This is a solid representative example of a WWII German MG42 light machine gun. This is a fairly rare example as it was manufactured in 1944, by the MAGET (Maschinen und Geraetetbau GmbH) factory in Berlin. They originally used the wartime code of "cra" which was changed in 1943 to "swd". Due to their extremely high cyclic rate of fire of approximately 1,200 rounds per minute, the GIs termed them "Hitler’s Buzz Saw" as it was so fast that you could not distinguish the individual rounds being fired. Of all the German machine gun during WWII this model was probably the most feared weapon on the battlefield. The MG42 was actually an improvement over the early MG-34 (which used all fully machined and hand fitted parts and assemblies). The MG-42 used new manufacturing techniques such as stamped steel parts that were welded or riveted together combined with limited machined parts. In this example, the receiver was made from stamped steel sections, with a perforated barrel jacket with both welded/mated to the machined center section and top cover support with a stamped top cover. It used riveted bolt rails guides inside the receiver. The complete bolt and barrel were made from traditional machined parts. The buttstock was made from walnut, and the pistol grip plates were made from bakelite. They were mass produced and so highly effective that the German factories manufactured well over 400,000 before the end of the war. They were easily transported, and they were the cornerstone of the German infantry company. They were so effective that during WWII the U.S. Army tested the design and in the post war years actually copied much of the design during the development of the M-60 machine gun. This weapon had several innovative features, such as the new delayed roller-block locking system and the quick change barrel. This last feature was so important as it allowed the machine gunner to rapidly change out a hot barrel during battle without any tools. This extended and preserved the barrel life and also prevented cook-offs. These features were years ahead of anything that the Allies had. These weapons were made by four primary companies: Mauser, MAGET of Berlin, Gustloff Werke, and Steyr. This example, as noted, was manufactured by the MAGET factory. The left side of the receiver is marked "NC/MG 42/8103o/swd" the war time code for the MAGET factory as manufactured in 1944, (code NC). The machined top cover center support has an unreadable war time code with a Waffenamt proof on top. The stamped top cover does not carry a wartime code, and the top of the bolt is stamped with an "eagle/WaA180" Waffenamt. The machine gun has a matching barrel numbered "8103o" with the barrel extension stamped "cra" indicating manufacture by MAGET. Most of the various parts carry some kind of a German WWII Waffenamt proof. It has the original folding front sight and tangent rear marked 2-20 (200-2,000 meters). It has an earlier unmarked wooden buttstock. It is complete with one side mounted drum/basket magazine and an original, WWII, folding tripod mount that is marked on the side "bgs/4919".