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MG 42
Adopted by Germany in 1942, in an effort to reduce the machining time and cost inherent in the production of the MG34, the MG42 (MG standing for Maschinengewehr, literally "Machine Rifle") is perhaps the deadliest machine gun used during the war. Geared for mass production above all else, it was designed to take full advantage of modern production techniques such as replacing machined components with stamped ones; one of the key figures in the project, Ernst Grunow, had no prior experience in firearm design whatsoever and worked for Großfuß AG, a company that normally made sheet-metal lanterns. The result was a weapon that took 50% fewer man hours to build than the MG34 and cost 24% less. Light weight and great reliability made it one of the first true modern general purpose machine guns, able to be used in the light machine gun role on a bipod or the medium machine gun role on a tripod. The light weight of operating components make the MG42 one of the fastest-firing single-barrel guns which does not require an external power source; with a cyclic rate of 1200 rounds per minute, individual shots are mostly indiscernible. The rate is so fast that even a trained operator has trouble firing a single shot from the fullauto-only gun. The distinctive sound led to nicknames such as "Hitler's buzzsaw." The MG42 also features an extremely fast barrel change system, allowing sustained fire even with the extremely high fire rate.
The weapon was issued in the light machine gun role with an ammo drum containing a 50-round belt (the same one used on the MG34), while in the medium role the MG42 typically used 250-round belts. The gun is chambered in the 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge (also known as 8mm Mauser), the same cartridge used in the well known K98k infantry rifles, and ammunition is interchangeable (though Kar 98 ammunition was not issued in belts, making this of limited use in practical terms). Machine gun ammunition was slightly more powerful in order to avoid jams and run the mechanism more reliably.
MG42
Specifications
- Caliber: 7.92x57mm Mauser
- Length: 48 inches
- Barrel Length: 20.18 inches
- Weight: Gun: 25.50 pounds
- Muzzle Velocity: 2,475 feet per second
- Maximum range: 3,800 yards
- Maximum effective range: 1,000 yards
- Cyclic rate of fire: 1200-1350 rounds per minute
The MG42 machine gun appears in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Silent Barricade | . | Czech insurgents | . | 1949 |
| Go for Broke! | German soldiers | 1951 | ||
| Go for Broke! | Lane Nakano | Sam | 1951 | |
| To Hell and Back | Audie Murphy | Audie Murphy | 1955 | |
| To Hell and Back | German Soldiers | 1955 | ||
| The Tank Brigade | German soldiers | 1955 | ||
| Soldiers (Soldaty) | German Soldiers | 1956 | ||
| Canal (Kanal) | Polish insurgents | 1957 | ||
| The Young Lions | German soldiers | 1958 | ||
| Carve Her Name With Pride | . | German soldiers | . | 1958 |
| Darby's Rangers | German soldiers | 1958 | ||
| Captain Dabac | German soldiers | 1959 | ||
| The Great Escape | German prison guards | 1963 | ||
| The Longest Day | German soldiers | 1963 | ||
| Gdzie jest general? | German soldiers | 1964 | ||
| The Assassination (Atentát) | German soldiers | 1964 | ||
| The Train | . | German soldiers | . | 1964 |
| Zvony pre bosých | German soldiers | 1965 | ||
| The Devil's Brigade | German soldiers | 1968 | ||
| Where Eagles Dare | German soldiers | 1968 | ||
| The Bridge at Remagen | German soldiers | 1969 | ||
| Play Dirty | German soldiers | 1969 | ||
| Duck, You Sucker! | James Coburn | John Mallory | stock removed | 1971 |
| A Bridge Too Far | German soldiers | 1977 | ||
| Soldier of Orange | German soldiers and paratroopers | 1977 | ||
| The Inglorious Bastards | German troops and French Resistance members | 1978 | ||
| The Passage | German soldiers | 1979 | ||
| Death Wish 3 | Martin Balsam | Bennett | 1985 | |
| The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission | Sonny Landham | Sam Sixkiller | 1985 | |
| The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission | German Soldiers | 1985 | ||
| The Park is Mine | Tommy Lee Jones | Mitch Garnett | 1985 | |
| Aliens | Jenette Goldstein | PFC J. Vasquez | Mocked up as M56 Smart Gun | 1986 |
| Aliens | Mark Rolston | Private M. Drake | Mocked up as M56 Smart Gun | 1986 |
| Let Sleeping Cops Lie (Ne réveillez pas un flic qui dort) | Men from "Loyalty to the police" | Twin mounting | 1988 | |
| Stray Dog: Kerberos Panzer Cops | Yoshikatsu Fujiki | Inui | 1991 | |
