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MG42 (actually Yugo M53) kit arrived!!!!

6K views 44 replies 17 participants last post by  Rhino_66 
#1 · (Edited)
Well, FedEx just dropped off my new toy. This thing is freakin' cool!

All parts are present and accounted for. I was kind of concerned by the amount of tape and battered end of the box, but all the parts made it here together!

The buttstock is wooden, and isn't too beat up. A solvent soaking and some minor sanding will get it looking almost new.

The barrel is in perfect shape. I was worried after reading a few posts about some that folks on the MG42 board got some really ugly kits from I/O. This one is REALLY nice. It's stamped 7.62x51 on the barrel, so I know they sent the right one.

The receiver looks like all the pieces are from the same original gun. All the cuts line up and there is a fairly uniform gap at each one. With some cleanup of the cuts, even I should be able to stitch this back together.

The only part that suffered any damage was the recuperator. The plunger looks a little rough and the threaded stud is neutered. There's a little ridge that runs the length of the piece and it's a bit mashed at the plunger end. It can easily be straightened, so no worries about that one.

Since I know the "worthless without pics" smilies will be posted by someone, I'm linking a pic to this post. Rather than post a pic of my kit, here's the one from I/O. The only difference is that this pic shows a bakelite buttstock. I can't see taking up more space in my gallery with a pic of the exact same parts.








All I can say to those of you who are on the fence about getting one of these kits, is this:






GET OFF YOUR ASS AND GET ONE WHILE YOU STILL CAN!



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#28 ·
Winn R said:
Ok -- mine jams up. The barrel hangs back and I've not got the AK attitude of take it off and if it's not the right thing add weld.

I had to sit it down. More on this later.

And -- Everyone download the BRP book. Fifty pages of free info.
Does the barrel bushing slide easily in the support? Is the recuperator oiled up? with the flash hider/booster removed and the gun muzzle down w/ the barrel bearing resting on the floor push the gun down, do the recuperator springs push it back up fully? Are you positive you have the reciever welded perfectly straight.
 
#29 ·
mtdew69 said:
Does the barrel bushing slide easily in the support? Is the recuperator oiled up? with the flash hider/booster removed and the gun muzzle down w/ the barrel bearing resting on the floor push the gun down, do the recuperator springs push it back up fully? Are you positive you have the reciever welded perfectly straight.
Mt -- thanks for the check list.

The barrel return test fails.

And unfortunately the answer to the last question is no. Maybe I'll pick it back up this weekend. I've not located the precise point of hang up.
 
#30 ·
Winn R said:
Mt -- thanks for the check list.

The barrel return test fails.

And unfortunately the answer to the last question is no. Maybe I'll pick it back up this weekend. I've not located the precise point of hang up.
With the barrel in does the barrel door close and latch easily? if yes then the reciever *should* be straight enough.

I'm thinking either the barrel is hanging up on something or the recuperator springs are shot. i'd say a hang up is more likely but to make sure remove the stock, buffer, return spring, bolt, recuperator and the flash supressor/booster. Hold the gun vertically w/ the muzzle down and push up on the barrel bushing do you feel any resistance other than the weight of the barrel? does the barrel or bushing stick at any point when being pushed upward? do they drop back down by themselves? if thats all ok then i'd look at the recuperator next. I can only think of two problems that could occur 1. The springs are shot or 2. It's assembled wrong. There's a nice post on www.mg42.us by drooling idiot on the recuperator http://www.panzer46.net/mg42board/viewtopic.php?t=1612 i'm out of ideas after that
 
#31 ·
W.T. Sherman said:
what gets me is that it's a 7.62 NATO barrel.............which is real odd since yugoslavia was a communist country.
While they were a communist country, Tito kept Yugoslavia completely independent of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. Unlike the other communist countries in Eastern Europe, Yugoslavs had many more freedoms that the other Eastern European countries could only dream of. Some of my Romanian friends have told me that back in the communist days, if you could escape to Yugoslavia, that was considered freedom. Anyway, it wouldn't surprise me if Tito selected 7.62 NATO just to piss off the Soviets.
 
#39 ·
Dan , Angola Armory is the best bet for a kit . You can actually talk to him and he'll get you into what you need . Pirate's done the Lords on work putting togather a tutorial on these , and I believe he's making the semi gripsticks/fire control . Read the tutorial before you start welding , there's a couple thing's you need to do first to insure you don't end up with a machinegun.
 
#40 ·
gtbehary said:
I understand if they would have swapped out the barrel, that they would have to swap out the feed tray, top cover and booster.
well yes and no

They could swap everything for mg2 or mg3 parts (dedicated 308 guns.) Or they could leave the 8mm topcover and use a 8mm feed tray converted to 308 (mg1). As for the booster well they could swap it, but since it's a larger diameter they dont have to. 308 should work w/ a 8mm booster, it will just have less force to cycle the gun
 
#41 ·
rbthntr64 said:
Where, and who has viable kits for a semi build?
THanks
Yep, Dan is the man!

http://www.angolaarmory.com/

Lots of BIY info here, is "the" place all the MG42 BIY folks combine their info:

http://www.mg42.us

According to posts, 8mm is either all gone or very very expensive. I think the 8mm ship has already sailed, and I missed it because I've exceeded my spending budget on other guns due to the barrel ban BS :( That leaves you with 308 only. I feel lucky I got the 308 stuff piled away ;)

That said, I can GUARAN-DAMN-TEE you will see 8mm at outrageous prices in a few months. Buy it then, because you'll never see it again unless someone needs to sell gets a divorce, gets married, or buys a house. When you pay the "gouge tax" just keep telling yourself it will only hurt for a little while :D

A few places you may want to look at for parts (I know of no others):

http://www.interordnance.com

http://www.e-gunparts.com

http://www.mg34.com
 
#44 ·
Yeah, I know.........I need to build some of those carry handles for sale. A lot of guys seem to want one.

The M53 is actually one of my better builds. The thing looks like an original one piece receiver. You can't see ANY cuts/welds or other BS. Some of my other stuff looks a bit cobbled up, but not this one......even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile............

Tony Rumore
Tromix Corp
 
#45 ·
Here's some pics of my BRP receiver. There are a couple shots that looks bent or out of alignment, but they're actually straight. My camera does hinky things on macro with curved surfaces.



Overall view of receiver. This is how it looks straight out of the box (except for the storage grease and plastic wrap...).




The BRP receiver is made up of 4 individual stamped pieces that are welded together. The front half has top and bottom pieces. The rear half has left and right pieces. The halves are joined together under the camming piece (trunnion). From the exterior appearance, you would think it's a single piece.



Internal view of receiver front showing weld penetration.





Exterior view of same area.





Weld coloration at camming piece area.





Interior view through rear of receiver. This is the only shot I can currently take that shows any of the rear welds. The rest of the welds are covered by the installed parts. You can see the feed lever through the top opening.

In this view, you can see the blocking bar that BRP installs in the dummy receiver. The plate is a piece of 1/8" steel that is welded at the rivet locations. The plate is notched to allow installation of the buffer.

Removal of this plate will be fairly easy. First, I'll spot down the weld puddles on the outside of the receiver with an endmill. Then I'll drill through the exact center with an 1/8" endmill. A good hard smack with the little BMFH will remove the plate after the welds are drilled.

I'll TIG up the rivet holes in my rails and redrill them to line up with the holes in the receiver. It'll be easier than trying to match the receiver to the rail holes.


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