Project Sword
The MG42 general-purpose machine gun was one of the most fearsome of the Second World Wars, and the modern Steyr MG74 represents the ultimate version of this machine gun.
The author is a big fan of Steyr's firearms. Among the rifles of the stockless design, the AUG is the author's favorite. To this day, the author still uses the SSG69 rifle, which was purchased many years ago, and still considers it one of the most classic sniper rifles of all time. In order to shoot at targets at a longer distance, the author also has one. 300 Winchester Magnum caliber Steyr SSG04 sniper rifle, as well as one. 338 Lapua Magnum caliber SSG08 sniper rifles, the author found that all SSG series rifles have very high shooting accuracy. Finally, the author also has two Steyr reconnaissance rifles, and often carries one on the truck in case of emergency. Therefore, when the author operated the Steyr MG74 universal machine gun, I was not surprised by its excellent performance. This is not to say that I have not used the MG42 machine gun and other general-purpose machine guns developed on the basis of the MG42, but the Steyr version of this classic machine gun demonstrates Steyr's long-standing attention to quality and detail in firearms.
This article is an introductory article published by Firearms News magazine, written by Leroy Thompson, translated and edited by me.
An Austrian soldier was ready to operate the MG74 machine gun for firing, and the bipod was mounted in a fixed position on the handguard **.
The M74 machine gun tested by the author was brand new and never fired any ammunition. Since Steyr produced the MG42 for Nazi Germany during World War II, the blueprints, production machinery, and tools for this general-purpose machine gun were still available. In 1955, when Austria reorganized its army, it was mainly equipped with the United States**. However, in 1959, the Austrian army began to equip the caliber changed to 762 51mm MG42 machine gun, this machine gun was designated MG42 59. Steyr is still working on improvements to this classic machine gun, reducing the theoretical rate of fire to 850 rounds by using a heavier bolt min.
Another change is the use of a trigger with a single burst instead of the MG42. To be clear, there is no manual fast or slow machine, but similar to the AUG rifle, a light pull on the trigger is a semi-automatic fire, and a hard pull on the trigger is a fully automatic fire. The cross-type manual fuse for the transverse operation of the MG42 was retained. The wooden stock of the MG42 was replaced by polymer parts, usually the green color commonly found on AUG rifles, and the new polymer stock helped reduce the weight of the MG74. Finally, the mechanical sight was upgraded, including the equipping of a new anti-aircraft gate. The improved MG42 was adopted by the Austrian army under the designation MG74 (Machinengewehr 74).
German soldiers operate MG3 machine guns mounted on Feldlafette tripods, aiming through Zielfernohr 4 24 sights.
Germany in 762 MG51 machine guns of 42mm caliber are leading in the field. The MG42 machine gun, which was once used in World War II, was modified to fire 762 51mm NATO ammunition, this machine gun was designated MG2. First of all, the mechanical sight had to be modified to accommodate the new ammunition. At the same time, it is also necessary to widen the shell throwing mouth, 762 51mm cartridge bottom rim diameter of 12mm, while 792 57mm cartridge bottom edge diameter of 119mm。The final modification of the MG42 reflects Germany's alliance with NATO, allowing the use of both German non-disperseable chains and USM13 fully dispersed chains.
In 1959, Germany introduced the MG3 machine gun with a caliber of 762×51mm。This machine gun is still in service with the Bundeswehr to this day, and only in recent years has it begun to replace them with MG5. As with the original MG42 machine gun, the theoretical rate of fire could be adjusted by using bolt bolts of different weights and different compound springs. For example, the MG74 used a super-heavy bolt. The MG3 has a bolt weight of 950 grams and a theoretical rate of fire of 850 rounds, while the MG42 has a bolt weight of 675 grams and a theoretical rate of fire of 1200 rounds. During the development of the MG74 machine gun, the advantages of cooperation between Steyr and Beretta were reflected in the fact that the production of 762 lessons learned from the time of the 51mm caliber MG3 machine gun. Like the MG42, the MG74 retained the roller locking bolt.
Top left: Close-up of the MG74 small grip, pay attention to the cross-type manual safety at the top of the grip and the protrusion at the bottom of the grip to prevent the palm from slipping when firing fully automatically. Bottom left: The unique green butt easily distinguishes the MG74 from other MG42 machine guns. The MG74 retains the shape of the butt of the MG42, which allows the shooter's auxiliary hand to stabilize the butt well. Upper right: The MG74's shone door, although the gauge has a range of 1200 meters (MG42 has a range of 2000 meters, and the MG3 has a range of 1200 meters), but a more realistic maximum effective range of 600 800 meters. Bottom right: The MG74 features a large pull handle, with a smaller chain ejection on the right side of the receiver.
Recently, the author has been shooting with an MG42 machine gun, so before operating the MG74, it took some time to check the differences between them. The author immediately noticed that an air door was installed in front of the top of the handguard, which could be folded into its own protective case when not in use, or simply removed. This kind of aerial illumination door is mainly used for aiming and firing at air targets, and the structure is simple and easy to use. Of course, the author's first thought was, "In the age of supersonic jets, what can this air illumination door do?" However, considering that most of Austria's terrain is mountainous, it is still a necessary component. In Afghanistan, both Soviet and American servicemen found it easy to be attacked by machine guns and anti-aircraft missiles ambushed on the slopes of the hills on both sides when flying over the valley. Therefore, the author believes that the MG74 machine gun equipped with an anti-aircraft door has a certain use value.
The MG42 machine gun's anti-air door is a standard concentric circle design, which is temporarily mounted to a socket on the top of the handguard when in use. This kind of aerial illumination door is large in size, and the structural strength is weak, which is not conducive to carrying. When using this type of anti-air gate, it is also necessary to open a rod-shaped anti-air crosshair on the left side of the door base to aim and shoot.
