Once the problem was identified, the temporary solution was to design and manufacture extra sturdy ammunition with primers with a slightly slower ignition time which allowed the rollers to settle into lockup and issue that ammunition specifically for MG 42 use. Patronenkasten 34 and Patronenkasten 41 ammunition boxes could hold up to 300 belted rounds and were used in more static non-highly mobile situations. Nazi Germany's FG42 - The Granddad of the American M60 Machine Gun A powerful Nazi weapon of war? This powerful German machine gun was built as a cheaper and simpler version of the MG 34. E.g., being unsure whether the real distance was 2,000 or 2,300m (2,187 or 2,515yd), the gunner could make the mount do an automatic sweep between the elevations for 1,900 to 2,400m (2,078 to 2,625yd) and back. Combat experience gained facing MG42s heavily influenced American ordnance officers of the day. I heard all this noise about M60s being unreliable, but really thought that they worked great when I had them as a PL in Korea (1990) and the 101st (91 - 92). Switching between a bipod and a tripod required no special tools, as the mounting latch was spring-loaded. The story of the M60 begins right after the end of WWII. [59], When one of the two T24 machine gun prototypes was fired at Aberdeen Proving Ground, it fired only one shot and failed to eject the cartridge. That has something to do with tripods I thought. The Soviets did not really go in for grace in their designs, did they? Some engineering changes were to use a barrel chambered for the .30-06 Springfield service round and an extremely increased weight 47oz (1,332g) bolt and stiffer return spring in an effort to reduce the cyclic rate consistent with US rate requirements. If you like more historical firearms the MG42 is the way to go. [13], The distinctive sound caused by the high cyclic firing rate gave rise to a variety of nicknames. One of its virtues is how light it is compared to many other designs of the time, such as the M1919A4/A6 it replaced and the FN MAG58. In addition, with its high bullet penetration, the M60 can take on and tear apart very . When closed the Laufschtzer 42 looked like a tubular container with mountings at its ends to attached a carrying/shoulder strap. David Fortier gets a chance to shoot the HK MP7 PDW at drivetanks.com. Chief of these was the ability to quickly and easily change barrels. Its also interesting to note the US M60 machine guns feed system was based on the German 7.92mm MG42 GPMGs. The tested MG 45/42V fired 120,000 rounds in succession at a cyclic rate of fire around 1,350 to 1,800 rounds per minute. The German military instructed that sustained fire must be avoided at all costs. By changing its mount, sights and feed mechanism, the operator could radically transform an Einheitsmaschinengewehr for several purposes. The Russians have a 6mm. [5] The ear could not easily discern the sound of individual shots being fired, hearing a sound described as like "ripping cloth" or a buzzsaw. In the tripod-mounted medium machine gun role, MG 42 users were trained to fire short bursts and bursts of 20 to 50 rounds and strive to optimize their aim between bursts fired in succession. It was possible for operating crews to lay down a non-stop barrage of fire, pausing only when the barrel had to be replaced. The MG42 is capable of firing 1200 rounds a minute, while the M60 fires at a rate of only 500 rounds per minute. Definitely use a lipo in either case. There's some overlap and if we shift calibers good luck making these distinctions, but 5.56 belt feds are pretty heavy and fussy for the bullets they throw. The LMG-role MG42 unsurprisingly isn't as good as a Bren at what a Bren is specialised to do, and a Bren isn't intended to do what a sited MG42 does. ", MG 34/MG 42 optical sight, germanmilitaria.com, "MG34 and MG42 Lafette wartime development part two", "WEAPONS FINNISH ARMY ALMOST HAD IN WORLD WAR 2, PART 1: Rifles and Machineguns", "Rheinmetall Machinengewehr 3 - West Germany", MG5 soll bis 2022 das betagte MG3 ersetzen, 8 June 2019, "BULGARIAN SMALL ARMS OF WORLD WAR II, PART 2: FROM MAXIM OBRAZETZ 1907G TO ZB39 OBRAZETZ 1939G. It was possible to assemble it wrong so it would only fire one shot. The MG 42s rate of fire was sometimes an issue for its users as it burned through ammunition extremely quickly, but its ability to suppress an enemy force was unmatched. Gurt 34/41 belt links and wire spirals were made of thinner material the Gurt 34 links were made of 0.7mm (0.028in) and Gurt 34/41 links of 0.5mm (0.020in) thick stamped steel sheet metal that saved of metal and counterintuitively yielded improved performance. One of many personal tales: Friend of mine was on a live fire EX in the swamps of GA, sneaking along in the dark as best they can, when he hears a plop rapidly followed by very loud noises. One downside to the M60 design is the bipod is attached to the barrel. This continuous firing often took a toll on receivers, cracking them open. A heavier bolt uses more recoil energy to overcome inertia, thus slowing the cyclic rate of the machine gun. The idea that one gun will do all infantry tasks is dead. The versatile, quick-firing M60 machine gun became one of the iconic weapons of the Vietnam War. Subscriber Services. I prefer the M60 for fun just because you can shoot it standing up. The other prototype was plagued with excessive ejection failures and to a lesser extent failures to feed. It wasnt a perfect design though by any means. Email us atFirearmsNews@Outdoorsg.com. it also lead to german soldiers being trained to shoot very short bursts. As personal small arms, the squad leader was issued a rifle, or as of around 1941 a submachine gun, the machine gunner and his assistant were issued pistols and the deputy squad leader, ammunition carrier and the riflemen were issued rifles. Sign up for our daily email and get the stories everyone is talking about. The Ammunition Bearer carries the tripod with T&E plus additional ammunition. If you are interested in legally purchasing a registered machine gun like an M60 you can visit Ruben Mendiola and Dealernfa at www.DealerNFA.com. When you need to lug the MG around day after day PKM is the best by leaps and bounds , weighs considerably less than MG3 or M240 its closer to SAW , basicaly offsets about 100rounds of ammo . New in the MG 42 was that two belt feed pawls are linked to the front end of the feed arm by an intermediate link, in such a way that when one pawl is feeding, the other pawl is riding over the next round in the belt. AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own. One new winner* is announced every week! Firings were discontinued in February 1944 after 51 malfunctions and firing a total of 1,583 rounds by authorization of Major C. Balleisen, O.C.O. k2 k3 m60 . The Americans and the British trained their troops to take cover from the fire of an MG 42, and assault the position during the sub 10 seconds time window of barrel replacement.