Query re Yugo M53 Machine Gun

[BLONDI]

Thanks Guys for all your input! I am going to buy the M53. I don't believe that any of the parts are WW2 Period but it does look great!!!!

CHEERS

Andy

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Andy, please show us your M53 when you get it.

I am a bit of a purist when it comes to collecting, but I have toyed with the idea of buying one myself. They are historical guns in their own right now.

Cheers, Ade.

[BLONDI]

Hi Ade, Will Do!!!. I have toyed with the idea for ages and have looked at many. I have promised myself that if I compromise with the M53, I can treat myself to an original MG34.

Cheers

Andy

[wildman]

I have both, MG42 & MG34, the MG 34 is a much finer and better made weapon.
That is if you have to choose between the two.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

Hi Wildman,
The Mg34 may be a better built weapon, but that does not mean it is a better weapon than the Mg42. The Mg34 was more prone to jamming, it was probably better suited to peacetime use than combat use. It was built using the 'traditional' methods where no expense was spared. Tollerances were so fine that it was always subject to jamming through the ingress of dirt, this was very notable in the African campaign.
The Mg42 on the other hand was built with mass production in mind. Dirt never caused the same problems as with the Mg34. The bolt was a looser fit, which meant jams were less frequent. The gun influenced the design of many other weapons after the war. It was probably more 'soldier proof' than the Mg34. For those who have not served in the forces the term 'soldier proof' was used to show how strong a piece of equpment was. If it could be broke or messed up you could be sure that a soldier would break it.
Having said this though, there were many German soldiers who preferred the Mg34 simply because of its lower rate of fire. A gun that has a high rate of fire wastes an awful lot of ammunition without really producing any better results than the slower firing weapon. All this extra ammunition has to be carried about. The Germans used to joke that Mg42 gunners had longer arms because of all the ammo boxes they had to carry.
The Mg34 is by far the better looking weapon, and this is probably why it is so popular with collectors. I also own both guns. The Mg42 looks very rugged and to some extent - crude, but the Mg34 has that touch of class about it. A better weapon than both these guns has to be the Bren gun though!

[AK-47]

MG42 and M53 aren't the same MGs, m53 is a bit different, and parts from mg42 will not go on original mg42 machinegun. It is known that Yugoslavia used captured Mg42, reblued and some with original stamps!
My friend was in mortar company and they were using mortars with german eagles on them!
But if there is a stamp preduzeče 44 on weapon, it does not mean that weapon is from 1944, that is the codename for a factory.

LP, Jure.

[wildman]

I should have been more clear, for a civilian today 2009, I just think the MG 34 would be a better weapon to own. Sure in a war I would want the MG 42 or its counter part. The US M 60 I used in Viet Nam was junk, we had to lock wire it together so it would not come apart in combat.

[BLONDI]

Well, this has turned out to be a very interesting thread and I am glad that I started it. As it turns out, AK-47 is right about the date on MY M53. It is the factory name followed by 44 stamped on the receiver (and not the date).

Ade, I have attached photographs of the M53 (Although I have not received it yet). I had always inststed that my collection was 100% German and 100% war time but looking at this M53 and comparing it to the original MG42, It was hard to justify paying the extra for the MG42.

Have a look at the thread below that our friend Ben put on in relation to his original MG42 (it is a lovely piece of kit)
https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/firea...nce/mg42-3563/

I think what finally swayed me to go for the M53 instead of the MG42 was just how much My M53 is like Ben's MG42. It is also much cheaper and will allow me to buy an MG34 in a few months.

Thanks Guys, I learned a lot from your input.

Good Luck
Andy

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Andy, thanks for showing it

Cheers, Ade.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

Hi Andy,
Your Sarac M53 looks very nice. I can assure you that if you put the Sarac and the Mg42 side by side, you would only find very slight differences. Most parts are interchangeable between the two guns. It is quite common to come accross Mg42's fitted with M53 parts. Have a look on the website of BRP Guns in USA, they sell both the Mg42 and the M53. The Mg42 was used in many of the trouble spots around the world after the war, and is probably still in use now. Regardless of whatever other people may tell you about the M53, what really matters is whether you are happy with it. Its a lot of gun for little money! When you get the gun, have a go at stripping it down as far as you can and look to see if you have any waffen stamps - you may be lucky.

Harry.