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42 On The Way


kcub
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I'm waiting on paperwork for my '42.

It will have been set up for .308.

Knowledge to confirm all is setup properly and operational as it should be would be welcomed.

I'm going through Myrvang's book and Baum's translated manual.

 

Ordinarily for other full autos I load 3 rounds on my first firing to get a feel for the muzzle climb.

Any prep and knowledge I should have prior to my 1st range trip would also be very much appreciated.

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You shouldn't have any trouble in 308, 8mm makes it jump a bit more- that is if your shooting from the hip- If you don't have a tripod yet get one- The originals are 4 times the lastest ones (robert at RTG)and either work fine especially as the newest ones come with optics- the original optics (Ohio Ordnance) are almost as much as the tripods- AS fast as the 42 shoots you might wnat to try a few more than 3 rounds- Hope you got a loader with it, if not the 308 loaders can be found, 8mm a little harder now.

 

Mark

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  • 1 month later...

A suggestion: Do NOT start out shooting from the hip. Until you get used to the gun, it's just a waste of ammunition, and if it gets away from you, some of that ammo will find its way over into the next county. More important, if there is a stoppage or any other problem (especially with live rounds in the gun), it's MUCH easier to clear it, disgnose it or fix it with the gun on the ground, sitting on its bipod. It's too heavy and clumsy to do this while holding up the gun; even retracting the cocking handle is difficult without resting the muzzle on the ground.

 

Bipod shooting was how 90% of the combat firing of MG42s was done. It also gives the civilian shooter the best "feel" for the gun and its shooting characteristics compared to other MGs.

 

I'd hold off buying a tripod until you are thoroughly familiar with the gun and decide that you really want to shoot it that way, unless you're obsessed with just having the full rig. My own experience has been that, after nearly 30 years and a lot of shooting with an MG42, a tripod detracts from its enjoyment; I'd rather use the bipod unless I had some reason to fire at 600 yards or more.

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Another alternative is to mount a 42 on an AA tripod. No one is shooting back at you so you might as well be comfortable. You just have to hold the center upright stem with one hand and tuck the butt stock tightly against your shoulder. This works well for us old farts.... http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/wink.gif
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Smoker, the first time I shot the 42 it was off an AA mount and I looked like a spaz TO correct this terrible condition I reached back and held the stock with my left hand like one would a sniper/benchrest rifle which helped a lot. THe next time was off the same AA mount but this time with the 42 in a Leopard mount off a tank- Hold it like riding a bicycle the front brake thingy was the fire control- plenty gimbaled lots of movement and a whole lotta fun- I take both mounts to shoots-leopard and tripod when tired but the fun is with the leopard mount- hard as hell to find nowadays though.

 

Mark

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Mark,...can you post a pic of the Leopard mount?...this sounds like a great setup.... http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/wink.gif
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21 I will look for a pic or go take one but I will have to email it to you- I have never learned how to post a pic onthe internet- email me your direct email address in case I can't use the one email system the board uses

Not sure if I have one with the gun attached.

Mark

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Contact Robert at RTG- www.robertrtg.com/ Robert has all the parts and the drums- the German Nato plastic ones- the steel ones are around but they will not work on the 308 trays real well at all- If you are using linked ammo (the M13, like on the M60 MG) you need a special feed tray and that tray is the one that the HK plastic drums easily attach to. THis is the MG3 tray, RTG has regular MG1 trays that support the reguular continous belts- these can be easily converted to shoot 8mm if you so chose.
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  • 1 month later...

I am just guessing at what belts you have but the lighter colored gray ones are the latest ones and may be a tiny bit bigger for the 308 and easier onthe weapon than the darker early belts. The 42 is so strong you probably will not see much difference. Regardingthe other mention of drums- THey may appear to be rather neat -especially for display purposes but I think you will get tired real fast of loading them-

A "slow" 42 will run over 1000 rpm- that is 17/sec. or about 3 seconds per 50rd drum- See where I am going with this? If you are shooting without a tripod just drape a belt over an arm, 100rd ones will be a bit of a hassle to do standing because of the weight-off the ground of course feed out of a can.

 

Mark

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Even when barrels were half the price they are now I would swap barrels every 200 rounds at the very least. I realize this sounds often but with a 42 there is just no reason to go ape S&*^% just because one can. A standard ammo can held 250 and running one through it in a dump will put some kind of wear to the barrel- If I load a 250 its to shoot it in burst, short one, meaning 10 rounders- remember this gun is about the fastest thing there is with only one barrel- mine runs just over 1500 rpm in 8mm under 1300 in 308. WHen the guys and I travel we each have 3 belt feds setup so this allows plenty of time for the 42 to cool between belts and allows me not to change barrels as often- If the 42 was my only shooter I would probably swap them out on every 100/150 round belt- take your time with it- when you pull it out lay it done on something that will not catch fire (canvas tarp material or melt-so plastic buckets are a big NO NO- SPray it down with a light oil- CLP or 3-1 oil.

 

Mark

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sit 2 large sand bags behind the bipod- It mayAre you running it in 8mm or 308- I couldn't tell though it looked and sounded like 8mm but that is not real definitive.

Lube the snot out of the bolt raile and the top cover innards and keep it lubed-will run a lot smoother longer and saves a lot of wear and tar.

 

mark

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It's setup for .308 right now.

 

Strangest thing is that unlike all other FA's I've shot that walk up, this one walks down.

 

Fun gun to shoot. A fair amount of recoil. I'll try prone next time. This bench seat is fixed, you need to back it up and lean into it more.

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