C&R · IV · 182
Rheinmetall MG 17
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. 86 ↗
Rheinmetall, MG17, cal. 7.9mm, aircraft machinegun.
What this entry requires
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1934–1944.
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
- Country
GermanyBasis: outside reference ¹- Manufacturer
- Rheinmetall-BorsigBasis: the ATF wording
- Type
- MachinegunBasis: the ATF wording
- Action
- Select-fire / autoBasis: the ATF wording
- Caliber
- 7.92×57mmBasis: the ATF wording
- Made
- 1934–1944production; ATF states no dateBasis: outside reference ²
- Service
- Military
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 86 ↗ · 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 17 machine gun” ↗, country: infobox origin Nazi Germany; manufacturer Rheinmetall-Borsig
- 2. Wikipedia, “MG 17 machine gun” ↗, years: infobox production date 1934–1944
- 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: 1934–1945 → 1934–1944. Wikipedia infobox gives production 1934–1944
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “MG 17.jpg” by Atirador, CC BY-SA 3.0. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “MG 17 machine gun”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The MG 17 was a 7.92 mm machine gun produced by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use at fixed mountings in many World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, typically as forward-firing offensive armament. The MG 17 was based on the older MG 30 light machine gun, as was its defensive flexible-mount counterpart, the MG 15 machine gun.