Original FG42: A Detailed Comparison of the 1st and 2nd Patterns 

Thank you to the owner/owners of these for allowing Ian to disassemble them for us.

Two originals together? Now I know what it looks like to upon 200,000 dollars. Oh wait, I forgot the magazines 220,000 dollars.

Anyone who has disassembled an M60 is going to recognize where that bolt design comes from.

The innovation applied to this rifle to meet insanely unrealistic requirements was nothing short of genius

I live in the former ruhr pocket and I do some relic digging here and there and near my house was a disarming area where lots of troops dumped their gear and I heard a story of a guy who retreived FIFTY FG42s from a spot here. Now there are very few relics left on this specific spot due to decades of relic searching.

I’ve never considered fg42s are forgettable, especially the price

I saw a few of these guns in Normandy museums last week, they are indeed very nice looking guns. Almost futuristic looking.

There's more money on that table than I'll make in 10 years.

Germany needing nickel alloys to make guns reminds me of a story I heard about someones grandfather who worked as a welder in WW2. He was welding tanks and due to the high carbon content of the armor plate high nickel alloy filler wires were used. He had a hunch and tried preheating the base metal and welded it with a lower alloy content filler and it worked. When he brought it to those in charge, they said "You're right, thank you, and kindly never speak of it again." The germans faced similar issues with welding armor plate, and if they found out they could preheat and use lower alloy filler metals instead of nickel alloys it would have been a game changer for them.

There's a reason that wait list is 2-3+ years. The SMG FG42s Rick does are works of art.

Thank you for sharing such a comprehensive breakdown, and for igniting our curiosity about these iconic pieces of history. This video will only deepened my respect for the FG42 and its unique place in the world of firearms. Kudos!

These guns were an incredible feat of engineering, especially for the day. Stange is up there with Browning for ingenuity

1st version FG42 is one of the most aesthetically pleasing rifles in existence, it's just such a perfection of modern style in industrial design, the proportions are golden, the shapes are beautiful; the stock and grip especially work so well because no part in there sticks out, they instead just flow perfectly with the receivers' shape and proportions, it's almost like this rifle was meant to be given aerodynamic shape by default! It also has perfect blend of beautiful quality wood in handguard, coupled with the modern style of black metal embroidered with characteristic industrial stampings on stock and grip. Just phenomenal. And also it's not visible in video, but the early ZFG42 scope with that brass coloring is just cherry on top for FG42 aesthetics, it's just absolutely pretty and unique, unbeatable in looks department, 10/10

The 2nd pattern seems to be more ergonomical.

Great video Ian. Stop teasing us in the UK with these giveaways. The only fully automatic thing we can own over here is a washing machine!

Roses are red I stepped on an earwig Fallschirmjägergewehr Zweiundvierzig

This evolution says a lot about what designers thought would be good and what was really needed, what could be simplified and what couldn't

Ian: "Who wants a free FG 42?" Me who lives in Vietnam: 🗿

One key metric was omitted: How much weight did the second pattern gain?

These days gun makers can't design a magazine that works in 5 years of R&D, meanwhile the Germans were making a whole new gun in a couple of weeks. How far we've fallen

Even though I know the story of its development it's still amazing how similar the internals are to the M60, as well as how it strips down. Some differences, yes, but anyone who knows the Pig would be able to strip and reassemble these almost without thinking.

I like how the 2nd version looks, especially the more conventional grip compared to the sharper angle of the 1st version.

Whenever I see the FG.42 I immediately think of how odd it was that the Johnson LMG was designed concurrently with no influence. It’s neat that as I typed this Ian references it.

These prizes just get better and better.

You can definitely see the similarities between the last model FG 42 and the M60 in this view the bolt/ carrier, the pistol grip retention, the butstock, buffer arrangement gas piston. Gas block etc.

The Germans during WW2 were notoriously complex and persnickety in terms of mechanical equipment. If you look at the Bf-109, various bombers they had, tanks, and so many other things they were building during the war. Why have six moving parts when 38 will be slightly better, but create a logistics nightmare?

