Manual / Guide · 1992
Rheinmetall's English-language export operator's manual for the MG3, the post-war 7.62 mm NATO MG 42: description, field stripping, operation, barrel change, stoppages and care. The MG 42 dive takes its mechanism, maintenance and barrel-change procedure from it.
Machine Gun MGs Operator’ s Manuat Cal. 7. 62 mm x 51 Digitized o SMALL A! SMAL LARMSOFTHE GREE. Printed in The Federal Republic of Germany 1992 /La/ 6.80 / 5000 Subject to change without further notice. Machine Gun MG 3 Operator’s Manual Cal. 7.62 mm x 51 Contents Page 1. Important Information 6 6. Dismantling into Sub-Assemblies 6.1 Bipod 20 2. Technical Data 7 6.2 Sling 20 6.3 Feed Mechanism 21 3. Overall View 8/9 6.4 Butt with Rear Cover and Recoil Spring 22 4. Weapon, dismantled 6.5 Bolt 23 4.1 Sub-Assemblies 10/11 6.6 Cocking Slide 23 4.2 Bolt — Parts of 12 6.7 Barrel 24 4.3 Cover — Parts of 13 6.8 Recoil Booster 25 6.9 Barrel Guide Sleeve 25 5. Handling and Operation 6.10 Cover — Parts of 26 5.1 Ensuring Readiness for Firing 14 6.11 Butt with Rear Cover 27 5.2 Cancelling Readiness for Firing 15 6.12 Bolt - Parts of 28 5.3 Changing of Barrel 16 5.4 Changing of Bolt 17 5.5 Sighting Devices 18/19 eevee —— cheat Page 7. Re-Assembling of Sub-Assemblies 7.1 Bolt — Parts of 29/30 7.2 Cover - Parts of 31/32 7.3 Barrel Guide Sleeve 7.4 Recoil Booster 33 7.5 Barrel 7.6 Cocking Slide 34 7.7 Bolt 35 7.8 Butt and Rear Cover 36 7.9 covet with Feed Tray 37 7.10 Bipo 7.11 Sling } 38 . Accessories 8.1 Carrying Bag with Contents 39 8.2 Container with Spare Barrel 40 8.3 Cleaning Kit 41 11. 12. 13. . Trouble Shooting Use of Combination Tool 10.1 Removal of Cartridge Cases 10.2 Removal of Cartridge Case Fragments 10.3 Replacing of Extractor Maintenance and Cleaning Firing Positions Carrying Modes 42 43 44 45 46 1. Important Information 1.1 Every MG must be regarded as loaded until the gunner has convinced himself that no round has been left in the cham- ber of the barrel. For this purpose: Cock bolt and push safety catch into “S” position (see also 5.2). Open cover, and turn feed tray upwards. Ensure that barrel is clear (see also 5.2). 1.2 If round fails to ignite in barrel which is fired hot, only cock bolt after time allowed for cook-off has elapsed (approx. 5 minutes). 1.3 Change barrel after approx. 150 rounds (see also 5.3). 1.4 Releasing the bolt with no barrel in the weapon is prohibited. 1.5 Clean barrel before each firing. 1.6 Make it a rule thoroughly to clean the weapon after each use. 2. Technical Data 2.1 General Calibre Weapon System 7.62 mm x 51 Recoil loader with moving barrel Ammunition feed from L/H side Muzzle velocity 820 m/s Rate of fire from 1,000 to 1,300 rds/min Bolt locking locking roll system Types of fire burst and sustained fire Muzzle energy 3,200 Nm Sighting system open system with front and back sight, adjustable from 200 m up to 1,200 m in 100 m increments AA sight for air targets at speeds from 100 m/s up to 250 m/s approx. 4,000 m approx. 1,200 m Max. range Combating range 2.2 Dimensions Length of MG with butt Width of MG Height of MG with sights up Type of twist Firing height from bipod 2.3 Weights MG with bipod and sling MG without bipod and sling 1,225 mm 130 mm 215mm constant, R/H 300 mm 11.9 kg 10.0 kg 3. Overall view Catch Frontsight AAsight Back sight Cover hinge pin Bipod support, centre Feed tray Bearing for Bipod support, front Bearing for tripod mount, front tripod mount, rear Butt Cover catch Cover Barrel change flap Receiver Recoil booster Thrust bolt Rear cover catch Pistol grip Trigger Cockingslide Sling Bipod 4. Weapon, dismantled 4.1 Sub-Assemblies