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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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#5 ·
#10 ·
Red Jacket Firearms said:
You know, something that occurred to me after I built mine , their are manuals for these thing's . handy little thing's , books ;)
Will -- thought that was like cheating?

Ryan -- check your rails for straight. The thread on the nipple is 5mm-.8.
8-32's work for temp rail holders but the heads must be ground down.
 
#11 ·
I must agree with WinnR on this one. Using books, literature, diagrams, or any reference is, in fact, cheating.

Damn you Rhino, now you're gonna force me into the MG42 madness.
 
#12 ·
That sounds about what Foobarr got on his IO kit from last year. It looked REAL nice. I got mine on a GB from Dan @ Angola Armory and must say I've had it out of the box a total of 20 minutes to look at the parts. :(

I'm going to build a Pirate jig since that seems the most logical assembly method for me and my monkey welder skills.

Rhino, you may be surprised on the 8mm parts. The barrels are suddenly very expensive (was $40 last Spring) and if possible you'd want to get at least two (why have hot swap barrels if nothing to swap?). Since 8mm is larger, try to find 8mm stuff like ammo boxes, drums, and the like. That gives you one size parts for both calibers. ;)
 
#13 ·
Pirate is "helping" me with my build. I purchased the .308 version, but he said that the 8mm ammo was really cheap, so I ordered 8mm barrel ,top cover feed tray and booster, so that I could shoot 8mm. When Pirate and me was looking over the parts, he noticed that my IO kit was sent with a .308 barrel, but it had an 8mm top cover and feed tray. I figured I might as well order another 8mm barrel for a spare. I looked at all my spare parts and figured I might as well order another kit (from dan at Angola). Dan agreed to sell me a partial kit with all the parts minus what I already have. In addition to kits and parts, I believe that I have ordered MG42 accessories from every company that sells them.
I see a pattern here starting!!!!
 
#14 ·
Guys, it is called belt fed fever, since I got my first 42 kit, I decided if one is good then two definately has to be better!! then I got an mg34 kit, a 1919 kit and finally a PKM kit!! with 2 mg15 kits for good measure, a watercooled and an air cooled!!
as soon as I get them done I should have time to work on my DP28 and Bren!
 
#16 ·
I was thinking about ordering an 8mm barrel, feed tray, and top cover for mine. Even if I don't intend to use it, I know it would be a good investment.

I may pick up a couple extra top covers and trays to see if it's possible to adjust the feed pawls to works with m249 links and 5.56 ammo. I don't even know if it's possible, but it would make for much more affordable belt dumps... :naughty:


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#17 ·
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.
 
#19 ·
The only piece of the receiver that comes with the SOG kits is the front section. The way these pieces are cut renders the section completely useless. The threaded insert that is pressed into the receiver is cut off on these pieces.

You will have to pick up a new receiver front, and all of the rear pieces, that's if you can even find them. A new front end with the threaded insert will run about $150 to $200. The rear pieces will be about the same if you can find them. From the pics I've seen, the SOG, Century, and Centerfire receivers look to be cut farther forward through the trunnion (camming piece) area. This means that the gap between the parts will be wider than you may want to deal with.

Your other options are Angola Armory cut receiver sets or a complete BRP dummy receiver. The Angola cut receiver is $300 and the BRP is around $900. If you plan on going with the BRP receiver, the SOG kit is the way to go.

Dan at Angola has .308 kits with salvageable receivers for $550.


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#20 ·
Ryan -- you've pegged the key issue. Centerfire's are the same way.

Don't buy a kit if the receiver parts are not included.
 
#23 ·
Yep, the BRP is a completely usable dummy receiver. There is a dummy camming piece and a rectangular bar welded in to prevent installation of the bolt. After removing the rectangular bar and welding in the full-auto blocker bar, the rest of the cuts can be made.

Their receivers are not rewelds, they are completely new stampings.


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#25 ·
Red Jacket Firearms said:
I used one of those for my build after getting the century type kit from MGS . A little patience and I could have got a kit that was buildable from Angola .
Patience????

Will -- You got one of these up and going in 2 days!!!

Screw patience. I want one that works.
 
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