Abwehr Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Just wanted to give eveyone a "heads-up" that the MG42 Belt Loader has arrived at Sportsmans Guide. Standard price is $99.00 for the loader and its packed in an ammo can. The way the advertisement reads is that it is an 8mm loader, but I feel it is probably a post war loader for the 7.62mm round. Mine is supposed to ship today, so actually I am expecting a 7.62mm loader, but it would be fantastic if it is 8mm. If you are interested, the web address to the loader is: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=70866 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewehr42 Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 (edited) Abwehr, If it is 7.92 and you are loading 8mm, you'll be wasting your time trying to get it to work. The one I had didn't push the 8mm far enough into the belt, about 1/8 inch shy of clipping into the belt. Because the shell didn't come all the way out, the belt couldn't advance. Honest to Howard Stern, it's quicker and easier doing it by hand.....................my 2 mg's worth.............................Bruce (It ended up on Ebay) PS: 99$ way too cheap for a WWII German loader! Edited July 19, 2004 by gewehr42 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abwehr Posted July 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 I agree that for $99, it will probably be the 7.62mm loader, but I thought it would be neat to have anyway. I also agree that a loader is not needed to load the MG42 belts. As soon as it arrives, I will give everyone a report on what it is and what it looks like. I am sure it is a wast of some money, but will look neat in a display with the gun, belts drums, etc. If all goes well, it should arrive Thursday evening if it shipped Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abwehr Posted July 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 The Belt Loader from Sportsmans Guide just arrived a few minutes ago by UPS and it is definetly for the 7.62 NATO cartridge. The condition is very good and I am pleased with the Loader. I can run 7.62 in my gun so it won't be a wall hanger anyway. Unless I plan to load a number of belts, I will probably still load single belts by hand, but I like the Loader anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Jr Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 Where do you find instructions on how a MG 42 belt loader works? \ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abwehr Posted July 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 The Belt Loader I received was so simple, you should not require any instructions. The hopper has two locating pins on one side and one locating pin on the other. Position the locating pins to the main body and snap into placce, then load the hoppper with rounds, place the belt on the revolving wheel and start cranking. I use a slow methodical motion on the crank handle and it loads fine. To clamp the loader onto a board or table, use the crank handle in the lower main pin and rotate until it clamps tight on the table or board. Then remove the handle and place into the upper main pin slot and screw in place. When I received the loader, I "field stripped" it, cleaned the old grease, trash, etc from the inside, greased all the sliding surfaces, and oiled all the pins. It turns slicker than snot now. The outside showed some finsih wear from use, but was in great condition. To "field strip", remove four (4) screws on the rear cover of the main body, lift off the cover (the pusher arm is a close fit to the cover opening). On the front, there are two (2) small screws to loosen and the front has two (2) spring loaded pins. Just lift up on the front of the front cover and slide off the locking screws. When I get time, I am going to look at the feed hopper to see what can be done to make it load 8mm too. I have heard that it can be converted and that it can't be converted without major modifications. You really don't need a loader for the belts as the rounds push into the belt easily, but it is still neat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Jr Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 Thanks! Jr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21 smoker Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 If you still want a 8mm belt loader..Marstar of Canada..sells them $200.00...but if you buy the gunners kit for$400.00 it comes out cheaper,plus you get some neat German accys....good deals on belts,starter tabs,and ammo cans...and you can drool over their website and those $450.00 `in the grease` Thompsons...oh,if only.... http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/wink.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Jr Posted July 31, 2004 Report Share Posted July 31, 2004 I want one. It looks to me like if they would just send the feed part from an 8mm loader, it would work. I will want a loader. Thompson Drool! You coined a new one today smoker! BTW how far do you insert the round into the belt on an MG34/42 belt? Thanks dudes and when I get the XMG upper I will post about it here. Jr (where do I find the gunners pack on Marstars site?