MG.34 Disassembly (not 56k friendly)

[bas]

MG.34; the first universal machinegun (GPMG).

They were produced from 1935 until 1945 when the war ended. Although the MG.42 officially replaced them in 1943 production was continued in limited numbers for use with vehicle mounts. The Czech arms manufacturer BRNO was one of the producers and was never bombed so was able keep up production right up until there were overrun by the Red Army in 1945. For this reason DOT 1943+ dated MG.34s are the most common.

After the war the remaining BRNO guns were assembled and sold to Israel who was desperatly trying to arm the IDF. My gun is one of these, with a 1945 date and Israeli property stamps it is un-likely it ever saw German service. When I got it it had the ZB-30 style bi-pod and a carry handle which I replaced.

To me these guns really are a mechanical work of art that has to be experienced to be truely appreciated.

Enough rambling on to the pictures:

MG.34 with 50 round belt in it's drum:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_002.JPG

http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_003.JPG

[bas]

Unload the weapon:

Located at the back end of the feed cover is the catch that locks it close:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_007.JPG

Grip it, push forward and lift the feed cover up:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_008.JPG

Take a firm hold of the belt drum and with your thumb press the locking lever down and remove the drum and belt:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_009.JPG

With the feed cover still up, locate the stock latch under the receiver at the back:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_010.JPG

Press this down:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_011.JPG

And give the stock a quarter of a turn to the left. Don't let go as the stock is under tension from the recoil spring:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_012.JPG

http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_013.JPG

On the underside of the stock there is a second latch.
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_014.JPG

http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_015.JPG

Press this and give the forward piece a quarter turn then pull clear of the stock:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_016.JPG

Stock, recoil spring housing and spring:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_017.JPG

The spring housing can be used without the stock to save space in tanks and bunkers:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_018.JPG

Close up of the receiver showing why the cover must be lifted before removing the stock:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_019.JPG

[bas]

Locate the feed cover hinge at the front of the receiver:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_020.JPG

Push in the screw on the right side:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_021.JPG

Lift the feed cover slightly so that it you can pull it clear from the retaining pin:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_022.JPG

Top side:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_023.JPG

Underside, showing the feed claws on the right and the bare steel motion arm:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_024.JPG

Pull the plate holding the feed claws forward:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_025.JPG

http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_026.JPG

Slide the inner plate out:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_027.JPG

http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_028.JPG

Top view:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_029.JPG

View showing how the arm moves the feed claws. The bolt has a groove at its end that the track rides in. In this photo the bolt would be locked back:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_030.JPG

Bolt forward:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_031.JPG

Remove the motion arm:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_032.JPG

Other side:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_033.JPG

Turn the arm so that it is at a right angle to the main body:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_079.JPG

Remove:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_080.JPG

[bas]

On the feed cover hinge remove the screw head:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_034.JPG

Lift the feed tray:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_035.JPG

And remove:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_036.JPG

At the point where the receiver meets the barrel jacket underneath on the right side is a latch that locks the cocking handle forward:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_037.JPG

Press this down and pull the cocking handle back (on my gun this is very stiff):
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_038.JPG

http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_039.JPG

Pull the cocking handle all the way to the back to remove the bolt:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_040.JPG

The Bolt will slide out the rear of the receiver:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_041.JPG

http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_042.JPG

Underside of the bolt, the firing pin is cocked:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_043.JPG

Top view, the grove that the feed arm runs in is at the back of the bolt on the right side of this photo:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_044.JPG

Rotate the bolt head to release the firing pin. In this photo the pin is about to fire. You can see behind the wheel on the left a latch. The latch is about to touch an angled section of the bolt body. As the head rotates this section wedges beneath the latch and lifts it and releases the firing pin forward:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_045.JPG

View of the bolt in a locked and fired state. The head has completed its rotation (guided by ramps on the barrel) the bolt is locked into the barrel (via the dual grooves on each side of the bolt head forward of the wheel) and the latch has been lifted.
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_046.JPG

View of the bolt face showing the protruding firing pin. No misfires here!
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_047.JPG

A the back of the bolt is the firing pin nut:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_048.JPG

Push the latch to the right and rotate it forward:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_049.JPG

Unscrew the firing pin nut and remove:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_050.JPG

http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_051.JPG

Slide the bolt head out of the main body:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_052.JPG

http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_053.JPG

The firing pin is retained by a "bayonet mount" and is under tension:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_054.JPG

Reverse the bolt main body, notice that the hole is oblong:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_055.JPG

Insert the firing pin. Keeping a firm grip push them together and rotate the firing pin to free it:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_056.JPG

Let it go forward:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_057.JPG

Remove spring and firing pin:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_058.JPG

Stripped bolt:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_059.JPG

[bas]

At the back of the receiver, press the stock latch and remove the cocking handle. It slides out the right rather than out the back:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_060.JPG

It slides out the right rather than out the back:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_061.JPG

On the left side, on the barrel jacket forward of the receiver is the barrel release latch:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_062.JPG

Press this:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_063.JPG

And rotate the receiver down and to the right:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_064.JPG

The barrel will now slide free:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_065.JPG

