modified to use the drums by replacing a part on the gun, but this modification was later supplied from the factory.
In the light machine gun role it was used with a bipod and weighed only 12.1 kg, considerably less than other machine guns of the era. In the medium machine gun role it could be mounted on one of two tripods, a smaller one weighing 6.75 kg, the larger 23.6 kg. The larger included a number of features making it useful for a number of roles. The legs could be extended to allow it to be used in the anti-aircraft role (and many were), and when lowered it could be placed to allow the gun to be fired "remotely" while it swept an arc in front of the mounting with fire, or aimed through a periscope attached to the tripod.
The new gun was accepted for service almost immediately and was generally liked by the troops. It was used to great effect by German soldiers assisting the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. At the time it was considerably more advanced than guns being used by other forces (with the exception of the MG30), both in terms of rate of fire, and in being easily man portable by a single gunner. However the MG34 was also very expensive, both in terms of construction and the raw materials needed (49 kg of steel) and it was unable to be built in the sorts of numbers required for the ever expanding German army. It also proved to be rather tempermental, jamming easily when dirty.
By the late 1930s an effort had started to simplify the MG34, leading to the MG42. The MG42's square barrel cover made it unsuitable for use in tank cupolas however, and the MG34 remained in production until the end of the war for this role.
The MG34 was also used as the basis of a new aircraft gun, the MG81. For this role the breech was slighly modified to allow feeds from either side, and in one version two guns were bolted together on a single trigger to form a weapon known as the MG81Z (for zwilling, twin in German). Production of the MG34 was never enough to satisfy any of its users, and while the MG81 was a huge improvement over the earlier MG30-based MG15 and MG17, those guns could be still found in use until the end of the war.
Statistics
Caliber: 7.92mm
Load: continuous belt feed / 75-round beltless saddle drum
Action: select fire, air cooled
Rate of Fire: 800-900rpm
Weight: 26.7 lbs
03 March 2004, 10:52 AM
#3
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awesome piece of kit, a big round 2 with high velocity (2480fps), they dont look much different to the MG42 apart from the barrels outer casing which was obv changed for more effective cooling i presume?
03 March 2004, 01:24 PM
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More effective cooling and a far more simple design. The 42's only have fully auto whereas the 34's have a single shot option. Hence the reason 42's were fired in 1 second burst. The Reich couldn't afford the ammunition and they over heated when run all the time as they can put through 1,200 rounds per minute. 
The 42's were far easy to mass produce. They could make 2 or 3 of them in the time it took to make a 34.
The FG-42 is the show piece though. Not many surviving in full working condition. The States have started reproducing them now but you can't beat an original. 7.92mm round also.
The 34's and 42's were introduced as light machine guns after the Versaise Treaty agreement banned the Germans from producing anymore heavy machine guns. Although the Americans were still allowed to make the .50 cal Browning.
It's a smashing piece of kit alright. Looks smashing in a display case.
The 42's were far easy to mass produce. They could make 2 or 3 of them in the time it took to make a 34.The FG-42 is the show piece though. Not many surviving in full working condition. The States have started reproducing them now but you can't beat an original. 7.92mm round also.
The 34's and 42's were introduced as light machine guns after the Versaise Treaty agreement banned the Germans from producing anymore heavy machine guns. Although the Americans were still allowed to make the .50 cal Browning.
It's a smashing piece of kit alright. Looks smashing in a display case.
Last edited by dosenöffner; 03 March 2004 at 01:32 PM.
03 March 2004, 04:29 PM
#6
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FG42, interesting weapon, never seen that 1 b4, weird place for the mag on the side, does the FG denote the fact it was mainly used by the Fallshirmjagergewehr , or am i completely way out?
03 March 2004, 04:33 PM
#7
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It was used by them. Mainly as a sniper rifle but has the ability to go fully auto so not bad for skirmishes too.
Not in this country I haven't, nor will they be available to anyone from this country. Let's keep it legal. I have slotted the breach I currently have on there to ensure it will fail if a live round is discharged. So in a word no.
Have you got the re activation parts
Last edited by dosenöffner; 03 March 2004 at 04:37 PM.
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03 March 2004, 05:29 PM
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Top one is the mark 1 with the bottom being the mark 2. Slightly different handle and the distinctive change in the muzzle flash supressor.
They are gas / spring return so unlike a bolt action lose some of the kick in the reloading of the hammer. They are a nice piece of kit and were extremely effective. A fair bit heavier than a Kar though. Being able to fire in full auto was good for skirmish. They have a foldable bipod as per the MG-34 and 42. Fast to depoly and fairly accurate. They were very popular with paratroopers where you may have to lay down a decent amount of fire on arrival but have other duties later.
I have a K98Kar but in the G44/45 version. It is basically the same in all respects only a little shorter in the barrel. They were used by the mountain troops so the reduction in length was handy.
They are gas / spring return so unlike a bolt action lose some of the kick in the reloading of the hammer. They are a nice piece of kit and were extremely effective. A fair bit heavier than a Kar though. Being able to fire in full auto was good for skirmish. They have a foldable bipod as per the MG-34 and 42. Fast to depoly and fairly accurate. They were very popular with paratroopers where you may have to lay down a decent amount of fire on arrival but have other duties later.
I have a K98Kar but in the G44/45 version. It is basically the same in all respects only a little shorter in the barrel. They were used by the mountain troops so the reduction in length was handy.
Last edited by dosenöffner; 03 March 2004 at 05:32 PM.
