Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII MG 34 non-firing display machine gun assembled from a legally demilitarized parts set around a BATF compliant cast aluminum display receiver. It retains numerous original German WWII components and markings, including serial number 4167 b and the maker/date marking dot / 1945 for Waffenwerke Brünn, and is accompanied by a basket style belt drum repainted in period style Panzergrau.

The fabricated receiver is a mostly solid inert aluminum display component intended to prevent the assembly from functioning as a firearm. The original wartime parts have been fitted around this non-firing receiver to preserve the appearance and handling characteristics of an MG 34 for display purposes. Legal classification can depend on jurisdiction, so prospective purchasers should ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. For most locations in the U.S., this display gun is totally legal to own without a license of any kind. Not Available for Export.

The principal wartime marking is:

dot
1945

along with original serial number:

4167
b

for manufacture by Waffenwerke Brünn in Czechoslovakia. This factory was the famous Zbrojovka Brno in Brno, Czechoslovakia before being captured by Germany during WWII. There are serial numbers and German proof marks on many other parts of the display gun.

The top cover is clearly marked with original serial number 3499, and also it and the latch are both marked with clc, the maker code for Richard Ab. Herder of Solingen, a maker of cutlery and tools in the legendary "City of Blades". Below this is a partly peened over Waffenamt WaA883 inspection mark, correct for this maker, as well as many other makers in Solingen. The feed tray is marked with cof for Carl Eickhorn of Solingen, a legendary manufacturer of edged weapons, and a known make of top covers, feed trays, and other MG 42 components. There are serial numbers and German proof marks on many other parts of the display gun, particularly on the rear of the receiver and on the fittings for the butt stock.

The bipod included is of the later war design, without the central height adjustment knob, and is in very good condition. It is maker marked with dqc. on the central hub, surrounded by Waffenamt Eagle / WaA195 inspection stamps. This is the code for Metalfabrik Eugen Ising, located in Bergneustadt, Rheinland. This metalworking business is known for making optical and gun tripods. This inspector marking is associated with Rheinland, and is correct for this maker. The reverse of the central hub is marked with 733, a marking we do not understand. It does look like the legs were taken from an MG13 bipod, as they have the spacer latch on one side.

The display gun really looks great, with a lovely finish overall, and no signs of major refinishing. The front and rear sight still flip up and function correctly, and the bipod folds away and locks in correctly. The trigger is intact, though it does not move very far, and the safety lever is missing. The rear wooden butt stock is in very good condition, showing some dents and can still be detached from the receiver.

The display gun remains visually impressive and shows a consistent aged finish without obvious evidence of major overall refinishing. Both front and rear sights still raise and lower correctly, and the bipod folds and locks into position. The trigger is present but has only limited movement, the safety lever is missing, and the wooden buttstock remains detachable from the rear assembly. The stock itself is in very good condition with scattered dents and handling marks.

The included basket belt drum has been repainted in a period appropriate Panzergrau finish to improve the presentation of the display. It should therefore be understood as a refinished accessory rather than an untouched original finish component.

With its original 4167 b serial numbered wartime components, dot / 1945 Waffenwerke Brünn marking, clc marked top cover, cof feed tray, dqc marked late war bipod, wooden buttstock, and included belt drum, this is a highly complete MG 34 display assembly built from original German WWII parts around a modern inert receiver. The mismatched serialized components, missing safety lever, limited trigger movement, mixed bipod components, repainted belt drum, and fabricated display receiver are all fully disclosed. It would display especially well in a German WWII machine gun, Waffenwerke Brünn, MG 34, late war small arms, or military display collection.

Please note that there are various post-war markings on this display gun, in addition to the German WW2 markings. Parts of this gun, along with many other MG 34s were acquired out of Israel, so many parts such as the barrel jacket have markings in Hebrew and "Star of David" proofs.

The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG 34, is a German recoil-operated air-cooled machine gun, first tested in 1929, introduced in 1934, and issued to units in 1936. It accepts the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge, and is generally considered the world's first general-purpose machine gun.

The versatile MG 34 was arguably the most advanced machine gun in the world at the time of its deployment. Its combination of exceptional mobility - being light enough to be carried by one man - and high rate of fire (of up to 900 rounds per minute) was unmatched. It entered service in great numbers following AH's repudiation of the Versailles Treaty in 1936, and was first combat tested by German troops aiding Franco's Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. Nonetheless, the design proved too complex for mass production, and was supplemented by the cheaper and simpler MG 42, though both remained in service and production until the end of the war.

History

The MG 34 was based on a 1930 Rheinmetall design, the MG 30. The Swiss and Austrian militaries had both licensed and produced the MG 30 from Rheinmetall shortly after patent. The MG 30 design was adapted and modified by Heinrich Vollmer of Mauser Industries. Vollmer modified the feed mechanism to accept either drum magazines or belt ammunition. He also increased the rate of fire. The MG 34's double crescent trigger dictated either semiautomatic or fully automatic firing modes.

In the field, the weapon could operate in offensive or defensive applications. The offensive model, with a mobile soldier, used a drum magazine that could hold either 50 or 75 rounds of ammunition. In a stationary defensive role, the gun was mounted on a bipod or tripod and fed by an ammunition belt. Belts were carried in boxes of five. Each belt contained 50 rounds. Belt lengths could be linked for sustained fire. During sustained fire, barrels would have to be changed at intervals due to the heat generated by the rapid rate of fire. If the barrels were not changed properly, the weapon would misfire. Changing barrels was a rapid process for the trained operator and involved disengaging a latch and swinging the receiver to the right for the insertion of a new barrel. Accordingly, stationary defensive positions required more than one operator.

The MG 34 was the mainstay of German Army support weapons from the time of its first issue in 1935 until 1942, when it was supplanted by the next generation Maschinengewehr 42 or MG 42. Although the 34 was very reliable and dominant on the battlefield, its dissemination throughout the German forces was hampered due to its precision engineering, which resulted in high production costs and a relatively slower rate of production. For its successor, the MG 42, the Germans instead used mass production techniques similar to those that created the MP 40 submachine gun. However, the Germans nevertheless continued widespread production of MG 34s until the end of the war.

The MG 34 was used as the primary infantry machine gun during the 1930s, and remained as the primary armored vehicle defensive weapon. It was to be replaced in infantry service by the related MG 42, but there were never enough quantities of the new design to go around, and MG 34s soldiered on in all roles until the end of World War II. The MG 34 was intended to replace the MG 13 and other older machine guns, but these were still being used in World War II as demand was never met.

It was designed primarily by Heinrich Vollmer from the Mauser Werke, based on the recently introduced Rheinmetall-designed Solothurn 1930 (MG 30) that was starting to enter service in Switzerland. Changes to the operating mechanism improved the rate of fire to between 800 and 900 rpm.

The new gun was accepted for service almost immediately and was generally liked by the troops, and it was used to great effect by German soldiers assisting Nationalist Spain in the Spanish Civil War. At the time it was introduced, it had a number of advanced features and the general-purpose machine gun concept that it aspired to was an influential one. However, the MG 34 was also expensive, both in terms of construction and the raw materials needed (49 kg (108.0 lb) of steel),[citation needed] and its manufacture was too time-consuming to be built in the numbers required for the ever-expanding German armed forces. It was the standard machine gun of the Kriegsmarine (German navy).