ZB 26 interesting details.

[pitfighter]

I have been looking over this ZB26.

Some interesting details.

Waffenmarks and chickens on barrel.



Interesting brown color chemical finish on internal components, looks like zero internal wear, same as barrel.
2012-10-24200842.jpg
Same brown finish on selector lever. Note exterior wood work has been beat from storage and packing over and over, lots of knocks and dings, not gentle wear so much as poorly stored. I will be refinishing wood and dummy receiver will be aged, engraved and colored to match.
2012-10-24201021.jpg

Before the receiver was savagely torch cut in three places, it looks like it had a purplish color to the finish, which is pretty strange, and at odds with the brown color of the small parts.

The waffen marks I found interesting as so many people have stated these were not marked in such a way.

The rear of the receiver, is marked on the top DOT which was the only German marking, I thought.
2012-10-24203310.jpg

Mags are all umarked on the outside.

This is just interesting to handful of folks, but i thought I would post.

Pit.
Edit - half my pics never seem to load.
I'll repost if anyone else is having trouble seeing them.

[m3bobby]

The markings are perfectly normal, nothing out of the ordinary there, the Germans used thousands of them. Also the colour is perfectly fine too, the finish the Brno factory used does go a nice plum colour. This is one of my ZB39s, this one is a real nice plum colour but it dosn't really show in the photo.

[pitfighter]

Thanks for pics M3hobby,

It's all normal to a wartime German ZB, yes - just interesting to me and a handful of folks, as I wrote - lol.
Less interesting if you own one, and have looked at it closely before - I hadn't, until yesterday.

Is that magazine 8mm? - mine are all straight mags.

Are your internal components that same brown color?

Do you have waffen marks anywhere other than the barrel?

Pit.

[m3bobby]

Hi Pit, When you said 'The waffen marks I found interesting as so many people have stated these were not marked in such a way' I thought some one was trying to tell you that the German markings were faked in some way. Some of the internal components and some external are that brownish tinge, I need to strip my gun for a real good clean up, I havn't got to it as yet. The caliber of my gun is 8mmx56r, hence the curve in the mag, this was a caliber used by Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria, my gun being from the Bulgarian ZB39 contract. ATB, Chris.

[pitfighter]

That's interesting, M3 -

I am tempted to buy an M95 just to validate buying up all the nazi 8X56 ammo that is around, lol.

My ZB is 7.92 x 57, 8mm Mauser (for now.)

The erroneous info. I had was that no ZB's were waffen marked, which is obviously untrue - as you validate.
(It was likely info. that came my way via, folks trying to sell unmarked ZB kits, lol)

Looking forward to having this one done, and restored.

I have contacted a number of Czech arms sellers for spare parts and accessories, I really need the butt-plate, the Bren Mk1 doesn't have the folding shoulder support - but will have to do.

*The guy I bought mine from has two anti-aircraft ZB30 kits still available - the mags I've had since before 2000 -

Pit.

[m3bobby]

Pit, I'm sending you a PM ref butt plate.

[Scout]

Again an iconic MG profile.
Just a stray thought; I wonder if the users ever longed for a belt fed MG instead......

[m3bobby]

Again an iconic MG profile.
Just a stray thought; I wonder if the users ever longed for a belt fed MG instead......

I doubt it, The ZB and Bren were light MGs rather than GPMG or Medium MGs. The problem with the ZB and the early Bren were that people tried to use them in roles they wern't upto. The original Mk1 Bren was seen as a way to supplement or even replace some of the Vickers gun roles, hence the second dovetail for the lensatic sight on the early Mk1, which it failed at. There are many disadvantages to a box fed mag, but there are also advantages over a belt fed, so it all depends on the role.

[Scout]

I agree with some of your points. With others, I dont.
Yes, the ZB 26 MG might have been used in a wrong role by some (but then in the case of Germany, they pressed anything into service in spite of relying on belt fed MGs for their strategy).
The MG 34/MG 42 familly are belt fed, relatively light (in comparison to the unwieldy other example you mentioned) and still the standard by which others are judged. So there are other light and way succesful MGs out there.
It must be said how ever, that the Germans had a very specific way of fighting with the MGs playing a very important role. A role where a mag fed MG did not quite fit.

'Advantages to a mag fed over a belt fed MG' = which are you referring to and do you mean then or now?

I can tell you from personal experience, that mag fed (in this case 30 rnd mags and/or the BetaMag) is NOT an advantage in modern warfare in the desert where as the MG 42 family happily keeps on working.
BTW I prefer the term 'mag fed' to box, as some MG feed from a belt kept in a box i.e. the MiniMi and many others.

PS
USMC and other units are moving away from the MiniMi to a mag fed support weapon.

[m3bobby]

I was refering to WW2 type weapons, the problem with the belt fed weapon system is that if you want to move with the gun loaded, you can only really have a belt of about 50 rounds ready to use, or else you drag a longer belt through the dirt/sand, then you would have to clean the belt before you can use it. The Mag fed weapon is less exposed to the dirt/sand but is short on rounds. I think both types have their pros and cons, hence why ZB and FN designed a MG which can use both systems. I've used the Bren L4, GPMG and mimimi, the latter 2 in the gulf and my personal opinion is the GPMG is pain in the butt to lug around but is awesome when you need to use it, the minimi is brilliant but a little short of bullet weight, the L4 Bren was a real nice gun to use but was getting on a bit when I used it.