A World War II-era open-bolt, belt-fed general-purpose machine gun, chambered for the 7.92ร57mm Mauser round. It supplanted the earlier MG34 in 1942 due to lower manufacturing cost thanks to dominant stamped metal parts. Due to its highest cyclic rate of fire at 1200 RPM, the weapon gained the nickname Hitler's Buzzsaw.
The MG42 is recognizable by its barrel shroud with squared-off profile and larger perforations. It also accepts dual drum magazines.
This tag implicates machine_gun (learn more).