MG 1942   MG 3
Caliber 7,92 x57    7,62 x51
Weight 11,6 kg (gun) + 20,5 kg (machine Lafette 42) 10,5 kg (gun) + different machines
Length 1219 mm   1225 mm
Barrel length 533 mm   565 mm
Feeding belt belt
Rate of fire 1200 – 1500 rounds per minute or 700-800 1100-1200 rounds per minute

By the beginning of World War II Wehrmacht (the army of Nazi Germany) came up with as a single machine gun designed in the early 1930s, MG 34. For all his virtues he possessed two major disadvantages – first, he was quite sensitive to pollution mechanisms and, secondly, it was too time-consuming and expensive to produce, that would not allow the growing needs of troops in the machine-guns. Therefore, in 1939 began developing a new gun to replace the MG 34, and in 1942 the Wehrmacht had adopted a new machine gun MG 42, developed by an unknown company Metall und Lackierwarenfabrik Johannes Grossfuss AG. Designers of the new machine gun steel Werner Gruner (Gruner, sometimes a wrong spelling Grunow) and Kurt Horn (Horn). The machine gun was put into production at a very firm Grossfus, as well as factories Mauser-Werke, Gustloff-Werke, Steyr-Daimler-Pooh and others. Production of MG in 1942 continued in Germany until the end of the war, and the total output amounted to more than 400 000 guns. The production of MG 34, despite its shortcomings, a fully collapsed was not because he was due to certain design features (way to change the barrel, the possibility of filing strip on either side) is more suitable for installation on tanks and military vehicles.
After the war career MG 42, is widely recognized as one of the best guns, not only World War II, but generally in the class of uniform, continued. After recovery in Germany Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) in its arms in 1958, was passed version of the machine gun MG 1942 chambered for 7.62×51 NATO, under the symbol MG 1. Release of the new gun has taken place concern Rheinmetall based on documents obtained from the company Grossfuss. Since the installation of new machine guns require considerable time, the Bundeswehr had to buy abroad a large quantity of machine gun MG 42, seized from Nazi Germany, and transform them into a cartridge 7.62×51 (replacing the barrel and the details of the feeder bands). Such guns were reworked in the Bundeswehr index MG 2. After some upgrading of machine guns in the production of MG 1 was launched on the final version of a machine gun known as the MG 3. Due to its high processability and fighting qualities, this gun is widely exported, as under its “army” designation, and under a commercial company index Rheinmetall MG 42/59. In addition, this gun was produced under license in Italy, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey (the latter two countries it is available so far). In Germany itself the production of MG 3 discontinued, and the infantry is gradually replacing it with more light and maneuverable, but less powerful machine gun MG 4 caliber 5.56mm.

MG 42 was developed under very specific requirements: it had to be universal (single) machine gun, the most expensive in production, the most reliable and high-firepower, achieved a relatively high rate of fire. The cheapness and speed of manufacture have been achieved by a number of measures. First, the extensive use of stamping: Receiver with barrel shroud were made by stamping from a single billet, while the MG 34 were two separate parts, which are produced by machine tools. Furthermore, compared with the MG 34 in order to simplify renounced the possibility of filing strip on either side arms, the possibility of store food and to switch fire mode. As a result, the cost of MG-42 compared with the MG 34 has decreased by about 30%, and metal – 50%.

MG-42 is based on automation with a short recoil and hard locking with a pair of rollers. On the barrel breech rigidly established a special collar with fancy cutouts. In combat striker bolt has two rollers, which may be made from the larvae out (in part) when they are back under the influence of back-and-mainspring pushes the bolt body is its wedge-shaped protrusions in the front. It rolls are engaged with the grooves on the barrel sleeve, providing a rigid locking trunk. Following the shot barrel, locked breech, rolled about 18 millimeters. Then shaped protrusions on the internal walls of the receiver press in rolls into battle larva unlinked bolt with the barrel. The barrel is stopped and the shutter continues to recoil, extracting and removing the pocket and firing exercise starting a new cartridge. Fires from open bolt chambering the cartridge from the tape in the trunk – direct. Mode of fire – only queues, a guard in the form of a transversely moving pin located on the pistol grip and locks the sear. The charging handle – on the right side of the weapon. When shooting, it remains fixed and the samples of different years of release and different plants may differ in shape and design.
Feeding machine gun made from metal strips with nerassypnyh disconnected link. Tapes made in the form of sections of 50 rounds each. Sections can be joined to form a tape of an arbitrary multiple of 50 rounds capacity. Typically, used tape to 50 cartridges in boxes by MG 34 machine gun in the form and tape cartridges, 250 (section 5) in a box – in the form of easel. Submission of tapes – only left to right. The device of the feeder belts – a simple and reliable, later widely copied in other samples. On the flap of the feeder belt is shaped lever, swinging in a horizontal plane. This lever has a bottom shaped longitudinal groove in which glides up the bolt protruding from the pin, while the motion of the shutter lever goes left-right, driving the fingers of the filing strip. In MG 3 machine guns receiver ribbon is modified so that it can be used as a tape nerassypnymi links, and to loose. In addition, MG 3 produced two sets of variants of the closures and a return spring – standard (lock mass of about 600 grams), ensuring the rate of fire about 1200 rounds per minute, and heavy (the bolt weighs about 900 grams) for the rate of fire about 800 rounds per minute .

Because of the high rate of fire MG-42 required frequent replacement barrels, and developed by engineers of the company Grossfus solution allows for the replacement of the barrel in just 6 – 10 seconds. Moving the trunk is fixed in the receiver just two points – in the muzzle part of the special coupling, and in the breech – convertible collar. To change the barrel must, of course, to the bolt was in the rear position. This machine gunner just kick right in the right rear of the housing barrel clamp-latch, with the barrel rotates slightly in the horizontal plane to the right around the muzzle and breech of the barrel, inserted into a hole in the collar, went sideways beyond the barrel jacket (see diagram and photo). Next, a machine gunner just pulled the trunk movement back and inserted in its place a fresh barrel, and then snap shackle in place. This scheme shifts the barrel is just due to one large window on the right side of casing the barrel – it was necessary to ensure the rotation of the trunk and the withdrawal of his breech outside the enclosure. The only drawback of this design is, like MG-34, the absence of the trunk of any arms that required the use to extract the hot trunk of insulating gloves or other handy tools. The change stems under intensive shooting was required to produce every 250 shots.

MG-42 could be used as a light machine gun with fixed folding bipod and can be installed on a special infantry machine Lafette 42, who had mechanisms for guidance and automatic dispersion. For MGs MG 3 in the world produced a wide range of machines and installations.