C&R · IV · 091
MG 42 light 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, MG 42 light machinegun, produced prior to1946, cal. 7.92mm.
What this entry requires
- ATF REQUIRESMade 1945 or earlier (ATF’s dates)ATF: “produced prior to1946”
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
- Country
GermanyBasis: the ATF wording - Manufacturer
- Mauser-Werke, Gustloff-Werke, Steyr-Daimler-Puch & othersBasis: outside reference ¹
- Type
- MachinegunBasis: the ATF wording
- Action
- Select-fire / autoBasis: the ATF wording
- Caliber
- 7.92×57mmBasis: the ATF wording
- Made
- Before 1946Basis: outside reference ²
- Service
- Military
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 42” ↗, maker: Wikipedia: manufacturers Großfuß, Mauser Werke, Wilhelm Gustloff Stiftung, Steyr-Daimler-Puch
- 2. Wikipedia, “MG 42” ↗, years: infobox production date 1942–1945 (Nazi Germany)
- 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, “MG42-1.jpg” by Phanatic, CC BY-SA 2.0. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “MG 42”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The MG 42 is a German recoil-operated air-cooled general-purpose machine gun used extensively by the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS during the second half of World War II. Entering production in 1942, it was intended to supplement and replace the earlier MG 34, which was more expensive and took much longer to produce, but both weapons were produced until the end of World War II.