Germans dropped paratroopers on Drvar in ex Yugoslavia on May 25, 1944.

"We snuck in and got one of these!" "Your mission, Mr. McCollum, should you choose to accept it....'

>short barrel for the round >muzzle brake That's gonna be a deafening experience if you got a whole squad armed with these..

I had the opportunity to shoot an original FG42 in full auto during my vacation. I must say that the rifle is very easy to control and also does not kick like my K98K. It was really impressive.

Now I wanna play Return to Castle Wolfenstein again

Only Ian could find or assemble two FG42s in private hands to make such a comparison

One of the coolest videos so far in an already awesome channel! Many thanks for posting and the gun owners for allowing them to be stripped for the camera.

"Arizona man casually caresses and strips two original vintage German beauties for 30 minutes without even wearing protection."

Full metal stock of an earlier pattern look like really fun thing to have in cold weather.

I wondered if the angled grip on the first pattern ones was intended to be more compact for para use

Got a cool half million in guns there Ian.

The first pattern seems to be a rifle first and a light machine gun second. The second pattern seems to be a light machine gun first and a rifle second.

I think that the purpose of the early angled grip could be to lower the dimensions (in this case the height) of the gun, making it more compact for paratrooper use.

Best rifle ever.

Does ian sneak into the owners houses and film these while they are gone or asleep. None the wiser and we get smarter.

Truly amazing refinements to both designs. The captive springs across all platforms is the way to go!

IIRC, FG-42s were used in the ill-fated Operation Stösser during the Battle of the Bulge. Soldiers armed with the weapon parachuted into combat, so it was used for its intended purpose at least that one time.

Let's all just take a second to admire how Ian has anywhere between $200,000 and $500,000 worth of guns on that table for us to enjoy.

If i were to win as a non us citizen could you sell the FG42 and donate the money to charity?

I had the chance to see these two beauties in the Dead Man's Corner Museum in Normandy, the "1st pattern" is in the "new part" of the museum, the "2nd pattern" in the original "dead man's house". Totally worth the visit.

I love the FG42 type II!

Early FG42 angled handgrip. Early California compliant version? Very forward thinking of Germany.

The basic concept of this rifle needs to be revisited with the .277 Fury cartridge. Keeping the side feeding to shorten the overall length. Single shot for precision and full auto for suppression.

If arming a theoretical german army after the war. why go for FG42 insted of STG-44.

I've never understood the popularity of the FG-42. What is it about it that makes it so expensive? Sure it's a facinating historical weapon, well built, out of the ordinary and rare. But I can name a lot of other weapons that are more interesting than the FG42. Maybe it's because they aren't that rare here in europe, I don't know. I just don't understand it. Great video though, as always.

Wow an actual example of the Theseus paradox I.e if you replace all the parts of an object is it still the original object woof woof

“Nothing like a bit of corrupt nepotism to make your military industrial complex work better”

@23:10 we learn that someone likes to fire their $200k or $300k value FG42. Ian has friends in high places.

If everybody wasn't all GaGa over the MG 42, would this have become standard for the Bundeswehr?

Thank you again, Ian, it's particulary brilliant video. But it can be also interesting, who was this engineer making/developing (or coordinating) all these significant changes from "pattern 1" to "pattern 2"? Did L. Stange take part in this job or was it independent?

LOVE this weapon. Incredibly forward thinking design for its era/day (As was nearly every German designed WW2 weapons platform, aside from the late-war Volksturm 'Lyttle Tyke' PanzerFaust laden combat bicycles;) As to the FG42, Ive always wondered how much of an overall more positive effect could be achieved as to better balance, having the left side mag & magwell redesigned @ more of a downward slant? Angled to the 7 or 8 o clock position. If any handling/B.O.A benefits & usage could be seen as to its new center of gravity?... The combined weight of 20 rounds of 7.92 & the sheet steel mag running @ 90 degrees from vertical isnt anything to sneeze @ weight wise. Positive results would prob be negligible? Of course the 6 o clock magwell position would be ideal, but the weapon was designed for it space-savings practicality & overall shorter length, acceptable trade-offs & compromises will be made in that process as with any firearm design... Operation Mercur's/Crete's rather high casualties & losses could have been largely avoidable had the Fallschirm deployed with personal weapons in hand/on body & NOT stowed within drop canisters, canisters blown by the wind to areas well outside the drop-zones. Imagine having to assault enemy MG positions, or fight light armor elements with a PISTOL?!...Yikes!

