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What is the best MG of all time mine is the MG42/MG3.

AND DO NOT RELY ON VIDEOGAMES FOR YOUR ANSWER!

I'm going with the the M2. That thing is a beast and is so powerful to use it on people is considered 'inhumane'. It's been in service since 1933 and will continue to be for a long time because no one can invent anything better.

That and it's much more versatile than the MG42 because the 12.7mm round is much more powerful than the 7.92mm. Downside is that it's so heavy it's very hard to operate it any other way than vehicle mounted.

I'll go with the MG34/MG42. It has influenced many famous post war machinegun designs and is even used in space by the USCM (true story).

M2 for me, that thing is just awesome.

I see what your saying about the M2, but the MG 42s sound is terrifing. Hearing it up close isn't that bad get about 50 meters away and it is terrifing.

.50 cal rounds are very good at persuading people.

I think i'll lend my support to the "Ma Deuce". That design hasn't changed much since it's inception. Plus its built tougher than the MG42 (which is a Hell of a gun too).

Stormrider wrote:Plus its built tougher than the MG42 (which is a Hell of a gun too).

Um what do you mean by tougher????????

Service length recommends the M2. It's been in use for over half a century, and is still WIDELY used.

The MG42 has a great reputation, and it shot very fast and all, but really rate of fire isn't everything, or even necessarily desirable in a machine gun.

I swing back and forth between the M2 and the MG34. Ma Deuce throws some pretty heft lead, and it is now the oldest piece of armament that the US armed forces uses, and it has required almost no modification. The MG34 was light, maneuverable, and multi-role, in that it had a two stage trigger for accurate single-shots and full auto. It and its son, the MG42, were the basis for the development of the SAW, especially the M60.

Just as a clarification, I've never heard it called "Ma Deuce" just the "Mod Deuce".

I love the M2, but the sound from an MG42 would make me soil my pant if I was on the receiving end. The amount of rounds down range and the ease of use is why the MG42 is my choice.

George Spiggott wrote:I'll go with the MG34/MG42. It has influenced many famous post war machinegun designs and is even used in space by the USCM (true story).

Don't forget the Empire, as well!

Deff Jaw wrote:

Stormrider wrote:Plus its built tougher than the MG42 (which is a Hell of a gun too).

Um what do you mean by tougher????????

It's a more durable design. Plus it's rate of fire is such that swpping the barrels isn't as much of a priority as it is on the MG42.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

SoloFalcon1138 wrote:

George Spiggott wrote:I'll go with the MG34/MG42. It has influenced many famous post war machinegun designs and is even used in space by the USCM (true story).

Don't forget the Empire, as well!

Ah, that is an MG34.

MG42

It could tear you to shreds

MG 42/Mg3

I used to be Mg3 gunner few years during my service in the army...
first: today it stills in use!!
second: despite its weight and crappy aspect, its fething reliable if you handle it correctly, most of jamming problems came after a cartridge that's bad fitted in the belt...
three: all we know it has a really high rate of fire (1250 RPM) but it can be adjusted to 800 RPM IIRC

Drawbacks: weight, and the fact that i you want a full operational gun must go with two guys carrying ammo and cooled barrels....

Black Corsair wrote:MG 42/Mg3

I used to be Mg3 gunner few years during my service in the army...
first: today it stills in use!!
second: despite its weight and crappy aspect, its fething reliable if you handle it correctly, most of jamming problems came after a cartridge that's bad fitted in the belt...
three: all we know it has a really high rate of fire (1250 RPM) but it can be adjusted to 800 RPM IIRC

Drawbacks: weight, and the fact that i you want a full operational gun must go with two guys carrying ammo and cooled barrels....

This is why I'm arguing M2.

It's older than the MG3, still in service, and has no technical problems to speak of. I've tried to jam one of those and haven't been able to.

Does the H&K GMG count?

I mean, it's a machine gun... just not a traditional one.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Does the H&K GMG count?

I mean, it's a machine gun... just not a traditional one.

What???

Also the feeding problems were HUMAN error so you can't count those. the MG3 is an MG42 except that it fires at either 750 rpm or 550 rpm as I am told. Actually the M2HB design has changed a lot over 80 years the reason why? to make it simpler and to ease the manufacturing process, so the M2 of today is not the same as the M2 as back in the 30s, 40s and 50s.

