FG 42 (Type II) Sniper
- Category
- Sniper Rifle
- Barrel
- 524 mm
- Weight, empty
- 5.05 kg
- Introduced
- 1943
About
What it is, and why it matters
The FG 42 (Fallschirmjagergewehr 42) Type II with ZF4 or ZFG42 telescopic sight was an extraordinarily advanced weapon for its era - a select-fire battle rifle capable of serving as a makeshift sniper rifle when fitted with optics. Developed exclusively for German paratroopers by Rheinmetall and manufactured by Krieghoff, the Type II variant featured improvements over the Type I including a wooden stock, relocated bipod, and reduced cyclic rate. With its 20-round side-mounted magazine, full-power 7.92x57mm cartridge, and optical sight capability, the FG 42 was arguably the world's first practical general-purpose automatic rifle, influencing the later American M60 machine gun's operating mechanism.
The FG 42 saw its most dramatic use during Operation Eiche (Oak), the daring 1943 raid to rescue Benito Mussolini from his mountain-top prison at the Gran Sasso Hotel. German Fallschirmjager armed with FG 42s crash-landed gliders on the rocky mountainside and overwhelmed the Italian guards in minutes. The weapon's combination of automatic fire capability and precision optics made it decades ahead of its time - its operating mechanism was later studied and adapted by Springfield Armory for the American M60 general-purpose machine gun.
The FG 42 was unique in firing from an open bolt in full-automatic mode for cooling but from a closed bolt in semi-automatic mode for accuracy - a remarkable engineering achievement. The Type II improvements included relocating the bipod from the handguard to the muzzle to reduce shot dispersion, changing the pistol grip to near-vertical, replacing the stamped steel stock with wood to reduce overheating, and adding a four-position gas regulator. The ZFG42 scope was purpose-designed for the weapon, while the ZF4 (a copy of the Soviet PU) was a more common field expedient. Only approximately 7,000 FG 42s of all types were produced, making any surviving example extremely rare and valuable.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- H. Krieghoff GmbH
- Category
- Sniper Rifle
- Country
- Germany
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1943 to 1945
- Variant of
- Sniper
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 524 mm
- Overall length
- 1060 mm
- Weight, empty
- 5.05 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 5.40 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Rotating bolt
- Trigger
- Select fire
- Capacity
- 20
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 740 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3500 J
- Effective range
- 600 m
- Maximum range
- 1200 m
- Rate of fire
- 750 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Zf4 or zfg42 telescopic sight
Select fire capability
Integral bipod
Side mounted magazine
Muzzle brake
Bayonet lug
Open bolt full auto
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 430 sniper rifles | 5.05 kg | 5.40 kg | Lighter than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 429 sniper rifles | 1060 mm | 1150 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 434 sniper rifles | 524 mm | 620 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 434 sniper rifles | 20 | 6 | Holds more rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the FG 42 (Type II) Sniper
How much does the FG 42 (Type II) Sniper weigh?
The FG 42 (Type II) Sniper weighs 5.05 kg (11.13 lb) empty and 5.40 kg (11.90 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the FG 42 (Type II) Sniper?
The FG 42 (Type II) Sniper is chambered in 7.92x57mm Mauser.
How many rounds does the FG 42 (Type II) Sniper hold?
The FG 42 (Type II) Sniper holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the FG 42 (Type II) Sniper?
The FG 42 (Type II) Sniper is 1060 mm (41.7 in) long overall, with a 524 mm (20.6 in) barrel.
Who makes the FG 42 (Type II) Sniper?
The FG 42 (Type II) Sniper is made by H. Krieghoff GmbH (Germany). It was designed by Louis Stange / Rheinmetall-Borsig.
When was the FG 42 (Type II) Sniper introduced?
The FG 42 (Type II) Sniper was introduced in 1943 and discontinued in 1945.
How does the FG 42 (Type II) Sniper operate?
The FG 42 (Type II) Sniper uses a gas operated action, and its firing mechanism is rotating bolt.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Fallschirmjager (German Paratroopers)
- 1943
- Waffen-SS
- Germany
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/fg-42-type2-sniper' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "fg-42-type2-sniper", "name": "FG 42 (Type II) Sniper", "manufacturer": { "id": "krieghoff", "name": "H. Krieghoff GmbH", "countryCode": "DE", "foundedYear": 1886, "website": "https://www.krieghoff.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": "German manufacturer of high-end hunting and sporting firearms including shotguns, rifles, and drilling combinations, with heritage tracing to 1886.", "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "updatedAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "version": "11565a8df42bd47c0a79d844e7ac73454f12870ab0b99c966da6f023d5ba9120" }, "category": { "id": "sniper-rifle", "name": "Sniper Rifle", "description": "Precision rifles optimized for long-range accuracy" }, "country_of_origin": "DE", "year_introduced": 1943, "barrel_length_mm": 524, "weight_empty_g": 5050, "action_type": "gas_operated"}