MG 30

MG 30
The MG 30 on display in Austria.
(Festung Hohensalzburg)
TypeLight machine gun
Place of originSwitzerland
Austria
Service history
In service1930s−1940s
Used bySee § Users
WarsWorld War II
Production history
DesignerLouis Stange
Designed1929
ManufacturerSee § Manufacturers
Produced
  • Solothurn S2-200:
    1931–1940
  • Solothurn 31.M:
    1938–1944
No. builtMore than 15000
Specifications
Mass
  • Solothurn S2-200:
    9.5 kg (20.9 lb)
  • Solothurn 31.M:
    8.4 kg (18.5 lb)
Length1,162 mm (45.7 in)
Barrel length600 mm (24 in)

Cartridge7.92×57mm Mauser
8×56mmR
7×57mm Mauser
ActionRecoil
Rate of fireCyclic: 450-500 Rounds/min
Practical: 100 Rounds/min
Muzzle velocity807.92 m/s (2,650 ft/s)
Effective firing range800 m
Feed system
  • 30-round box magazine
    (7.92×57mm; 7×57mm)
  • 25-round box magazine
    (8×56mmR)

The Maschinengewehr 30, or MG 30 was a German-designed machine gun that saw some service with various armed forces in the 1930s. It was also modified to become the standard German aircraft gun as the MG 15 and MG 17. It is most notable as the design pattern that led to the MG 34 and MG 42, and thus is one of the major ancestors of many of the weapons in service which would later find widespread use into the 21st century.