Just because a gun sounds scary, doesn't mean its the best. German Stuka dive bombers had little propellers on the landing gear to make a whirring/buzzing noise, it was scary as hell but wasn't the best dive bomber around.

I'll go with the classics, maxim, vickers, bren. Because they were the first true MG's around, they scared the feth out of anyone who saw them because no one had seen a machine gun up until that point.

Oh, and it is MAXIM not MAXISM.

Deff Jaw wrote:
Also the feeding problems were HUMAN error so you can't count those.

Yes you can. Often times the more difficult a gun is to use, the less useful the gun is.

Deff Jaw wrote:
Actually the M2HB design has changed a lot over 80 years the reason why? to make it simpler and to ease the manufacturing process, so the M2 of today is not the same as the M2 as back in the 30s, 40s and 50s.

What changes have been made?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_Browning_machine_gun#Variants_and_derivatives

They all seem to maintain the basic action, though.

halonachos wrote:Just because a gun sounds scary, doesn't mean its the best. German Stuka dive bombers had little propellers on the landing gear to make a whirring/buzzing noise, it was scary as hell but wasn't the best dive bomber around.

I'll go with the classics, maxim, vickers, bren. Because they were the first true MG's around, they scared the feth out of anyone who saw them because no one had seen a machine gun up until that point.

Oh, and it is MAXIM not MAXISM.

Personally i think that the thunk thunk thunk from the m2 is much more terrifying then the rip of an mg42 anyways

IAmTheWalrus wrote:

Black Corsair wrote:MG 42/Mg3

I used to be Mg3 gunner few years during my service in the army...
first: today it stills in use!!
second: despite its weight and crappy aspect, its fething reliable if you handle it correctly, most of jamming problems came after a cartridge that's bad fitted in the belt...
three: all we know it has a really high rate of fire (1250 RPM) but it can be adjusted to 800 RPM IIRC

Drawbacks: weight, and the fact that i you want a full operational gun must go with two guys carrying ammo and cooled barrels....

This is why I'm arguing M2.

It's older than the MG3, still in service, and has no technical problems to speak of. I've tried to jam one of those and haven't been able to.

i'm partially agree with you, in Spain M2 0.50 still in use too as a vehicle MG, i also have seen tripod ones, but is rare, too heavy for infantry use, and i have seen its more prone to jamming...at least the ones we had , otherwise, is an amazing gun too, just too heavy for the purposes i had been trained for.

IAmTheWalrus wrote:I'm going with the the M2. That thing is a beast and is so powerful to use it on people is considered 'inhumane'. It's been in service since 1933 and will continue to be for a long time because no one can invent anything better.

That and it's much more versatile than the MG42 because the 12.7mm round is much more powerful than the 7.92mm. Downside is that it's so heavy it's very hard to operate it any other way than vehicle mounted.

How can the M2 be more versatile than the MG42 if the M2 uses a rarer more expensive round and can only be used from fixed positions?

burning_phoneix wrote:

IAmTheWalrus wrote:I'm going with the the M2. That thing is a beast and is so powerful to use it on people is considered 'inhumane'. It's been in service since 1933 and will continue to be for a long time because no one can invent anything better.

That and it's much more versatile than the MG42 because the 12.7mm round is much more powerful than the 7.92mm. Downside is that it's so heavy it's very hard to operate it any other way than vehicle mounted.

How can the M2 be more versatile than the MG42 if the M2 uses a rarer more expensive round and can only be used from fixed positions?

A .50 round is expensive yes, but rare no. You can convert a MG42 to fire 7.62 X 51mm, just switch out the feed cover and barrel.

The MG42 has a high rate of fire, but the barrel overheats and has to be swapped out Not desirable when troops are storming the beach, ask the germans.

When the vickers was under going field trials, it was fired non stop for seven days, The men got fed up and were sent back to barracks

All I know about machineguns is they will wreck your day.
I say MG42 tho.

loki old fart wrote:The MG42 has a high rate of fire, but the barrel overheats and has to be swapped out Not desirable when troops are storming the beach, ask the germans.

When the vickers was under going field trials, it was fired non stop for seven days, The men got fed up and were sent back to barracks

All real machine guns have swappable barrels, including the Bren gun.

The best of them have water cooling too, if they are intended for sustained fire.