Barrel hae Barrel guide Recoil booster sleeve =p man get Receiver 10 ae Cocking slide = BYTE Rear x ‘ Cover hinge pin 4 4a Sling Recoil spring CTOD Butt 44 4.2 Bolt — Parts of Bolt head Locking roll Ejector Firing pin Ejector rod Bolt housing Firing pin holder Bolt catch 12 4.3 Cover — Parts of Cover Transport lever Pressure plate Connecting lever Belt-feed slider 5. Handling and Operation 5.1 Ensuring Readiness for Firing Cock bolt (Retract cocking slide Push safety catch into “S” position and push forward) eS | 52 Cancelling Readiness for Firing ' 4 Open cover. Remove belt. Turn feed tray upwards. | | Ensure that barrel is clear. Grip cocking slide, and allow bolt to advance slowly 45 5.3 Changing of Barrel Cock bolt, and pu into “S” position sh safety catc Insert spare barrel Close barrel change flap 16 14 oe 5.4 Changing of Bolt Open cover. Depress rear cover catch. Rotate. Pull cocking slide into rearmost position. butt with rear cover through 90° anti and take off together with recoil spri -clockwise, Catch bolt. ng. Return cocking slide into foremost position. Insert spare bolt into slide rails and whilst Refit butt with rear cover and recoil spring, doing this, actuate trigger. and close cover. 17 5.5 Sighting Devices 5.5.1 Sight Adjustment for Combating Ground Targets Setting of target range 18 — 5.5.2. Combating of Air Targets Aiming Positions for Air Target Combating Target Attitude Target speed Target speed V=100 m/s V= 250 m/s (Propeller (Jet Aircraft) Aircraft) Direct approach 1 i.e. Notch for direct approach on lower sighting bar Crossover flight 2 i.e. Crossover 3 i.e. Crossover notch of centre notch of upper sighting bar sighting bar Passing flight. Target passing on 4i.e.L/H passing 5i.e.L/H passing flight aiming mark _ flight aiming mark of centre sight- of upper sighting ing bar bar L/H side of gun wi v7 Passing flight. Target passing on CN R/H side of gun 6i.e.R/Hpassing 7 i.e. R/H passing flight aiming mark _ flight aiming mark of centre sight- of upper sighting ing bar bar 19 6. Dismantling into Sub-Assemblies 6.1 Bipod 6.2 Sling 20 — 6.3 Feed Mechanism Actuate cover catch Open cover Turn feed tray upwards, and pull out cover hinge pin 21 6.4 Butt with Rear Cover and Recoil Spring Depress rear cover catch. Rotate butt together Remove butt together with rear cover and with rear cover through 90° anti-clockwise. recoil spring (ATTENTION - Spring is still compressed!) 22 6.5 Bolt 6.6 Cocking Slide Retract cocking slide, and catch bolt Swing cocking handle forward until catch disengages. Then pull back cocking slide, tilt downwards, and remove. 23 6.7 Barrel Unlatch barrel change flap Open barrel change flap Remove barrel 24 6.8 Recoil Booster 6.9 Barrel Guide Sleeve Lift up catch, and unscrew recoil booster Lift up catch. Insert finger into barrel guide sleeve and, along large opening in housing, slide back as far as to barrel change flap, and remove barrel guide sleeve. 25 6.10 Cover — Parts of Depress retaining spring of transport lever, Depress pressure plate, and push in direction “i lift up transport lever, and remove of arrow Lift out connecting lever together with belt feed slide 30V—O—ooor 6.11 Butt with Rear Cover Depress thrust bolt, and rotate rear cover through 45° either clockwise or anti-clockwise Take off rear cover 6.12 Bolt — Parts of Pull locking rolls outwards Rotate bolt housing anti-clockwise through 90° and remove Remove ejector rod and bolt catch Remove from bolt head: firing pin holder, firing pin, and ejector 28 7. Reassembly of Sub-Assemblies 7.1 Bolt -— Parts of Place bolt catch in bolt housing Insert firing pin into firing pin holder, and fit in bolt head. The flat side of the firing pin holder must point upwards. 