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abwehr Posted July 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2004 John Jr, The 8mm round is seated into the belt until the tab/tail on the rera of the belt locks into the cannalure at the base of the brass. Loading of the MG42 belt is almost foolproof! Just be sure to lightly oil the belts before loading. This makes inserting the round easier and also helps the bolt push it into the chamber. In the German manuals, taking care of the belts was paramount. When loading, the Germans would use a brush to clean any dirt, trash, etc. from the belt and use a lightly oiled cloth to wipe the belt before loading. This is shown in Folke Myrvang's book on the MG42. If you don't have this book, get a copy; it is great reading and give a lot of detail on the gun and accessories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Jr Posted August 3, 2004 Report Share Posted August 3, 2004 Abwehr, I fell perty stupid, I was loading the MG34/42 belts backwards. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/unsure.gif I know how to do it now. It is really easy and even though I wont be shooting the XMG a LOT, I will go ahead and get a belt loader from Marstar. I will get the Collectors Grade book you mention too. THanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewehr42 Posted August 3, 2004 Report Share Posted August 3, 2004 A belt loader from Marstar might be OK, but if you live in the US don't try to purchase any parts for a weapon. They will not ship it to the US, unless you go to the trouble to fill out and have approved the proper import form (It's been so long I don't remember what the form is called). 2 years ago I wanted some little pieces like screws and the peg on the bottom of the MG34 that sits in the tripod hook, and they would not send due to pieces from a weapon. They sent me slings and other accessories, but don't drool too long for weapons pieces before checking with them............................(Just my experience).......................Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abwehr Posted August 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2004 John Jr, I agree that if you want the 8mm Loader, Marstar is the place to go. Since I can shoot 8mm and 7.62mm NATO in my gun, I will use the Loader from Sportsmans Guide for the 7.62mm. I was able to get an 8mm round to feed in the Loader, but it will be a single loader. I inserted an 8mm rd. from the backside bottom into the feedway and then crank the handle. It sure would be slow this way, LOL. Prior to loading the belt, be sure to clean the pockets good! When you get new belts, they usually have a coating of hardened oil/grease and this need to be removed. After cleaning the belts, I use an oiled cloth and run it into each pocket to lubricate. If I am going to load and then go to the range, I put a VERY light coat of oil on the steel case body (I use Romanian steel case ammo) only when loading; it sure helps extraction. Don't overdo the oil on the ammo. The gun itself likes oil, so keep it lubricated. You will enjoy the book, as it has a lot of background information on the MG34 and MG42. Plus how to opeerate the guns. Good luck and keep us posted on the condition of the Marstar Loader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abwehr Posted August 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2004 I forgot to mention, the oil I use for the belts is Castrol 10W30 motor oil. This may not be the best, but it is cheap and it works great with my gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Jr Posted August 3, 2004 Report Share Posted August 3, 2004 Sounds good, I will keep you posted. Jr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philasteen Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 Oiling the belts is a great idea. I've had quite a few rounds get hung up in my belts. btw, I use the same loader for my MAG-58 and it works very well with one flaw - the .308 rounds have a tendency to go astray in the narrow part of the feed hopper and it's a bit annoying to put them back the right way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS Posted November 3, 2004 Report Share Posted November 3, 2004 (edited) Hiya Guys, The gurtfullers being offered by SportsmansGuide are indeed made for .308 rounds, not 8mm. HOWEVER, you can convert it to 8mm with the help of an oxy-gas welder by modifying the hopper that the rounds sit in. I have done this for mine, and it works PERFECTLY. Trust me, I go through cases of ammo in my MG-42 wityh friends around who are happy to use it up, and a working gurtfuller is a must-have. You first have to use a screwdriver to crack the spotwelds for the sideplate nearest the sprocket (when mounted) of the hopper. Be carefule not to twist the sideplate or the bottom