Is it a trick of the camera or is the second pattern significantly thicker than the first pattern?

i know, many will hate this idea... but i really want a modernized fg42 and stg44 with mlok handguard, maybe better stock and a good modern optics mount like a simple toprail. not much but maybe it improves the systems to compete with modern standarda

This had nothing to do with this video But you should test how far the hammer need to be back in order to light off a primer when dropping hammer on a da/sa pistola Enquiring minds want to know!

"ELIGIBILITY: The Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the USA (excluding residents of Alaska and Hawaii)"

It Is not "gas piston operated"....It is gas piston fired hahahahaha. Grettings from Patagonia Argentina

This is also a thing I would not be allowed. I would like one but... silly laws...

Hey Ian, ya should go back your old intro song and whatnot, unless copyright and RU-vid fuckery be at play! I really miss it, it felt like an old History Channel show or something 😅

I have fired a German made Sport Systeme Dietrich BD42 first pattern, and the left hand must have a glove. The gas port vents are right in front of the handguard. The FG did not wear leather gloves for looks alone.

what I still don't get is how is this more comfortable to jump out of an airplane with than a K98? Because the original impetus for the rifle was Crete and the inability of the Fallschirmjäger to jump with weapons, wasn't it?

Probably my favorite wwII gun besides the m1 carbine

great video, bud. I wonder how many guns you have left to catalogue.

I want one of each, please!

I know Ian likes to correct all of his mess ups in videos with a little text comment but you called the bipod a bayonet... love you Ian 😂

The first pattern grip looks like it would cause RSI or hand/wrist strain. Looks painful to use.

I love the channel. But I can’t afford a $50 coffee mug just to enter the sweepstakes 😢

That's a pretty incredible reproduction.

*sigh* Shame I'm in the UK.

I think fireplace guy and patio guy are the same guy. Lol. Or its a husband and wife with their own collections. We should be afraid.

I would love to but if I did and if I did win I don't want it uk gun laws suck ass big time unless you could help me do summat more worthwhile like find it a better home an whatever profit comes from it give it to a disabled children's charity if that's OK I'm entering 🙃🙃 @Forgotten Weapons

A great and complete video on the FG42 is always a pleasure to watch!

6:15 I wonder if it was any easier for the Luftwaffe to get hold of exotic alloys, compared to the other branches? Probably not By the end of the war I believe they were using mild steel even in jet engines

Also one point about German parachute webbing. They were single point attached to their parachute, at their back. They did not have the duel points of attachment above the shoulders like US paratroopers. You shoot anything and you're going to be spinning in a circle quickly. Honestly, their harness design was not the best.

I own a repro FG-42 from SMG, and it is fantastic. Absolutely beautiful rifle.

I remember in a recent video you mentioned how during the war the waffen SS wanted "some Wolfenstein shit" during the development of both the FG-42 and MP-43/Stg44 in terms of 7.92mm Kurtz weapons. Is there any documentation on what that actually was? Sounds kind of intriguing and mad.

FG42 really was the future. Most armies now are going for bipods and scopes with their rifles to make everybody an LMG and DMR

FG42, final form; Ribbed for herr pleasure

They're WWII Germany all over aren't they. Beautiful, complex, and expensive. Oh and let's completely change everything at the last minute. Btw, that's something like three quarters of a million dollars on the table, and the owners let him strip them down. Thanks for the content.

Both incredible guns, but that 1st model is so damn good looking

I hate when I see a collection that doesn’t have both a 1st and 2nd pattern FG42! Seriously though that 1st receiver looks like it would be hard to even CNC today. It almost seems like the two rifles were on separate parallel development tracks instead of successive because nothing was carried over from the first pattern to the second. Just such a huge undertaking with lack of time and materials at the end of the war for a specialized rifle like that….

