The following U.S. military report describes an optional muzzle brake for the German MG 42 machine gun. The report is taken from Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 57, April 1945. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

Muzzle Brake for M. G. 42 A muzzle brake is being fitted to the German M. G. 42 when this weapon is used as a heavy machine gun. The muzzle brake counteracts the gun's tendency to climb during automatic fire. Although the new device was first revealed in 1943, it has not appeared in quantity. The provision of a muzzle brake for the German M. G. 42 involves a change in design and in the appearance of the fore end of the piece. Shown above is the re-designed recoil booster, with the usual circular gas escape ports. The fore part of the recoil booster, normally a cone-shaped flash-hider, is cylindrical in shape instead. The muzzle brake slips over the cylindrical booster end, so that the booster end is brought close to the baffle plates. (The fore end of the recoil booster can just be seen inside the muzzle brake; above it is a baffle plate.) The booster is secured to the barrel jacket by the usual spring-loaded catch. The muzzle brake constitutes a considerable improvement in the M. G. 42 in that the operator is aided in holding his aim on the target. The brake has two baffle plates and is attached to the flash-eliminator and recoil intensifier. The latter affects only the recoil of the barrel, whereas the brake affects the recoil of the gun as a whole without interfering with the barrel.

Back to Articles by Subject | Intel Bulletin by Issue | T&TT by Issue | Home Page