flap plate ofthe hopper too much. If you do, reshape the parts with light taps of a hammer on your anvil or suitable steel form thingy. Now, you have to extend the width of the hopper about 5/16" or so. Cut a strip of 18 gauge sheet metal and gas weld it to the edge of the hopper, along where you took the side plate off. Grinds the excess weld metal off to make a nice flush surface, and tack weld the side plate back on only after checking the width of the hopper and sideplate with an 8mm round to get the size JUST RIGHT. The hopper should be only as wide as an 8mm round, and NO WIDER. Why? Because if the hopper is too wide, it will interfere with the sprocket wheel such that you may not be able to place a belt onto the sprocket. You only have so much room on the gurtfuller tool for a widened hopper. A little reshaping of the hopper with a hammer and anvil may be needed to correct the shape if the hopper got warped during reworking. Of course, if the hopper is not wide enough, it will be useless since rounds will not fit correctly in it nor feed correctly. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/blink.gif After sanding all the scale and excess weldmetal, repaint the entire hopper with some tough green krylon spray paint, not painting it too thick so as to cause the bottom hopper plate to be sticky in movement. The result is professional looking gurtfuller that looks VERY similar, but not exact in details, to an original German gurtfuller 41. And, everytime you fill belts, you'll thanks yourself for the small investment of a few hours to modify your hopper. Also, be sure to clean and lube your belts after shooting. I dip mine in transmission fluid and let them drip dry for 24 hours, then wipe the excess oil off, load them, then at the range, JUST PRIOR TO SHOOTING, spray the loaded belts with RemOil (with teflon) or another suitable light lubricant. Spray each side of the belt, staying away from the primers and the bullets. That will reduce broken casings to just about zero, even with crappy 1940's vintage Turkish 8mm ammo. I have many other tips that, if heeded, will make operating your MG-42 problem-free. Check my website at: http://198.144.2.125/MG42/Machinengewehr%2...%20-%20Home.htm I will be adding several e-mail correspondence letters with a fellow MG-42 owner that will provide more details regarding watching for wear and damage and maintaining the MG-42 with selective spare parts purchases to the website in the future. It is important to understand that the MG-42 was NOT designed to LAST as many years as it has without routine parts replacement and refurbishment, the likes of which only a few gunsmiths have tools to do. They won't last as long as Browning machineguns with continuous usage, but by shooting them sparingly, knowing the wear points and replacing parts that go out of spec (like the trunion! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/sad.gif ), and careful maintenance and cleaning of the parts between shooting sessions, you can make these MG's last for many more decades. If you don't, then the cost of my pretty C&R MG-42 will skyrocket as more of yours are relegated to the scrapheap. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif DARIVS ARCHITECTVS Edited November 3, 2004 by DARIVS ARCHITECTVS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abwehr Posted November 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2004 DARIVS, A good posting concerning the maintenance on the MG-42; I feel this cannot be overstated! I have never used transmission fluid for lubricating the belts, but it should work better than my Castrol 10W30 since the viscocity is lower. I will have to give this a try, thanks for the tip. As to the Gurtfuller, I have looked at my 7.62mm loader and I came to the same conclusion that what you have done will work. I have been so busy on several other projects, the Gurtfuller has not been converted yet. Maybe in the next couple of weeks I can get this done. Please keep up the great information! Abwehr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewehr42 Posted November 5, 2004 Report Share Posted November 5, 2004 Just got an original Gurtfuller 36 for 700$, ammo can and complete....................................B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewehr42 Posted April 24, 2005 Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 Just got another orig for 325$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenshi Posted August 6, 2005 Report Share Posted August 6, 2005 Darivs, I am a Gunsmith and am very curious as to the MG42 tools you mention, "without routine parts replacement and refurbishment, the likes of which only a few gunsmiths have tools to do". Do you have pics or drawings available for the MG42 tools you mention? Also You mention parts going "Out of Spec", what are the specs you indicate? Are they available? Thanks Mike Spivey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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