Fallschirmsjägergewehr 42 ( Paratroop-
Ranger Rifle 42) or FG42 was produced for the German
Luftwaffe during
World War II.
The decision to produce the FG42 came from the commander in chief of the
Luftwaffe Hermann Göring as a response to the started production of the
Gewehr 41.
Göring thought that the (
superior)
Luftwaffe should have a better
rifle than the army.
The contract was awarded Rheinmetall-Borsig(Rheinische Metallwaren- und Maschinenfabrik) and prototypes were finished by the end of 1943.
The weapon is magazine fed from box-magaziones of 10 or 20 round capacity attached to the right, the spent shells were expelled to the left. The diopter sights range from 100m to 1500m.
All FG42 could be fitted with scopes and indeed it was often used as a sniper rifle. The weapon also had an integrated bipod and an integrated bayonet.
The FG42 had much impact on post-war designs of many modern assault rifles. The important gas-operated mechanism for close bolt single-shot and open bolt automatic fire was incorporated into modern designs. The "straight line" layout was also copied widely. An example of a modern weapon evolved from the FG42 is the American
M-60.
Specs:
Caliber: 7.92x57mm GPtr.
Clip: 10 or 20 round belts in a box.
Rate of Fire:
Action: Fully Automatic, Gas Operated.
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