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MG 42 question

Fatstrat
Watching the History Channels "Lock and Load" program, I was impressed w/the quick barrel change capabilities of thr WW-2 German MG-42 machine gun. They said the Germans would change barrels after X amount of rounds fired.
Question: Were the barrels then allowed to cool and then be re-used?
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • badsbsnf81
    Yes
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  • 11b6r
    Yes- and the American M-60 from the Vietnam era used s similar quick change. A spare barrel and a big asbetos mitten was issued with the gun.
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  • Blairweescot
    If I recall, each MG 42 had two barrels
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  • tsr1965
    The last time I was at the Spring Machinegun shoot in Kentucky, there was a couple guys set up on the upper front range. One had an MG-42, and the other had a PKM...the Kalasnikov version. Both were belt fed, and had quick change barrels. The weather was rather dreary that weekend, and mostly rain. There was a puddle between them. They would run 3-4 belts, take off the barrel, drop it in the puddle, and pick up one from the puddle, shake the water off it, install it, close the tray on a live belt and go at it for 3 or 4 more belts. That puddle was perkulating. Neither weapon missed a beat. they each had 2 or 3 barrels each. That was impressive.

    so yes...they cool them and shove them right back in.

    FWIW, if you have never been to that shoot, it is worthwhile. It is twice a year. Go to

    www.machinegunshoot.com

    for info.

    Best
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  • Fatstrat
    One would think that eventally the barrels would become "shot out. How often did they get new ones.
    I've noted on military relics websites that MG-42 barrels seem to be a pretty common battlefield find.
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  • Nwcid
    I think on the battlefield you could get new parts any time you want as long as your supply lines are working and they are available.

    If shot and changed properly I am sure you can get 10, 20 or even 30k though before being totally useless. Now if shot improperly you could destroy a barrel in 1000 rounds.
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  • 11b6r
    the first 1/3 of the bore on the M-60 is lined with a cobalt/chrome alloy called Stellite. Harder than a banker's heart, and very resistant to high temps. Don't know about the MG42, but Stellite was created in 1900. Really tough stuff to try to machine.
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  • sandwarrior
    When I was in we would change barrels about every 200 during a live fire. I never had to change one (M60) when we went to Grenada. Some of the guys in third Plt. B. co and A Co. guys did have to change them. On that same program R. Lee Ermy mentioned they slowed the firing rate down from 1200 a minute to 600 to keep from wasting ammo. It was also to keep from burning up barrels. On some of the more active live fires we did it wasn't uncommon for each gun to go through 4k rounds in a day. A week of that tells you how many rounds went through those barrels.

    One thing I remember about those, in the summer of '83 during a deployment to Panama, we had a guy lift the tray cover just as a round cooked off. He had little pieces of brass shrapnel all over his face and hands. That looked like it hurt a lot! Good thing he had his U.S. Army certified BCG's on. You have to be very careful to have a clear barrel when you go to change it.
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  • givette
    Wow! Getting a round to "cook off" in an open bolt MG! Operator must have had a round jammed into the chamber. But I digress..

    The "pit" I was assigned to had a light .30 at one end, (my preference), and a M-60 at the other. I was told to jam the barrel between sandbags, unlatch and pull the barrel, and replace it with a cool one. The jammed barrel stayed there, hot as hell! This was the early M-60 that still had bolt chipping problems, and the flip release was the old type that you didn't have to push in. Just a flip of the lever!

    Scary times! Misspent youth? Who knows. Best, Joe
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  • sandwarrior
    givette,

    Best I can think is that when he went to flip the tray cover down the AG let the belt slip and then as he fired it wouldn't, and the round was held in place by the bolt. When the barrel was really hot just a few seconds could have been enough to get the round hot enough until he figured out he needed to lift the feed tray cover and re-feed the belt. Unfortunately, the timing was bad as he lifted ...and the round went...still hurts to think about it.
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