Post war or war time MG42 trigger group? Help please.

[GEJ]

Hi Gents! Reaching out hoping someone Maybe able to shed some light on this MG42 Triggerguard!? This came with my bring back 42. It's a 42 Triggergroup with Rheinmetall symbol on top left corner with its other unique symbol followed. What I'm trying to find out if this is war time made or not? My Guns a Maget gun which I know was a subsidiary of Rheinmetall, however it lacks German waffenampts everywhere, and I think is strange as the German codes were used very well and almost always, and this one just has Rheinmetalls regular logo. Does anyone else have a Maget gun or any other gun with this that came back with there gun? And help would be appreciated Gents! 

Thanks Gage

Edited December 27, 2023 by GEJ

[DARIVS]

Your pistol grip is definitely postwar Bundeswehr, not Nazi era.  The parts were probably replaced at some point.  I used to have a Maget CRA 1943 MG-42.  Here are two spare grip assemblies still in my spares.  Note the very faint Waffenamt below the front hook on each of the grips.  One of the grips has postwar wooden oak side panels that replaced what was probably damaged originals.  Also in my spare parts box are an MG-3 stripped pistol grip and an MG-3 flash hider, both unused  Bundeswehr parts in original yellow paper wrapping and sealed in a plastic bag.  I have never opened them to look at them.

 

Traces of the number beneath the eagle are barely visible between the rounded spot weld dimples.

Below, the eagle wings of the Waffenamt are barely visible at the top of the crescent shaped indentation.

Edited December 27, 2023 by DARIVS

[GEJ]

16 minutes ago, DARIVS said:

Your pistol grip is definitely postwar Bundeswehr, not Nazi era.  I used to have a Maget CRA 1943 MG-42.  Here are two spare grip assemblies still in my spares.  Note the very faint Waffenamt below the front hook on each of the grips.  One of the grips has postwar wooden oak side panels that replaced what was probably damaged originals.

 

Traces of the number beneath the eagle are barely visible between the rounded spot weld dimples.

Below, the eagle wings of the Waffenamt are barely visible at the top of the crescent shaped indentation.

Hi Darvis! Thank you for that input. That is indeed what I figured. This is a easy fix as you helped me determine I have the original one in my other stuff. Long story short this gun came from a friend's estate and he bought it back in the 60s from a friend who bought it from the vet. When he would shoot it every once in a blue moon, he would switch out the originals for post war spares of course. But he passed away suddenly a few years ago. He had a post war bakelite stock which he kept on it as he liked the looks of it, and when I was going and helping through his estate I found the original stock. Until tonight I never noticed the triggerguard and always thought it was the original, but when I stripped it I saw that Rheinmetall marking, and kinda figured the other one in the can of parts I bought from him, was the original as that one Is correctly German WW2 marked. I wanted to make sure of course that I wasnt missing something where Rheinmetall didn't follow protocol on smaller parts and was breaking off a original part! Thank you Darvis.

Edited December 27, 2023 by GEJ

[DARIVS]

10 hours ago, GEJ said:

Hi Darvis! Thank you for that input. That is indeed what I figured. This is a easy fix as you helped me determine I have the original one in my other stuff. Long story short this gun came from a friend's estate and he bought it back in the 60s from a friend who bought it from the vet. When he would shoot it every once in a blue moon, he would switch out the originals for post war spares of course. But he passed away suddenly a few years ago. He had a post war bakelite stock which he kept on it as he liked the looks of it, and when I was going and helping through his estate I found the original stock. Until tonight I never noticed the triggerguard and always thought it was the original, but when I stripped it I saw that Rheinmetall marking, and kinda figured the other one in the can of parts I bought from him, was the original as that one Is correctly German WW2 marked. I wanted to make sure of course that I wasnt missing something where Rheinmetall didn't follow protocol on smaller parts and was breaking off a original part! Thank you Darvis.

Very glad you could sort it out.  I also swapped out parts for shooting that could experience wear and tear.  On the MG-42, the sheet metal disconnector at the top of the trigger grip assembly will experience impact damage and burr over in time, so that's a good enough reason to use a Bundeswehr grip on a C&R MG-42.

[Ryo]

Typically if I put the original parts to the side, I bag it with a label like original MG42 part and any notes needed. 

Sorry to hear your friend's passing