I wanna see you run an FG 42 replica in finish brutality! Kit is your choice but period correct has extra cool factor.

Canadian watchers: Thunder Bay Ontario Museum has a small WW2 exhibit which has a Pattern 1 FG42 in there collection. Definitely worth a trip if your either from there or passing through.

Yet again, another outstanding video of what is arguably one of the most impressive gun designs of WWII GERMAN gun design and production. This is at the top of my list of fantasy guns I want to own. I own an MP43 made in 1944 and absolutely love it!!! I have often wondered what would have been the result if they had made the FG42 in 8MM Kurz instead of 7.92X57. I believe that it would have been more practical, just my 2 cents. Thank you, Ian, for sharing this outstanding video with so much pertinent information on these extremely rare guns that so many of us dearly love and want!!!!! Can't wait to see what you do next!!!

Thank you , Ian . 🐺 Loupis Canis .

So many pieces are the "same" and serve the same function, but are not interchangeable/identical. Must have been very frustrating to the soldier and the armorour trying to keep them feeding and shooting.

Not often you are in the same room with TWO original FG-42s

Someone has bought alot of coffee mugs.

ITS the FG42 Or more accuratly the 2nd pattern of FG42. You can Tell by the woodden Buttstock, shale of the handguard, muzzledevice and Pistole grip. 1st pattern FG42s Had a stamped Buttstock and a more angled stamped Sheet Metal Pistole grip...

I prefer the sleeker Pattern One of the FG42. Pattern Two looks clunky and unappealing. I realize some of the improvements could have been applied to the Pattern One. The grip handle could have been angled downward to a more ergonomic angle. The bipod could have been moved to the front of the barrel as in the Pattern Two. One thing I believe may have been necessary was covering the metal buttstock where the shooter rested his cheek. On hot summer days or after prolonged firing, that metal surface may have become far too hot to place one's face against. You notice the Patter Two solved that with a wood buttstock. I think one solution for the Pattern One would be to wrap a large piece of leather around the metal buttstock so that the firer didn't burn his face. The leather piece could be affixed with either metal snaps or permanently with stitching. I would have also deleted that small metal protrusion on the butt plate which was meant to help keep the shoulder stock secure against the shoulder. The Pattern Two got rid of it. There's some arms manufacture out there producing firing replicas of the FG 42 Pattern One. I can't remember the name of the company. But I'm not ready to spend $5,000 on a reproduction. That's for rich guys who have excess money to splurge. My money is for paying the rent and monthly bills.

A question, Modus Operandi, I've really tried to find the answer... Semi Auto is closed bolt; Full auto is open bolt. There's a selector... What happens when you switch? You're in semi auto and you move the lever to full auto - Is the first shot then closed bolt or do you need to do something else (like pull the bolt back) to make it work? You're in full auto (bolt open) and you change to semi auto - will the first shot be open bolt and subsequent shots be closed bolt? Dumb question I guess, but I can not find a clear answer about how the transitions between open/closed (full auto/semi auto) is managed. Some guns I think has to be "manipulated" when switching modes. Don't guess please.

Hella'GoodJob Ian, much THX! IMHO the full gun-strip procedure is much requireble... btw you can do it usin' advertised replica... THX anyway! Goodspeed to your channel!

With the firing pin spring style in there, does that make it a quasi-striker fired setup? It also has always surprised me that they redesigned every single part yet kept the same designation. I would expect it to have been the FG43 with that much redesign.

Cool episode, but one small remark. There was no "Otto Skorzenny and his paratroopers" at the Gran Sasso "Eiche" operation. It was major Harald Mors who was in charge, the commander of the Fsch.Jg.-Lehr- Btl. Skorzenny was just a pumped up hero by the SS propaganda afterwards, was not even meant to take action at the gliders' landing. But indeed, it was the Gran Sasso operation that the FG42s met their first combat use.

I’ve never considered fg42s are forgettable, especially the price. I’ve never considered fg42s are forgettable, especially the price.