29 Push locking rolls outwards, and keep in that position. Lay ejector rod onto firing pin holder, and prevent from shifting. Refit ejector Push bolt housing over ejector rod until it bottoms. Then rotate bolt housing clockwise through ¥0° 30 7.2 Cover — Parts of Plug connecting lever into belt feed slide Lift up pressure plate spring, and simultane- ously seat connecting lever and belt feed slide onto pivot pins 31 Depress pressure plate and push in direction of arrow Push sliding roll of transport lever into fork of connecting lever Then place onto pivot pin, with retaining spring compressed. Retaining spring must engage. R29 7.3 Barrel Guide Sleeve 7.4 Recoil Booster 7.5 Barrel Refit barrel guide sleeve, Refit recoil booster, Refit barrel, reversing reversing operation explained reversing operation explained operation explained under 6.8 under 6.7 under 6.9 33 7.6 Cocking Slide Seat cocking slide in guide rails Swing back cocking handle, and push cock- ing slide forward R24 7.7 Bolt Force locking rolls inwards Insert bolt, and push forward, at the same time actuating the trigger 35 7.8 Butt with Rear Cover and Recoil Spring Push rear cover into butt Rotate butt through 45° Insert butt with rear cover and spring into weapon housing, and rotate clockwise through 90° 7.9 Cover with Feed Tray Insert cover together with feed Insert hinge pin from left side, tray into hinge, with the with flat side of knurled collar multiple-disc brake engaging pointing downwards its groove Push in hinge pin until it bottoms, and close cover aQy 7.10 Bipod 7.11 Sling RAO 8. Accessories 8.1 Carrying Bag with Conte nts Carrying bag e Bolt \x Asbestos cloth poss; Combination tool Oil can Muzzle cap 20 8.2 Container with Spare Barrel 8.3 Cleaning Kit Container Cleaning wick Dusting brush Cleaning chain Oiling brush Oil cylinder Cleaning brush 41 9. Trouble Shooting Nature of Trouble Cause of Trouble Remedy 9.1 Weapon fails to fire Trigger on “Safe” Ammunition belt incorrectly loaded Defective ammunition Defective bolt Push safety catch into “F” position Load ammunition belt with belt links upwards Reload, and actuate trigger again Replaces bolt 9.2 Non-intended interruption of fire Defective ammunition Belt jammed Defective bolt Cartridge case ejection trouble Flange on cartridge case base broken away, or cartridge case torn into pieces Reload, and actuate trigger again Eliminate obstruction Replace bolt Remove jammed cartridge case, reload, and actuate trigger again Change barrel. Remove car- tridge case fragment, using combination tool a 10. Use of Combination Tool 10.1 Removal of Cartridge Cases 10.2 Removal of Cartridge Case Fragments 10.3 Replacing of Extractor AD 11. Maintenance and Cleaning Proper maintenance and cleaning are pre- requisites for proper functioning. Weapon must not be heavily bumped onto ground. Close dust cover when transporting weapon. Do not lean weapon against walls in order to avoid entry of foreign particles into barrel. Make it a rule to clean the weapon after each use. Cleaning brush (with brass wire bristles) to be used for weapon cleaning oil only. Oil brush (with hair bristles) to be used for weapon lubricating oil only. Clean barrel each time before firing. Clean and oil barrel after each firing. After cleaning and re-assembly check weapon for free movement and proper functioning of all parts. 12. Firing Positions A 13. Carrying Modes Ag ee be ea Se ee international S.A. 100; Boulevard du Souverain, 8-1170 Brussels Telephone 02-6 605088, Telex:23127 shint'b