Shoei Mg42

[bootyourface]

Hello. Anyone know how to make this damn thing better for skrims?

Higher cap mags. I seen somewhere someone made custom mags out of the drums, haven't been able to locate it again

Basicly, anything anyone knows would help.

I live in Canada though, so i can't send it out of the country for work (Ultima)

Thank you.

[YankeeDiv26]

Go to ww2airsoft.com, then the articles & reviews section, then the old shoei MG42 article, I think that has a bunch of tips that would help.

I'd link you, but the page cant be displayed on my computer for some reason.

<YD>

[bootyourface]

Thanks. Doesn't work on mine either.

I might be able to get an mg42, but, it'll probably end up costing me 2500$ (canadian, lol)

Before i fork out that money, I want to know if its possible to have it working good. Cus if that just isn't the case...as cool as it'd look to have one...I'd jsut have to buy a few mp40's for the team or something like that.

[Medic]

It didn't seem to come up on mine either.

I wouldn't buy something that expensive without a review. Try to find out who wrote it and drop them a PM maybe so they can re-tell what it said.

[mikkel987]

Me and my freind made our own MG42.
We have made 2 types om magazines.

1. Is a G3 Hicap magazine hanging in the the belt, and with a Stretch spring as feed tube. Its easy to make and works fine.



Here its detached from the belt.


2. The other one is a China m16 Electric magazine put inside a real drum, but for this you need a RS feed tray for your Shoei MG42. It also has a spring as a Feed tube.


We used a magazine looking like this but not with sound activation.
www.gunnerairsoft.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=621

Hope this could help you.

[bootyourface]

It did! Now I have an idea of a higher cap magazine beng made!

Did you at all do anything to the performance of the MG42? And on that note, how does it actually hold up in a skrim? Compairable to modern style lmg's.

The thing is, ww2 airsoft where I play hasn't caught on. There's currently no regualre Allies. There are 5 of us with German loadouts. We'd be going up against highly upgraded AEG lmg's.

If we're not able to play on the same level, then buying an expensive thing like this just isn't economical. We could buy a few period loaner guns for that, and try to get more people on the team.

So thats my concern. Thanks for the pics as well! I'm jealous!

[mikkel987]

First off. Our gun is not shoei but it looks like it. I have the Shoei MP44 and had to work many hours to get it to work, so we decided that we would built our own HPA Blow back system for our next gun.
We wantet higher rate of fire, stronger recoil and high FPS.

You schould only get the gun if you like the design and just cant live wiht out a MG42.

The gun is not god when playing against 400-500FPS AEG's with Hicap magazines. But if you use it in WWII games where your oponents have FPS limits, low cap magazines and bolt action rifels the gun is great. but you need a new magazine!

[biged]

I made one for a friend with an MG34 project. It was challenging...







Runs off a 9v battery by pressing a button on the back of the magazine, or, runs off the power of the gun for plug and play feed.
To load it you lift up the original feed cover and dump in the bb's. I think it holds 700+(?) bb's.



///ed///

[mikkel987]

That looks pritty much the same as the one we made, but it is much easier to use a pre made electric magazine than to make one your self.

[Guinness]

Mikkel,

Give us more information on the MG42 you guys made-

-What did you use as the base body, etc- how did you do it and let's see some pictures!

[CharleyNovember]

I think they just made a drum mag there Big G.

[Guinness]

You sure?

"Our gun is not shoei but it looks like it"

Your probably right, it just sounds like he's saying something else

[Hopeless]

Slight on-off topic but is there a chance of a pic of the front locking lug on the drum mag? Drum lug on the 2 I have don't seem to sit right on the original MG34 belt feed tray. Highly doubt it's my feed tray but you never know.

[mikkel987]

Hmm My English must be bad.
We made a homemade HPA blow back system that fits in a "dead" MG53 reciver.

I will take some more detailed pictures later. But my freind has the internal parts for the gun at the moment. These are old pictures of the parts while we where making them.



The whole system slides in from the back in the gun. The only modification we made was to drill a hole for the hose in the buttom of the grip.
It uses a 650mm PSG1 inner barrel, not precent on this picture.



Unfinished transfer valve. Komplicated part to make.

We used the system from the Shoei MP44.
MP44 piston vs our MG42 piston. Its made to give a BIG recoil.



Pictures of the gun in Action:








I also made a video a while back. Some things hare changed now, but anyway here it is.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKLWAlcbViA

[mikkel987]

img389.imageshack.us/img389/6716/tegningts6.png
Here are my first drawings of the system. There are no messures because everything had to be individual fittet as it came along.

My freind made some beautyful drawings of the Hopup unit and Piston becasue we plan on making one more set on CNC.


Front Brass block, made to stop the piston and houses the Hopup unit


Here it is IRL befor we made the hole for the BB feed tube


Here we have the piston


This is the small piston that goes inside the large one. The one on the left is form my MP44 the one on the right is the one we made.

[CharleyNovember]

Wow looks like some great work work.

[krumlauf83]

This looks really good guys! I just got me a Norwegian MG3 conveted Lafette 34 and it would be nice to have a airsoft Mg42 to use it with. Where can I buy a deactivated MG53 and how much did you have to pay for it?

[mikkel987]

Buy a shoei!

If we had spend alle the time we have used on this gun at work we could have 2 Shoei guns by now ;D

But it is always fun building somthing yourself, and improving existing systems.

