C&R · IV · 080
Rheinmetall-Borsig MG 131 aircraft machinegun
Section IV: still an NFA firearm, also a curio or relic
Official wording
ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IV · VERBATIM · PDF P. 84 ↗
German, cal. 13mm Rheinmetal-Borsig Model 131, Aircraft Machineguns (all variations).
What this entry requires
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1940–1945.
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 84 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “MG 131 machine gun” ↗, maker: 'developed in 1938 by Rheinmetall-Borsig and produced from 1940 to 1945'; infobox manufacturer Rheinmetall-Borsig
- 2. Wikipedia, “MG 131 machine gun” ↗, years: infobox production date 1940–1945
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- None
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Letecké muzeum Kbely (127).jpg” by Dezidor, CC BY 3.0. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “MG 131 machine gun”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The MG 131 was a German 13 mm caliber machine gun developed in 1938 by Rheinmetall-Borsig and produced from 1940 to 1945. The MG 131 was designed for use at fixed, flexible or turreted, single or twin mountings in Luftwaffe aircraft during World War II. It was also license-built in Japan for the Imperial Japanese Navy as Type 2 machine gun.