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FG 42
German automatic paratrooper rifle / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The FG 42 (German: Fallschirmjägergewehr 42, "paratrooper rifle 42") is a selective-fire 7.92×57mm Mauser automatic rifle[4][5] produced in Nazi Germany during World War II.[7] The weapon was developed specifically for the use of the Fallschirmjäger airborne infantry in 1942 and was used in very limited numbers until the end of the war.
Fallschirmjägergewehr 42 | |
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![]() Both early model (top) and late model (bottom) variants of the FG 42 with telescopic sights. | |
Type | |
Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
Service history | |
In service | 1943–1970s |
Used by | See Users |
Wars | |
Production history | |
Designer | Louis Stange |
Designed | 1941–1942 |
Manufacturer |
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Produced | 1943–1945 |
No. built | ~7,000 |
Variants |
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Specifications | |
Mass |
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Length |
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Barrel length | 500 mm (19.7 in) |
Cartridge | 7.92×57mm Mauser |
Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
Rate of fire |
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Muzzle velocity | 740 m/s (2,428 ft/s) (SmK bullet) |
Effective firing range | 600 m (1,968.5 ft) |
Feed system | 10- or 20-round detachable box magazine |
Sights |
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It combined the characteristics and firepower of a light machine gun in a lightweight form slightly shorter (but considerably bulkier and heavier) than the standard-issue Karabiner 98k bolt-action infantry rifle. Considered one of the most advanced weapon designs of World War II,[8][9] the FG 42 influenced post-war small arms development, and many features of its design, such as general shape, stock style, gas-rotating bolt operation (itself copied from the Lewis gun) and sheet metal and plastic construction were copied by the US Army when they developed the M60 machine gun.[10]