C&R · IV · 079
MG 81 & MG 81Z aircraft machineguns
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. 8mm MG 81 and MG 81Z Aircraft Machineguns.
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 81” ↗, maker: infobox Entwickler / Hersteller: Mauser Werke (Oberndorf)
- 2. Wikipedia, “MG 81 machine gun” ↗, years: 'Developed in 1938/1939, it was in production from 1940 to 1945' (German Wikipedia: Produktionsstart 1940, Produktionsende 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
- 1 change · see below
Correction history
- Evidence passYears: 1939–1945 → 1940–1945. Wikipedia (en, de): production 1940–1945
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “MG 81.JPG” by Kogo, CC BY-SA 3.0. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “MG 81 machine gun”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The MG 81 is a German belt fed 7.92×57mm Mauser machine gun which was used in flexible installations in World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, in which capacity it replaced the older drum magazine-fed MG 15.