Which Beltfed Machinegun To Buy?

Which Beltfed Machinegun To Purchase?

  • Saco M60E3 (New In Box)

    Votes: 9 25.7%

  • HK 21E ( Slightly Used)

    Votes: 9 25.7%

  • MG42 (Used w/Some Pitting)

    Votes: 13 37.1%

  • MG34 (Used)

    Votes: 4 11.4%
  • Total voters
    35
  • Poll closed .
J

Jack_Bauer24

New member
Looking to purchase a transferable beltfed machinegun but which one to buy? There are a very select few beltfed machineguns that can be found for sale on the market today but out of the ones listed which one would you buy for Investment, Quality, Functionability, Parts?
 
I voted for the 42 based on parts availability, but I'd stock up on spare parts for which ever you choose. None of these guns were meant for a lifetime of shooting without piles of spare parts.

My 34 is really a reliable gun. I numbered all my bolts and barrels. After a couple of long range sessions, was able to put together the most reliable combinations.

All combinations would function, but some with constant failures on sustained bursts.
All in all, if one is not going to put some real backup money into a 34, might be best to choose something else.
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My 42 runs smoothly with Romanian, Portuguese, or the 70s Yugo. For the harder primed 50s Yugo, I SLIGHTLY sharpen firing pins to get a deeper indentation on the primer. Still not 100% reliable, but its the cheapest!

Always run a 42 with the bolt safety or positive locking spring if you are shooting surplus to control hangfires.

The HK is like the 42. A vicious gun to shoot if not using a tripod. A belt now and then from the hip, shoulder, or prone is fun ( it gets old after a while), but for actually hitting something (And actually see what you are hitting. Try either one sometime while shooting prone and tell me what you see. Only then will you know what I mean) , a tripod is the way to go.

Don't know enough about spare gear for the SAECO, but my experience around them has always been positive and they are definitely the most user friendly for shooting enjoyment.

With the ability of Congressional/Executive actions and/or laws to put a halt to further transfers at any time, I would not consider any NFA to be an investment at all.

Life is short. Just get the one you like if you really want it!

My take, JT
 
If you were buying any firearm as an investment, you pretty much couldn't shoot it because it would reduce the value of the gun. That might not hold true with all of them, like full auto guns or English shotguns but that's what you usually hear about collector firearms.
 
This is based on my experience back in the 70's: So I always liked the MG-34 better that any other belt fed gun. I had a M-60 that was a great "Rambo" gun for shooting from the hip. Shot a lot of blanks that I bought in S. Georgia once in public displays.

In college, I was able to shoot several MG-42s and always thought there was not much difference between it and a MAC-10. Cut a small pine tree(16") down with a MG-42 and 500 rounds linked together one time when we were just playing. Always loved the belief that you had 5 bullets on target before your shoulder jerked from the recoil.

Never cared for a US 30 cal. Always liked the "From Here to Eternity" on the roof shooting with a glove and belt over the arm shot.

The MG-34 was my belt fed BAR. I enjoyed shooting both from the hip. The BAR with a GI belt with butt stock cup and the MG-34 with the sling over the cross shoulder.

The MG-34 was very controlable and accurate in every positon. Being tall, I was able to shoot down range with a A/A tripod as long as the back leg was in line with the gun. The best part was that I could buy WWII ammo out of CA. for 5 cents a round delivered. Cleaned it in a auto parts washer with mineral spirits.

Bought a diplomat shipping case for mine that had 2 spare barrels, A/A drums, a parts kit, paper muzzel covers and several other things. The only thing missing was the gun. Paid a $1,000 for the case: and wonder where it is now.

Something about the MG-34 just felt natural in my hands. Have the same feeling about a Lugar and a High Power.
 
None of the above. The 1919 has so many caliber conversions and aftermarket accessories, it's at the top of my list. It is also priced competively with the M16.
 
The problem is the 1919a4 is not a Light Machine Gun and is heavier than a 42 and you need a tripod as the 42 can be used with out one as it's design to. The 42 can be converted to 308 just like 1919a4. There are many 42 parts out there.
 
A friend of mine had an MG42 back in the 70s. At that time, he was getting 8mm surplus for 8 cents a round. We figured, given the cyclic rate of the MG42, that it was $1.60 a second to shoot it.
 
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