German
Guns
MG34
Filed Stripping (new)
Maschinengewehr MG 34
| Country Of Origin: | Germany | Length: | 1219 mm |
| Designation: | Machine Gun | Barrel: | 627 mm |
| Cartridge: | 7.92 x 57 mm Mauser | Weight: | 12.10 kg |
| Production Date: | 1934-1945 | Rifling: | 4 grooves, rh |
| Rate Of Fire: | 900 rds/min | Feed System: | 50-round belt |
| 75-round saddle drum | |||
 
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The MG34 was the first successful general-purpose machinegun ever introduced. It was originally designed by Mauser according to Waffenamt specifications, and was heavily influenced by the preceding Solothurn MG30 designed by Louis Stange, who worked for Rheinmettal. The two-part trigger was used as a selector; by pressing the top half it was possible to shoot semiautomatically, and by pressing the bottom the weapon fired full-automatic. Many of it's features were later copied on other weapons, including the method of disassembly, barrell-changing, plastic furniture, and flash hider. The MG34 was modified by the addition of a heavier barrel for use in armored fighting vehicles. Another version, variously called the MG34/41 and MG34S, is only capable of full automatic fire and is 5 cm shorter. Since World War II, the MG34 has been used by several countries including Israel, France, Norway, and Czechoslovakia. One of the main disadvantages of this weapon was the fact that it was made to such exact specifications and with such high-quality workmanship, that it tended to jam easily due to fouling and was very expensive and slow to produce. Currently, the MG34 is not in active service anywhere, having been replaced by locally manufactured general-purpose machineguns.