MG 42
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 533 mm
- Weight, empty
- 11.60 kg
- Introduced
- 1942
About
What it is, and why it matters
The MG 42 (Maschinengewehr 42) is a German 7.92x57mm Mauser general-purpose machine gun developed during the Second World War. Designed around stamped-steel construction for rapid mass production, it used a short-recoil, roller-locked action and fired from an open bolt at an extreme cyclic rate of around 1,200 rounds per minute, producing the distinctive tearing sound that earned it the nickname 'Hitler's Buzzsaw'. Belt-fed and air-cooled with a quick-change barrel and dual bipod/tripod mounting, it served in both light and sustained-fire roles and is widely regarded as one of the most influential machine guns ever built.
The MG 42's cyclic rate was so high that individual shots could not be distinguished, producing a ripping buzz that Allied soldiers nicknamed 'Hitler's Buzzsaw'. Its quick-change barrel let crews swap an overheated barrel in seconds, and the stamped-steel, roller-locked design proved so sound that it lived on as the Bundeswehr's MG3 for decades.
Roughly 423,600 were produced between 1942 and 1945. The design directly influenced postwar machine guns including the German MG3 (a 7.62x51mm NATO derivative) and informed the American M60.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Mauser
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- Germany
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1942 to 1945
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 533 mm
- Overall length
- 1220 mm
- Weight, empty
- 11.60 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Short recoil
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 50
- Magazine
- Belt
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 754 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3696 J
- Effective range
- 1000 m
- Maximum range
- 2000 m
- Rate of fire
- 1200 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.
Quick change barrel- Roller locked mechanism
Stamped steel construction
Muzzle booster
Bipod mount- Tripod capable
Air cooled
Dual role mount
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 26 7.92x57mm Mauser machine guns | 11.60 kg | 11.60 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 26 7.92x57mm Mauser machine guns | 1220 mm | 1175 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 26 7.92x57mm Mauser machine guns | 533 mm | 677 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 25 7.92x57mm Mauser machine guns | 50 | 50 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the MG 42
How much does the MG 42 weigh?
The MG 42 weighs 11.60 kg (25.57 lb) empty.
What caliber is the MG 42?
The MG 42 is chambered in 7.92x57mm Mauser.
How many rounds does the MG 42 hold?
The MG 42 holds 50 rounds, fed from a belt.
How long is the MG 42?
The MG 42 is 1220 mm (48.0 in) long overall, with a 533 mm (21.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the MG 42?
The MG 42 is made by Mauser (Germany). It was designed by Werner Gruner.
When was the MG 42 introduced?
The MG 42 was introduced in 1942 and discontinued in 1945.
How does the MG 42 operate?
The MG 42 uses a short recoil action, and its firing mechanism is open 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
- Wehrmacht
- 1942
- Waffen-SS
- 1942
- Bundeswehr
- 1959
Provenance
Confidence in this record
90%
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/mg-42' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "mg-42", "name": "MG 42", "manufacturer": { "id": "mauser", "name": "Mauser", "countryCode": "DE", "foundedYear": 1874, "website": "https://www.mauser.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "ebf488347439c6088bd29deb6dd22bcc1ca8215e5042f489f4bf5cbea07e3307" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "DE", "year_introduced": 1942, "barrel_length_mm": 533, "weight_empty_g": 11600, "action_type": "short_recoil"}