MG 34

Maschinengewehr 34
MG 34
Type	General-purpose machine gun
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
In service	1936–1945 (officially, German military) 1936–present (other armies)
Used by	See Users
Wars	Spanish Civil War Second Sino-Japanese War World War II Chinese Civil War 1948 Arab-Israeli war Korean War Portuguese Colonial Wars Algerian War Vietnam War Angolan civil war Yugoslav Wars Mexican Drug War Syrian Civil War
Production history
Designer	Louis Stange
Designed	1934
Manufacturer	Rheinmetall-Borsig AG Soemmerda, Mauserwerke AG, Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG, Waffenwerke Brünn
Produced	1935–1945
Number built	577,120
Specifications
Weight	12.1 kg (26.7 lb) 19.2 kg (42.3 lb) (with tripod)
Length	1,219 mm (48.0 in)
Barrel length	627 mm (24.7 in)
Cartridge	7.92×57mm Mauser
Action	Open bolt, Recoil-operated, Rotating bolt
Rate of fire	800–900 rounds/min Early versions: 600–1000 rounds/min selectable on pistol grip MG 34"S": 1,700 rounds/min. MG 34/41: 1,200 rounds/min.
Muzzle velocity	765 m/s (2,510 ft/s)(s.S. Patrone)
Effective firing range	200–2,000 m (219–2,187 yd) sight adjustments 3,500 m (3,828 yd) with tripod and telescopic sight
Maximum firing range	4,700 m (5,140 yd)
Feed system	50/250-round belts, 50-round drum, or 75-round drum magazine with modification
Sights	Iron sights, antiaircraft sight or telescopic sights

1936–1945 (officially, German military)

The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG 34, is a German recoil-operated air-cooled machine gun, first tested in 1929, introduced in 1934, and issued to units in 1936. It accepts the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge, and is generally considered the world's first general-purpose machine gun.

The versatile MG 34 was arguably the most advanced machine gun in the world at the time of its deployment. Its combination of exceptional mobility – being light enough to be carried by one man – and high rate of fire (of up to 900 rounds per minute) was unmatched. It entered service in great numbers following Hitler's repudiation of the Versailles Treaty in 1936, and was first combat tested by German troops aiding Franco's Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. Nonetheless, the design proved too complex for mass production, and was supplemented by the cheaper and simpler MG 42, though both remained in service and production until the end of the war.

The MG 34 was based on a 1930 Rheinmetall design, the MG 30. The Swiss and Austrian militaries had both licensed and produced the MG 30 from Rheinmetall shortly after patent. The MG 30 design was adapted and modified by Heinrich Vollmer of Mauser Industries. Vollmer modified the feed mechanism to accept either drum magazines or belt ammunition. He also increased the rate of fire. The MG 34's double crescent trigger dictated either semiautomatic or fully automatic firing modes.

In the field, the weapon could operate in offensive or defensive applications. The offensive model, with a mobile soldier, used a drum magazine that could hold either 50 or 75 rounds of ammunition. In a stationary defensive role, the gun was mounted on a bipod or tripod and fed by an ammunition belt. Belts were carried in boxes of five. Each belt contained 50 rounds. Belt lengths could be linked for sustained fire. During sustained fire, barrels would have to be changed at intervals due to the heat generated by the rapid rate of fire. If the barrels were not changed properly, the weapon would misfire. Changing barrels was a rapid process for the trained operator and involved disengaging a latch and swinging the receiver to the right for the insertion of a new barrel. Accordingly, stationary defensive positions required more than one operator.

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