MG30
Encyclopedia
The Maschinengewehr 30, or MG 30 was a German
-designed machine gun
that saw some service with various armed forces
in the 1930s. It was also modified to become the standard German aircraft
gun as the MG 15 and MG 17. It is most notable as the design pattern that led to the MG 34
and MG 42, and thus is one of the major ancestors of many of the weapons in service which would later find widespread use into the 21st century.
's Sömmerda
office. However actual production of machine guns was prohibited in Germany under the Versailles Treaty, and the design was rejected by the Reichswehr
. Rheinmetall then turned to other companies and licensed the design to Solothurn in Switzerland
and Steyr-Daimler-Puch
in Austria
. Production soon followed, entering the armed forces of both countries as the Solothurn S2-100 and Maschinengewehr Solothurn 1930, or MG 30, respectively. 2000-3000 were also purchased by Hungary, where it was known as the Solothurn 31.M Golyoszoro.
ammunition, fed from a slightly curved 30-round magazine
inserted in the left side of the weapon. It uses a locking ring, which is located at the end of the barrel extension, to lock the bolt. Inside the locking ring, there are six sets of locking lugs, arranged as an interrupted thread, which mate with lugs cut at the rear of the bolt. Rotation of the ring, which locks and unlocks the bolt, is controlled by rollers mounted on the outside of the ring. Upon recoil, these rollers follow cam tracks cut into the receiver. The gun is of relatively simple design, with most parts having a round cross-section. The tubular receiver is an extension of the barrel jacket. The butt hosts a tube which contains the return spring and its guide.
The MG 30 fired both in semi-automatic
and full automatic
mode depending on how far the two-stage trigger is pulled, with a rate of fire between 600 and 800 rounds per minute in full-auto. It included a folding bipod
attached two thirds down the barrel.
.
Further modification in 1936 led to the MG 17, which included provisions for belt-fed ammo in addition to the drums, increased the rate of fire to about 1,200 rpm, and was suitable for use with an interrupter gear
for shooting through the aircraft's own propellor.
In 1942 aircraft guns had increased dramatically in size, and the 7.92 mm weapons were no longer considered useful by the Luftwaffe
. Many were then sent to the army, who started a program to modify them into ground-based weapons by adding a bipod and simple metal stock.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-designed machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
that saw some service with various armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
in the 1930s. It was also modified to become the standard German aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
gun as the MG 15 and MG 17. It is most notable as the design pattern that led to the MG 34
MG 34
The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG 34, is a German air-cooled machine gun that was first produced and accepted into service in 1934, and first issued to units in 1935. It accepts the 8x57mm IS cartridge....
and MG 42, and thus is one of the major ancestors of many of the weapons in service which would later find widespread use into the 21st century.
History
Development of the MG 30 took place under the direction of Louis Stange at RheinmetallRheinmetall
Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defence company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. The company has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces...
's Sömmerda
Sömmerda
Sömmerda is a town near Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany, on the Unstrut river. It is the capital of the district of Sömmerda.-History:Archeological digs in the area that is now Sömmerda, formerly Leubingen, have uncovered prominently buried human remains dating to around 2000 BCE...
office. However actual production of machine guns was prohibited in Germany under the Versailles Treaty, and the design was rejected by the Reichswehr
Reichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
. Rheinmetall then turned to other companies and licensed the design to Solothurn in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Steyr-Daimler-Puch
Steyr-Daimler-Puch
Steyr-Daimler-Puch was a large manufacturing conglomerate based in Steyr, Austria, which was broken up in stages between 1987 and 2001. The component parts and operations continued to exist under separate ownership and new names.-History:...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Production soon followed, entering the armed forces of both countries as the Solothurn S2-100 and Maschinengewehr Solothurn 1930, or MG 30, respectively. 2000-3000 were also purchased by Hungary, where it was known as the Solothurn 31.M Golyoszoro.