MG74 machine gun is in the state of use of the anti-air illumination door, and when the illuminating door is erected, it is also necessary to adjust the gauge to a higher anti-air position, so as to cooperate with aiming. The MG74 is fixed closer to the muzzle.
The MG3 machine gun is used in the air illumination door, and the fixed position of the aerial illumination door is close to the gauge ruler and is used in conjunction with the crosshair. MG3 and MG74 have different shapes, different ways of use, and different fixed positions.
The SS operated the MG42 machine gun to shoot into the air, taking care that the bipod was mounted close to the receiver, so that the direction of the fire could be quickly adjusted.
Another difference between the MG74 and the MG42 is the fixed position of the bipod, the MG74 bipod can be mounted to the muzzle position and the middle of the handguard, while the MG42 bipod can be mounted to the muzzle position and the front of the receiver. Of course, when the author operated the MG74 machine gun, he fixed it on the Lafette 74 tripod.
Top left: MG74 crosshair, which is the state of opening the night with a luminous crosshair. Bottom left: Close-up of MG74 feed port. Top right: The MG74 flame suppressor is similar to the MG42. Bottom right: MG74's anti-air illumination gate.
The MG42 is called a general-purpose machine gun because it can be mounted on a tripod and used as a medium machine gun. A tripod made for the MG3 MG74 allowed the machine gunner to hide in trenches, foxholes, and shoot accurately through the Hensoldt Wetzlar Zeiss ZF 4 24 MG1 periscope without exposing his body. The combination of extendable legs, trigger linkage and periscope allows the MG74 mounted on a Lafette 74 tripod to complete zeroing relatively quickly. Once the MG74 is securely mounted on a tripod, the entire machine gun can be adjusted until it hits the target accurately. It should be noted that the MG74 also has a special on-board gun mount.
The MG74 is mounted on a tripod with the legs extended so that it is in a high line of fire. A periscope sight and a trigger link were installed on the tripod.
When firing continuously, the barrel heats up quickly, and the secondary shooter can easily change the barrel of the MG74 by opening the cover on the right side of the receiver. However, since there is no handle on the barrel for handling, it is recommended to use asbestos insulating gloves for operation. Comparatively, when the MG74 is fixed on a tripod, the operation of changing the barrel is much more convenient and faster, and in the light machine gun state, the operation is exactly the same, but a little slower. The Lefette 74 tripod is cleverly designed for easy carrying and transport, and comes with a protective box dedicated to storing periscope sights. The transition of the tripod from marching to combat is relatively fast, and the dial for zeroing operation is intuitive.
Once the MG74 is mounted on a tripod, the quickest way to zero is to have the Heavy fire a single or short shot at the target, while the secondary shooter turns the adjustment knob to hit the MG74. The adjustable legs allow the shooter to shoot in a lower lying position or in a higher seated position. The machine gunner, hiding in the bunker, aimed through the periscope and the right hand operated the machine gun by pressing the trigger link. The author found that the use of a periscope in a seated position is the most comfortable when operating the trigger link.
The author of the article sat on the ground and looked for a target through a periscope scope, and with his right hand pressed the trigger link, he shot.
As can be seen from propaganda photos taken by the Austrian military, soldiers often mounted bipods in the middle of the machine gun handguard rather than in front. I wanted to try to shoot in this state of the MG74, but I was fascinated by the feeling of attaching it to the Lafitte 74 tripod and shooting. The author's friend Brian aimed the MG74 Lafutte 74 combo at a 200-yard target, and we took turns shooting at the portrait target. Since the tripod is very stable, we can easily hit 5 10 long shots. Compared to the MG42, the MG74 machine gun had a lower theoretical rate of fire, so it was able to guarantee ideal firing accuracy even when firing fully automatically.
Due to the author's old arms and legs, he found that he had to use a sitting position and put his feet under the tripod in order to shoot in the most comfortable position. In such a posture, the author can comfortably observe the situation of the target through the periscope scope, and also be able to easily operate the trigger link. It takes a few more manipulations to figure out how hard and how long the trigger link is pressed to hit the ideal burst shot. Once you get acquainted with the trigger link, the next shot is very easy. Shooting in this state is very comfortable without having to hold on to a small grip, hold the butt tightly with your shoulder, or grasp the butt with your auxiliary hand. However, the author would like to point out that the MG74 retains the shape of the MG42 butt, which provides a good grip point for the auxiliary hand.
Austrian soldiers operate MG74 machine guns for firing, paying attention to the location of the bipod mounting close to the muzzle.
Previously, the author tested the original MG42 machine gun, as well as the Yugoslav imitation M53 machine gun, but the author rated the MG74 as the best descendant of the MG42. The lower theoretical rate of fire was a major factor in the success of the MG74, the other 762 51mm NATO ammunition is also one of the factors. However, it is useful to use a single-shot trigger similar to the AUG step-and-step trigger, and after practice, you only need to control the force of the trigger to complete a single or double burst. Despite improvements over the original design, the MG74 still retains most of the features of the MG42 that I love, including the large pull handle and well-designed stock.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I like the guns developed by Steyr, and the MG74 is no exception. I have worked briefly in Vienna a few times and have always enjoyed the sense of history I found there. For example, the walls of some buildings still bear the cannonballs fired during the Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1529. The MG74 provided the main technical performance of the world's first universal machine gun, MG42, upgraded with modern Steyr technology.
Steyr MG74 universal machine gun performance parameters:
Caliber: 762×51mm
Overall length: 1219mm
Barrel length: 565mm
Empty gun weight: 12 kg (bipod).
Ammunition supply: Bullet chain.
Mechanical sights: crosshairs, notched doors.
Theoretical rate of fire: 850 rounds min.