The SMG FG42 In Detail
- Thread starter Wilhelm
- Start date
Rick told me that mine was only the second muzzle brake failure out of over 200 rifles now. Remember that he was aware of the problem and thought that he had culled out all of the bad ones. Me and another guy just had bad luck.
Thank you for the compliment on the PTR44 thread. I'll be back on that at my first opportunity.
Thank you for the compliment on the PTR44 thread. I'll be back on that at my first opportunity.
Today, I took the FG42 out for some fun. Using 1969 Portuguese FNM surplus, I put 138 rounds through it (my largest number in one trip so far) bringing the total up to about 880. I only had one malfunction and it was a stovepipe on ejection. One out of 138 is just fine with me and I call that perfectly acceptable. I took the muzzle brake off for about half a magazine or so and amazed my buddy with some huge fireballs. It's also still amazing just how much more the muzzle rises without the brake attached. At the end of the day's shooting, I took the hot, greasy, sooty muzzle brake off again, ran it down my face in a few places leaving black shiny stripes and screamed like the crazed lunatic I am. It was fun and we had a good laugh!
Cleaning it this evening, I took a look up into the locking recesses in the trunnion and noted just how grimy and funky it gets up in there. The problem is, it's a long way up into the recesses and it's hard to get to. It doesn't matter how far up in it is..... ya' gotta' get that funk out now and then,; not very often but just every now and then...... but how? Now, you can spend a bunch of time driving yourself nuts trying to get a tooth brush or some such thing up in there. That'll work I guess but I'm sure it'll also frustrate the hex out of you in the process. That ain't for me. Or you can use MY method!! You see, I'm as lazy as I can reasonably get away with so I always try to find the easy way of cleaning if I can. Well, the easiest way I've found is using good ol' Gumout Carb Cleaner!
It works on kitchen grease too but that's another story. Let me show you what I do.
First, REMOVE THE TRIGGER HOUSING. You DO NOT want carb cleaner getting on anything other then blued or chromed steel. It'll eat plastic pistol grips, remove paint from your bipod legs and take the finish off your pretty walnut hand guard if you get it on them......so don't!!
Next, stand the barreled receiver up on end, muzzle down:
Please don't pay any attention to my messy work bench. Make sure the muzzle is resting on something you don't mind mucking up because you're going to have Carb Cleaner running down the barrel.
Then, attach the little straw thingee to the nozzle on the cleaner, stick it down in the trunnion area and spray:
Spray it generously but don't go wacko; you don't want it splashing out of the breech area and onto you hand guard. As you spray it, most of the funk in those recesses will wash out and run down the barrel. Then use your finger and a bore wipe to scrub around down in there paying careful attention to get into the recesses as best as you can. You'll probably have to do this a couple a three times working through both the magazine well and the ejection port. You don't have to get it factory fresh but do your best to get most of it.
Here's an example of the kind of gunk you can expect to get out:
I threw the gas plug in there for scale. You can't see it because the picture isn't 3D but there's some crusty stuff (carbon I figure)mixed in with that grease and those brass shavings. Because I use grease, stuff really accumulates in those recesses but you can't let it build up indefinitely or you're most likely going to run into reliability problems over time. I think this is only the second time I've really deep cleaned this area so far so you don't have to do it very often. The first patch was even more filthy but I threw it away before I got the bright idea to take pictures.
After you are done, take a look down in there and admire your handiwork:
Pretty down in there ain't it??
So, just like momma taught you when you were a kid, KEEP YOUR RECESSES CLEAN!! That's it for this post. I'm only 120 rounds away from 1000! Yay!!
Cleaning it this evening, I took a look up into the locking recesses in the trunnion and noted just how grimy and funky it gets up in there. The problem is, it's a long way up into the recesses and it's hard to get to. It doesn't matter how far up in it is..... ya' gotta' get that funk out now and then,; not very often but just every now and then...... but how? Now, you can spend a bunch of time driving yourself nuts trying to get a tooth brush or some such thing up in there. That'll work I guess but I'm sure it'll also frustrate the hex out of you in the process. That ain't for me. Or you can use MY method!! You see, I'm as lazy as I can reasonably get away with so I always try to find the easy way of cleaning if I can. Well, the easiest way I've found is using good ol' Gumout Carb Cleaner!
