MG.34 Disassembly (this is going to get heavy)

[bas]

I described the DP-27 as a beast because of raw and simple a machine it is. Well the MG.34 is the complete opposite; it is a finely tune precision engineered work of art! Hopefully these pictures will convey this but in truth it is really a machine that needs to be experienced first hand.

My gun is nothing out of the ordinary, manufactured in 1945 at Brno. It probably never saw German service and instead was sold to Israel where it saw service.

 

[Vimy Ridge]

Sweet MG!!!

 

[bas]

Disassembly Part 1:

Unload the weapon:

Located at the back end of the feed cover is the catch that locks it close:

Grip it, push forward and lift the feed cover up:

Take a firm hold of the belt drum and with your thumb press the locking lever down and remove the drum and belt:

With the feed cover still up, locate the stock latch under the receiver at the back:

Press this down:

And give the stock a quarter of a turn to the left. Don't let go as the stock is under tension from the recoil spring:

On the underside of the stock there is a second latch.

Press this and give the forward piece a quarter turn then pull clear of the stock:

Stock, recoil spring housing and spring:

The spring housing can be used without the stock to save space in tanks and bunkers:

Close up of the receiver showing why the cover must be lifted before removing the stock:

 

[bas]

Part 2

Locate the feed cover hinge at the front of the receiver:

Push in the screw on the right side:

Lift the feed cover slightly so that it you can pull it clear from the retaining pin:

Top side:

Underside, showing the feed claws on the right and the bare steel motion arm:

Pull the plate holding the feed claws forward:

Slide the inner plate out:

Top view:

View showing how the arm moves the feed claws. The bolt has a groove at its end that the track rides in. In this photo the bolt would be locked back:

Bolt forward:

Remove the motion arm:

Other side:

Turn the arm so that it is at a right angle to the main body:

Remove:

 

[bas]

Part 3:

On the feed cover hinge remove the screw head:

Lift the feed tray:

And remove:

At the point where the receiver meets the barrel jacket underneath on the right side is a latch that locks the cocking handle forward:

Press this down and pull the cocking handle back (on my gun this is very stiff):

Pull the cocking handle all the way to the back to remove the bolt:

The Bolt will slide out the rear of the receiver:

Underside of the bolt, the firing pin is cocked:

Top view, the grove that the feed arm runs in is at the back of the bolt on the right side of this photo:

Rotate the bolt head to release the firing pin. In this photo the pin is about to fire. You can see behind the wheel on the left a latch. The latch is about to touch an angled section of the bolt body. As the head rotates this section wedges beneath the latch and lifts it and releases the firing pin forward:

View of the bolt in a locked and fired state. The head has completed its rotation (guided by ramps on the barrel) the bolt is locked into the barrel (via the dual grooves on each side of the bolt head forward of the wheel) and the latch has been lifted.

View of the bolt face showing the protruding firing pin. No misfires here!

A the back of the bolt is the firing pin nut:

Push the latch to the right and rotate it forward:

Unscrew the firing pin nut and remove:

Slide the bolt head out of the main body:

The firing pin is retained by a "bayonet mount" and is under tension:

Reverse the bolt main body, notice that the hole is oblong:

Insert the firing pin. Keeping a firm grip push them together and rotate the firing pin to free it:

Let it go forward:

Remove spring and firing pin:

Stripped bolt:

 

[#1bcshooter]

It should be noted that you never try to cycle ammo through a MG34 by hand . The round will go off even if you close the bolt slowly by hand !

 

[bas]

Part 4:

At the back of the receiver, press the stock latch and remove the cocking handle. It slides out the right rather than out the back:

It slides out the right rather than out the back:

On the left side, on the barrel jacket forward of the receiver is the barrel release latch:

Press this:

And rotate the receiver down and to the right:

The barrel will now slide free:

Stripped receiver, jacket and barrel:

On the right side of the barrel jacket is the pin that locks the receiver to the jacket:

Push the pin up and pull the receiver clear:

Stripped receiver right side:

Left side

View inside showing the trigger; the MG.34 fires from an open bolt, but the action is locked to the barrel at time of firing:

View from the rear of the receiver, look at the machining that went into this!

 

[bas]

Part 5: (lucky last)

Remove the bi-pod; again this is retained by a latch under the barrel jacket:

Press hold the latch in and rotate the bi-pod 180 degrees up and pull it free.

The flash suppressor / muzzle booster is also secured by a latch:

Lift it and unscrew the booster:

Barrel jacket, muzzle cone and flash suppressor:

All done; one MG.34 in bits:

More on how the bolt operates, bolt head and barrel face.

The bolt engages the barrel face.

The forward movement of the bolts causes the wheels on the bolt head to turn it. As the head turns the ridges on the side of the head meet with groves on the inside of the barrel and the firing pin latch lines up:

The bolt has finished it's rotation, is locked to the barrel and the firing pin has been released!

That's the last of them. Hope you enjoyed it.

 

[tootall]

It should be noted that you never try to cycle ammo through a MG34 by hand . The round will go off even if you close the bolt slowly by hand !

Yes, I can confirm this! Scared the almighty crap out of me
Fortunately good muzzle direction prevented anything more serious than a good fright.

The last few photos explain how the firing pin is released just by closing the bolt.

A great set of photos. Makes me wish for my old one.

 

[Klunk]

Awsome job bas....totally groovy

now I can concentrate on doing the ZB-37

 

[Coyote Ugly]

Excellent!

 

[Kayser Sose]

loving it. my kind of thread. reminds me of the old days, for sure!!

 

[woodchopper]

excellent,

I'm always interested in seeing the different systems used for the bolt and firing mech on MGs.

very cool

 

[Bunner]

wicked! Love the nice sharp pics.

 

[Desert_Fox]

I love that tutorial. Helped me figure out how to disassemble my TNW MG34!

Oh, and....

 

[diemaco]

Nothing wrong with resurrecting informative threads. What a marvel of engineering.

 

[Claven2]

Nice MG - makes me wish I hadn't sold my TNW '34. In the end though, the limiting factor was a lack of available ammo

 

[Wrong Way]

Very nice pics!

Somebody tell me about that trigger........

 

[P90Puma]

Cool thread, someone needs to do this with an MG42!

 

[bas]

Cool thread, someone needs to do this with an MG42!

I've got a Yugo M.53 on the way (probably still be a few months away) that I'll do a series on as soon as it arrives.