| Stalingrad | German soldiers | 1993 | ||
| Saving Private Ryan | German soldiers | 1998 | ||
| Black Book | 2006 | |||
| Valkyrie | German soldier | 2008 | ||
| Brother's War | German and Soviet soldiers | 2009 | ||
| New Kids Turbo | Flip van der Kuil | Barry | 2010 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note /Episode | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat! | German Soldiers | 1962 - 1967 | ||
| The Rat Patrol | German Soldiers | 1966 - 1968 | ||
| Stawka wieksza niz zycie | German soldiers and Polish partisans | 1966-68 | ||
| Czterej pancerni i pies | German soldiers | 1966-70 | ||
| Czterej pancerni i pies | Janusz Gajos | Cpl. Janek Kos | 1966-70 | |
| Czterej pancerni i pies | Wlodzimierz Press | Sgt. Gregoriy Saakashvili | 1966-70 | |
| Band of Brothers | German Soldiers | 2001 | ||
| CSI: NY | "Yahrezit" (S05E22) | 2004 - Present | ||
| Ultimate Force | Jamie Michie | Cpl. Finn Younger | 2006 |
Video Games
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Dominion Tank Police | bank robber | 1993 | |
| Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade | Kerberos Squad members | 1998 | |
| Kino's Journey: Life Goes On | Kino | 2003 | |
| Black Lagoon | Neo-Nazis | 2006 | |
| Strike Witches | 501st JFW members | loads MG34 double drum magazines | 2008 |
MG3
The MG3 is the modern rendition of the MG42 machine gun. Changes include a chrome-lined barrel, a new friction ring buffer, an improved feeding mechanism, recalibrated sights and NATO compatibility. The MG3 is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
Specifications
- Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
- Length: 48.22 inches
- Barrel Length: 22.24 inches
- Weight:
- :Gun: 25 pounds (11.36 kg)
- :Tripod: 36 pounds (16.36 kg)
- :Total: 61 pounds (27.73 kg)
- Muzzle Velocity: 2,690 feet per second
- Maximum range: is 3,500 meters
- Maximum effective range: is 1,200 meters
- Cyclic rate of fire: 700-800 or 1100-1200 rounds per minute depending on the Booster and Bolt
The MG3 machine gun appears in the following films and video games used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncommon Valor | Randall "Tex" Cobb | Sailor | In the Huey helicopter | 1983 |
| The Living Daylights | . | Czech soldiers | Mounted on vehicle | 1987 |
| The Rundown | Jon Gries | Harvey | Mounted on a dune buggy | 2003 |
| Hotel Rwanda | . | French soldiers | Mounted on Jeeps | 2004 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost Recon | MG3 | 2001 | ||
| Battlefield Play4Free | With optional EOTech red dot sight or M145 MGO scope | 2011 | ||
| Söldner: Secret Wars | 2004 | |||
| 7.62 High Calibre | 2008 | |||
| Battlefield: Bad Company 2 | With optional C-More red dot sight or ACOG | 2010 | ||
| Battlefield: Bad Company | 2008 | |||
| Counter-Strike Online | MG3 | "Christmas Special," Gold finishes | 2008 | |
| SOCOM: Confrontation | 2008 | |||
| Battlefield 2 | MG3A1, coaxial mounting | Mounted on Leopard 2A6 tanks | 2005 | |
| Project Reality | Hand-held & fixed defensive mounting, with optional ELCAN scope & 75-round ammo drum & 200-round ammo box | 2005 | ||
| Project Reality | MG3A1, vehicle mounting | Mounted on Leopard 2A6 tanks | 2005 | |
| Devil May Cry 2 | Mounted on "Infested Tank" (Leopard 2A5) | 2003 | ||
| Steel Beasts | MG3A1 | Mounted on Leopard 2A4 tanks | 2000 | |
| Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker | MG3 | 2010 | ||
| Alliance of Valiant Arms | MG3A1 | Mounted on Leopard 2A6 tank | 2007 | |
| World in Conflict | MG3A1 | Mounted on Leopard 2 tanks | 2007 |
Anime
- Rico in Gunslinger Girl
- Daedala forces in Canaan
- Hayate Ayasaki in Hayate the Combat Butler
CETME Ameli
A Spanish-made light machine gun externally based off the MG42/MG3, designed by CETME (Centre for Technical Studies of Military Equipment), chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO / .223 Remington. It has been in service from 1982 to the present day. Despite it's very close external resemblance to the German MGs, the weapon operates using a roller-locked delayed-blowback mechanism, similar to the the vast majority of Heckler & Koch weapons.
Specifications
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
- Length: 38.2 inches
- Barrel Length: 15.75 inches
- Weight: Gun: 14 pounds
- Cyclic rate of fire: 850 or 1200 rounds per minute
The CETME Ameli machine gun appears in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sliders | 1995-2000 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOCOM: Confrontation | With 200-round ammo drum | 2008 | ||
| SOCOM 4: US Navy SEALs | AMELI | 2011 |