It works on kitchen grease too but that's another story. Let me show you what I do.
First, REMOVE THE TRIGGER HOUSING. You DO NOT want carb cleaner getting on anything other then blued or chromed steel. It'll eat plastic pistol grips, remove paint from your bipod legs and take the finish off your pretty walnut hand guard if you get it on them......so don't!!
Next, stand the barreled receiver up on end, muzzle down:
Please don't pay any attention to my messy work bench. Make sure the muzzle is resting on something you don't mind mucking up because you're going to have Carb Cleaner running down the barrel.
Then, attach the little straw thingee to the nozzle on the cleaner, stick it down in the trunnion area and spray:
Spray it generously but don't go wacko; you don't want it splashing out of the breech area and onto you hand guard. As you spray it, most of the funk in those recesses will wash out and run down the barrel. Then use your finger and a bore wipe to scrub around down in there paying careful attention to get into the recesses as best as you can. You'll probably have to do this a couple a three times working through both the magazine well and the ejection port. You don't have to get it factory fresh but do your best to get most of it.
Here's an example of the kind of gunk you can expect to get out:
I threw the gas plug in there for scale. You can't see it because the picture isn't 3D but there's some crusty stuff (carbon I figure)mixed in with that grease and those brass shavings. Because I use grease, stuff really accumulates in those recesses but you can't let it build up indefinitely or you're most likely going to run into reliability problems over time. I think this is only the second time I've really deep cleaned this area so far so you don't have to do it very often. The first patch was even more filthy but I threw it away before I got the bright idea to take pictures.
After you are done, take a look down in there and admire your handiwork:
Pretty down in there ain't it??
So, just like momma taught you when you were a kid, KEEP YOUR RECESSES CLEAN!! That's it for this post. I'm only 120 rounds away from 1000! Yay!!
Last edited:
d dAY dOG
Well-known member
Not to change gears here, but has anyone shot any of the PWA 8mm Mauser lacquered steel cased ammo through their FG42 - be it an SMG or original model ? I have few options for ammo where I live and have tried some lacquered ammo in the past that did not feed well in my SMG FG42 unless I ran it wet.
I apologize for double posting this, but this ammo likely wont be around for long.
Tnx
D Day
I apologize for double posting this, but this ammo likely wont be around for long.
Tnx
D Day
mostpeople
Senior Member
Finally made it out to the range today, thanks Rick for another flawless afternoon! My FG42 turned heads and ran perfectly.
Something I've noticed, shooter technique has a lot to do with successfully shooting this gun. Buddy of mine had a double fire today and the RCO almost kicked us out until I explained the stock and that this guy had never fired and accidentally did a bump stock like maneuver.
Good stuff!
Something I've noticed, shooter technique has a lot to do with successfully shooting this gun. Buddy of mine had a double fire today and the RCO almost kicked us out until I explained the stock and that this guy had never fired and accidentally did a bump stock like maneuver.
Good stuff!
sling
Hello, great write up on the smg fg42 I have one and am looking for a good sling, I bought on of the cheep repos and it sucks, It looks like it would drop the rifle on the ground if used. and suggestions would be great? could a guy part together a ww2 sling with different hardware? thanks again looking forward to the first model. cheers.
Hello, great write up on the smg fg42 I have one and am looking for a good sling, I bought on of the cheep repos and it sucks, It looks like it would drop the rifle on the ground if used. and suggestions would be great? could a guy part together a ww2 sling with different hardware? thanks again looking forward to the first model. cheers.
johnson184
Member
Did you guys opt for dark or light walnut? Care to share pics of y'alls FG42?
I just mailed off a check to Rick for my own order... but I just can't decide between which wood stain to get! Or if I should also go laminated for the buttstock
I just mailed off a check to Rick for my own order... but I just can't decide between which wood stain to get! Or if I should also go laminated for the buttstock