[biged]

That is some damn fine milling and machining work mikkel987...

///ed///

[mikkel987]

Thx.
My freind handels the big machinery and I make the designs.
The only right way to make a MG42 is by making a Blow back system. Putting a AEG gearbox in such a large and heavy gun would be a shame. It has to have big sound and big recoil. ;D

[2ndranger]

Outstanding! Great job!

Franz

[schmitty]

My freind handels the big machinery and I make the designs.
The only right way to make a MG42 is by making a Blow back system. Putting a AEG gearbox in such a large and heavy gun would be a shame. It has to have big sound and big recoil.

So, quite a few of the projects I have done are "a shame"?
I'm sure you meant no offense but I find that insulting.

For me and many others having to deal with air tanks is just too much hassle and then having to deal with air tanks while in game and having a hose coming out of the gun kills the realism.

I'm not trying to turn this into a debate of gas vs electric, that topic has already been flogged to death. Both have their pros and cons. When a gas powered MG is working properly it is very impressive. The design and execution of your MG looks superb indeed.

Schmitty

[Ersatzjack]

That just looks fearsome. Nice work. I think gas MGs are totally the preferred way to go if you get them working and like dealing with the extra maintenance and trouble involved. The payback as you said is the noise and recoil. What is the rate of fire if you know?

[2nd Bat]

I agree with Schmitty that while your work is impressive and the gun looks very good and no doubt functions very well. The downsides of Gas (inconsistent performance and chrono safety challenges) along with the unsigtliness of the external gas systems become very much a personal taste concern that I for one am not comfortable with.

Definitely upsides with gas with the loud report and the recoil but downsides as well. Schimitty there is certainly nothing shameful about your custom work!!!!!

[TommyGunner]

I think that if you want sound and recoil then you should not be doing airsoft Thats what blank reenacting is for. I prefer AEGs becuase they work in all weather and anyone can use it, but a working gas gun is always nice to see and does require less moving parts. However they are too unpredicable.

TommyGunner

[2nd Bat]

Actually I think the day is coming when muzzle flash and a louder report will be enhancements that will be available in either new designs or as upgrades for existing guns. I for one would love it. It would greatly enhance the experience and add a lot to realism. (Certainly cut down on the campers) and greatly enhance the sound of distant firefights that currently are just too quiet.

Both sound and muzzle falsh seem quite doable for an aeg since we have a power source already driving the weapon. The things they can do with small speakers these days are incredible. It would be awesome if you could facilitate different reporst for the various weapons. (MP40s sound a lot different than Kar 98s and Thompsons of course sounded much different than carbines or Garands.)

[mikkel987]

I didn't mean to offend anybody.

I have nothing against AEG's and i own quit a few my self. My job is actually to repair and modify AEG's so i know them very well.

If you just want your gun to fire a straigt line if BB's an AEG is the safe way to go. The thing about them is that almost any AEG can be made to perform the same. This makes it silly to run around with a very heavy 11Kg machinegun when a 2,5kg gun can do the same job.

This MG42 is ment to be fun to shoot, and not just a nother m14 AEG in a new frame. The sound and recoil makes i wort carrying the extra load of such a heavy gun.

Some Data on the gun:
We use 350PSi and get
500fps
ROF is only 15/sec
we get around 1800 shots on a 200Bar 0,75L bottle

Fps can be ajusted on the regulator.

We aim at getting the ROF op to 20-25/sec so we are modifying the system with a new piston and changing the traveling lenght of it.
I will update you if you are interested in hearing more.

As for the external rig i don't see any problems.
In a machinggun nest you can easely have a HPA bottle lying behind the sandbags.
Otherwise i carry my bottle in a cas mask canister om my back. I don't think it is so bad.

My Rig is made for the MP44 but here it is with the MG42:


Some Data on the gun:
We use 350PSi and get
500fps
ROF is only 15/sec
we get around 1800 shots on a 200Bar 0,75L bottle

Fps can be ajusted on the regulator.

we aim to get the ROF op to 20-25/sec so we are modifying the system with a new piston and changing the traveling lenght of it.
I will update you if you are interested in hearing more.

As for the external rig i don't see any problems.
In a machinggun nest you can easely have HPA bottle lying behind the sandbags.
otherwise i carry my bottle in a cas mask canister om my back. I don't think it is so bad.

My Rig is made for the MP44 but here it is with the MG42:

[CharleyNovember]

It looks great M. If you play with a group with midcap rules that will help make an MG stand out and be worth using in a game weather it is AEG or gas.

[mikkel987]

Yes. In Denmark we play with these roules in WWII games.

Submachingung up to 330fps and 70 rounds/mag
Assault rifle op to 500fps and 70 rounds/mag
Machinegun uo to 500fps and unlimited ammo
Bolt action rifle 590fps
Sniper rifle 700fps.
All with 0,2bb's
This makes it very usefull, but in a normal airsoft game it is useless.

[stirling]

Worth having a chat with Josh at airsoftcorner in NY www.airsoftcorner.com/AXIS.html. He has done a custom drum for my shoei 42, although it needed a new feed tray. Although, the Drum is still currently on the way in the post to me. There is a website in France selling airsoft shoei 42s for £845 plus post and have had good expereience with them www.modelguns-worldwide.com/mg42.htm