[22][23]. [47] The Laufschtzer 42 was derived from the Laufschtzer 34 that served the same purpose for MG 34 barrel units. World War II Infantry. And since you can't increase the amount you carry after the perks or finding a gun for hire with the hoarder perk it doesn't make sense for me. There were also mounts for various vehicles, motorcycle sidecars, and fortress positions. Today, the M60 lives on in memories and old war movies. One of the Einheitsmaschinengewehr (Universal machine gun) roles was to provide low-level anti-aircraft coverage. [57][58], Saginaw Steering Gear Division of General Motors received a contract to construct two working converted MG 42 prototypes designated as the T24 machine gun. The MG 74 of the Austrian Federal Army, is a modification of the MG 42. It used steel of lesser quality, which reduced weight to 9 kilograms (20lb), while retaining the horizontal cocking handle. Because of that, feed is performed in two steps, on both the opening and closing movement of the bolt, instead of one step as in the earlier MG 34. The U.S. Navy SEAL teams of Vietnam employed shortened and cut down M60 machine guns, making a substantially more man-portable platform, easier for single-personuse. Although made of relatively inexpensive and simple parts, the prototypes proved to be considerably more rugged and resistant to jamming than the precisely machined and somewhat temperamental MG 34. [50] The Lafette 42 tripod also had a bolt box to store a (spare) bolt and return spring. Three companies were asked in February 1937 to submit designs: Metall und Lackierwarenfabrik Johannes Grofu AG of Dbeln, Rheinmetall-Borsig AG of Smmerda, and Stbgen AG of Erfurt. The point is, the MG-42 and Browning .30 Cal did an equal job, however the .30 cal did not gorge itself on ammunition nearly as fast as the MG42. It was determined that the M60s receiver was good for about 100,000 rounds, compared to about two million for the M240. [48], For the medium machine gun role a large tripod, the Lafette 42, was available that included a number of features, such as recoil absorbing buffer springs, a Zielfernrohrhalter (optical sight mounting bracket) for mounting an MG Z 34 or MG Z 40 periscope-type 4 power telescopic sight containing special sighting equipment for indirect fire, or the late World War II MG Z 44, designed for direct fire only. The three-wire braided return spring then pushes the bolt assembly forwards again, pushing a new cartridge out of the belt into the breech. He is a recipient of the Carl Zeiss Outdoor Writer of the Year award and his writing has been recognized by the Civil Rights organization JPFO. This nickname reaches back to its use inVietnam. Is the M60 based on MG42? Auto rifles are rifles much of the time, feed from the same ammo/mags as the squad usually, are just a bit heavier and should be employed for small scale base of fire, etc. The battle of Ia Drang in November 1965 is notable. The downside is reduced time for the same weight of ammunition. Fitted with matchbarrels in 308win and 6.5x55. The Mk46 program was right to delete that feature. For me I like more modern, tactical firearms and would go with a M60E6 setup. The resulting weapon had a cyclic rate of fire of 1,000 rounds per minute, was in the light machine gun role 4.4kg (9.70lb) heavier than the German MG 42, and much more finely made and finished. Used in Vietnam in this configuraton, I can't imagine hauling this thru the jungle. The Winchester 350 Legend is built with hunters and sport shooters in mind, 350 Legend is versatile on the range and in the deer woods. Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro CCW Pistol Review. According to my sources the M-60 copied the MG42 feed system and the bolt and locking system of the FG42. [33] Simultaneously the barrel is pushed forward by a recuperator spring to its starting position. The M60 attached to a tripod mount. Some good and bad points on each Posted: 9/9/2015 10:03:07 PM EDT [#5] If you like more historical firearms the MG42 is the way to go. James Tarr gets to talk to Steve Wilson of Rock River Arms about their RBG. While partly derived from German guns, it contained American innovations as well. Entering production in 1942, it was intended to supplement and replace the earlier MG 34, which was more . [51], Another unique feature of German World War II machine guns was the Tiefenfeuerautomat feature on the Lafette 42 and Lafette 34 tripods. [67][64] Its parts are attached to a 2.5mm (0.1in) thick stamped sheet metal housing that functions as the receiver and barrel sleeve. For targets that can be fired on by a general-purpose machine gun for longer periods than just a few seconds, the cyclic firing rate becomes less important. In 1944, the material shortages in Nazi Germany led to the development of a newer version, the MG 45 (or MG 42V), which had a different operating mechanism that used roller-delayed blowback as opposed to roller locking. As for lineage there are some components of the M60 that were taken directly from the MG42 and many . David Fortier is with CEO of Silencer Central Brandon Maddox at Roundtable 2022. Having fired the 60, 42 and MG3 I say spend the money on a 42 or clone and do the MG1 or MG3 conversion preferably. Set up one soldier in each square, 64 soldiers total. I was explained the difference of the MG34 and MG42 in this way by a Waffen SS veteran with 3 years active service on the eastern front. The T24 machine gun was a prototype reverse engineered copy of the German MG 42 general-purpose machine gun developed during World War II as a possible replacement for the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle and M1919A4 for infantry squads. 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