Stripped receiver, jacket and barrel:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_066.JPG

On the right side of the barrel jacket is the pin that locks the receiver to the jacket:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_067.JPG

Push the pin up and pull the receiver clear:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_068.JPG

http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_069.JPG

Stripped receiver right side:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_070.JPG

Left side
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_071.JPG

View inside showing the trigger; the MG.34 fires from an open bolt, but the action is locked to the barrel at time of firing:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_072.JPG

View from the rear of the receiver, look at the machining that went into this!
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_073.JPG

[bas]

Remove the bi-pod; again this is retained by a latch under the barrel jacket:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_074.JPG

Press hold the latch in and rotate the bi-pod 180 degrees up and pull it free.
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_075.JPG

The flash suppressor / muzzle booster is also secured by a latch:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_076.JPG

Lift it and unscrew the booster:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_077.JPG

Barrel jacket, muzzle cone and flash suppressor:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_078.JPG

All done; one MG.34 in bits:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_081.JPG

More on how the bolt operates, bolt head and barrel face.
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_082.JPG

The bolt engages the barrel face.
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_083.JPG

The forward movement of the bolts causes the wheels on the bolt head to turn it. As the head turns the ridges on the side of the head meet with groves on the inside of the barrel and the firing pin latch lines up:
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_084.JPG

The bolt has finished it's rotation, is locked to the barrel and the firing pin has been released!
http://www.gunpics.net/german/mg34/CGN/MG34_085.JPG

That's the last of them. Hope you enjoyed it.

[StuRat]

Wow, thanks very much for the posts.

[Abbadon the Despoiler]

very nice
69

[LRPV]

Nice work. You're a lucky guy to have such a weapon.

[hank]

Those pictures are awesome. You can really see how much of that weapon was machined. Guess they started making the MG42 for a reason. Thanks for posting that.

hank

[CG51]

Very nice. Thanks for your time to post this.

[Basillicus]

Very nice pics. I've always loved MG 34, very high quality weapon with sturdy milled parts. No cheap stamped plates here, which of course was a shortcoming from economical perspective. The design is also very compact and elegant.

[Marsuitor]

I've always wanted to see how the MG34 looked in bits and how to strip it, i was expecting it to be much more like the MG42/MG3 than this, but that's how wrong one can be...
Nice thread!

Btw, if you you have access to a MG42 i'd love to see this MG stripped as well, to see how much it differs from the MG3.

[hank]

Btw, if you you have access to a MG42 i'd love to see this MG stripped as well, to see how much it differs from the MG3.

Hollis, pretty please?

hank

[Hollis]

Hollis, pretty please?

hank


I admire the effort that went into photographing the disassembly of a MG34. I am not sure if I want to do that.

[SBL]

Great photos and info, buddy. woot

[Flounder]

And here I was going to give you **** for ripping off the guy on Canadiangunnutz who posted the same pictures. Good thing I checked first. Anyways, thanks for the detailed work in doing this!

[koalorka]

Pretty damn cool, the 34 locking system was always a mystery to me, until now.

[domokun]

Great pics, thanks for posting! Very informative.

Is that beauty de-activated, modified to semi-auto or original "fun" version?

[bas]

Is that beauty de-activated, modified to semi-auto or original "fun" version?

Take another look and tell me what you think. ;)

[domokun]

Take another look and tell me what you think. ;)

Clear presence of gun grease and oil insists working condition. Could be de-activated to just blank firing status too (no clear image of barrel) or semi-auto only as I can't say that I know difference between full-auto auto and semi-auto trigger mechanisms. AFAIK getting full auto guns is very difficult in most countries and getting collector licenses is pain in a$$ every where out of Switzerland.

God looking at those pics makes me pray for army rerfeshing training... I want to spray some lead or just even blanks. Too long since last time.

[bas]

It's live and full-auto.

Normally guns that have been deactivated can't be stripped to this extent as it would allow the replacement of broken parts with good ones. This is true for a gun permently converted to blank fire as well.

I have no idea how they modify them for semi-auto in Canada and the USA, but it has to be done so that the gun fires from a closed bolt and can't accept a full-auto bolt so the changes would be quite dramatic.


AFAIK getting full auto guns is very difficult in most countries and getting collector licenses is pain in a$$ every where out of Switzerland.

Getting a collectors licence in NZ is reasonably straight forward. No onerious if that is something you are passionate about. Once you have the licence buying full-auto guns is easy. The hard part is forking the money out as prices have been steadily increasing over the last 5 years.

[Blutarsky]

I've always wanted to see how the MG34 looked in bits and how to strip it, i was expecting it to be much more like the MG42/MG3 than this, but that's how wrong one can be...
Nice thread!

Btw, if you you have access to a MG42 i'd love to see this MG stripped as well, to see how much it differs from the MG3.

We had some MG 42 for simulation of 2cm since the cyclic rate is close to oerlikon 2cm and we had Stey MG74 which should me much of the same like MG3. I could not see much difference. Most parts looked the same exept the muzzle.

[nblx21]

I have MG 34 with number 4411, very close to you. p-)

[kramer]

A++

Very informative and great pictures.