Design
The gun is an air-cooled, recoil-operated design, firing standard 7.92x57mm Mauser7.92x57mm Mauser
The 8×57mm IS is a rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge. The 8×57mm IS was adopted by the German Empire in 1905, and was the German service cartridge in both World Wars...
ammunition, fed from a slightly curved 30-round magazine
Magazine (firearm)
A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a repeating firearm. Magazines may be integral to the firearm or removable . The magazine functions by moving the cartridges stored in the magazine into a position where they may be loaded into the chamber by the action...
inserted in the left side of the weapon. It uses a locking ring, which is located at the end of the barrel extension, to lock the bolt. Inside the locking ring, there are six sets of locking lugs, arranged as an interrupted thread, which mate with lugs cut at the rear of the bolt. Rotation of the ring, which locks and unlocks the bolt, is controlled by rollers mounted on the outside of the ring. Upon recoil, these rollers follow cam tracks cut into the receiver. The gun is of relatively simple design, with most parts having a round cross-section. The tubular receiver is an extension of the barrel jacket. The butt hosts a tube which contains the return spring and its guide.
The MG 30 fired both in semi-automatic
Semi-automatic firearm
A semi-automatic, or self-loading firearm is a weapon which performs all steps necessary to prepare the weapon to fire again after firing—assuming cartridges remain in the weapon's feed device or magazine...
and full automatic
Automatic firearm
An automatic firearm is a firearm that loads another round mechanically after the first round has been fired.The term can be used to refer to semi-automatic firearms, which fire one shot per single pull of the trigger , or fully automatic firearms, which will continue to load and fire ammunition...
mode depending on how far the two-stage trigger is pulled, with a rate of fire between 600 and 800 rounds per minute in full-auto. It included a folding bipod
Bipod
A bipod is a support device that is similar to a tripod or monopod, but with two legs. It provides significant stability along two axes of motion .-Firearms:...
attached two thirds down the barrel.
Variants
Rheinmetall's Borsig office modified the MG 30 design for use as an aircraft gun, producing the Flugzeugmaschinengewehr 15, or MG 15. The primary changes were the use of a double-drum magazine holding 75 rounds, and the removal of the stock for use inside the cramped quarters of a bomberBomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
.
Further modification in 1936 led to the MG 17, which included provisions for belt-fed ammo in addition to the drums, increased the rate of fire to about 1,200 rpm, and was suitable for use with an interrupter gear
Interrupter gear
An interrupter gear is a device used on military aircraft and warships in order to allow them to target opponents without damaging themselves....
for shooting through the aircraft's own propellor.
In 1942 aircraft guns had increased dramatically in size, and the 7.92 mm weapons were no longer considered useful by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. Many were then sent to the army, who started a program to modify them into ground-based weapons by adding a bipod and simple metal stock.
Statistics
- Caliber: 7.9 mm
- Load: 50 round beltless saddle drum
- Action: select fire, air-cooled
- Rate of Fire: 600 to 800 rpm
- Weight: 27 lb (12 kg)
See also
- MG 34MG 34The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG 34, is a German air-cooled machine gun that was first produced and accepted into service in 1934, and first issued to units in 1935. It accepts the 8x57mm IS cartridge....
, direct successor of MG 30. - Kg/1940 Light machine gunKg/1940 Light machine gunThe Kg m/40 was a light machine gun used by the Swedish Army during the 1940s. A small number were also manufactured in Germany by Knorr-Bremse for the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, under the name MG35/36A, though they were mostly called just "the Knorr-Bremse".The KG/1940 loaded its magazine from the...
- MG 42, successor of MG 34 still largely based on original MG 30.
- MG 81 machine gunMG 81 machine gunThe MG 81 was a German belt fed 7.9 mm machine gun, used in flexible installations in World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, replacing the older drum magazine-fed MG 15....
- MG 3, successor of MG 42.
- MG 710, Also known as MG 55.
- RheinmetallRheinmetallRheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defence company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. The company has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces...
- Steyr-Daimler-PuchSteyr-Daimler-PuchSteyr-Daimler-Puch was a large manufacturing conglomerate based in Steyr, Austria, which was broken up in stages between 1987 and 2001. The component parts and operations continued to exist under separate ownership and new names.-History:...
- Weapons employed in the Slovak-Hungarian WarWeapons employed in the Slovak-Hungarian WarThe following are weapons employed by the military forces of Slovakia and Hungary during the brief Slovak-Hungarian War.-Slovakia:Infantry weapons* ČZ vz. 24 pistol* ZB vz. 24 rifle* ZB vz. 26 light machinegun* ZB vz. 30 light machinegun...