mhawley Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 Have been looking around for an MG 34 (FA not Semi) but have not seen many transferable and or C&R available. What price are these bringing these days. Is there anything to be aware of when looking at one? I have seen several Pre-May Dealer Samples, and was also wondering about prices for those. Appreciate your information? M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsonlmg41 Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 From what I've seen mid 20's for a re-welded non matching bottom end to upper 40's for something minty and matching, maybe more for very early matching guns. I've not seen a minty one for several years publicly for sale. A minty matching BSW would bring a LOT IMO. Pre-mays are all over the map because they often come with a lafette in order to sell them and sweeten the deal since there are several in the market at any time. Gun only, bottom end 10-12K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riflejunky Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 Montrose auction company sold a decent presample a while back for $7000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike todd Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 there has been little reliable data on transferable 34's in the market lately. I sold my 3 in 2018 and 2019 and was forced to let them go well under what i thought was the legit market. all were proven C&R guns. first example was an amnesty gun marked with a small AUSTRIAN shops name on the rear all mixed parts at $20. 2nd was a late CZECH DOT 45 IZZY return with little wear at $23.5 . the big disappointment was my 1943 100% matching unfired tank gun complete with ground kit and absolute perfect . best i could get after a year was $35k ? lots of trades offered but no money ? I think all the huge collections released those years cobbled up all the loose change available. its hard to believe any transferable failed to bring more than $30k but those numbers are a fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryo Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 5 hours ago, riflejunky said: Montrose auction company sold a decent presample a while back for $7000 Auction houses typically cost about 20-30% more due to fees and shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riflejunky Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 8 hours ago, Ryo said: Auction houses typically cost about 20-30% more due to fees and shipping. I am pretty sure the buyers premium is 15% for those in attendance. For me personally there were no other fees or shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhawley Posted June 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2020 Guys, thanks for the information. I will keep looking. i have seen a few DS around, and maybe one or two transferables, but its been pretty scarce. How many bolts do you typically keep around. I heard you need 2 or 3 or more? Any other spare parts it would be good to have around. If the gun is in good shape, how reliable should it function? Thanks M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike todd Posted July 2, 2020 Report Share Posted July 2, 2020 to this day I cant hardly resist the attraction and beauty of a clean MG-34. fact is few weapons exhibit such an obvious level of perfection and even folks with zero gun interest realize they are actually a work of art I got my first one in 1963/64 and was never without at least 2 in the collection. at first all you needed was to match a good bolt to the right barrel. make sure all the springs were right and a decent supply of "good ammo" others claimed different , but for me it was only brass cased WW II German or that outstanding CANADIAN boxer primed for the CHINESE contracts. the first few lots of PORTUGUESE FNM 67-71 was almost as good, but could be "testy" at times. when the GERMAN brass cased disappeared it was all over for me! I tried many times off and on but it was always the same, run perfect one day, next time out same stuff and 3 to 12 rnd bursts was it? by that time the M- 60's landed and the 34's stayed home. in the late 60's i snagged 5 nos DANISH GOVT 7.62 conversions and they just sat untested. the guns sat unused , 1 -decent , 1 choice and 1-100% matching and UNFIRED (all transferable) I had gathered more than 100 bolts, many NOS and well over 100 barrels over the years along with the LAFETTE mounts and several hundred pounds of small support parts feeding my madness for 50 +years. when I came to TEXAS in 2010, I signed my entire estate over to a younger person and combined the 2 collections. in 2016, the lack of room forced the decision to weed out troublesome or difficult to maintain designs and create more of a "shooting collection" and I attempted to sell many here on STURM and word of mouth, and add more examples of the favorite's. in a moment of weakness, it was decided to give the 7.62 conversion a chance , but 2 months of hard work ended in the same disappointment. as I said all 3 or the 34's got great response from all the picture collectors and data gladiators, but no real decent cash offers were even made. when I decide to move something, I am DONE with it! period. too little time left to get this finished, so i kept rolling the price down until all left, but at times like this the pain returns. matching /unfired less than $40k ? who would have dreamed? I still have maybe 10 mint matching as new pre 1942 parts kits and they will stay home for a while. the last of the parts and mounts left this month so its all over now. when the possibility of a day of trouble free operation went away, I advised folks I felt they were great collectables and had their place but in a low count shooting collection a poor choice to buy for use and my position remains. if you can own and use premay samples. BUY SEVERAL ! nothing else on the planet will give you as much joy for less than $9k and there are many out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhawley Posted July 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2020 So it seems the availability of good quality ammo is one of the factors that affects their ability to run well. What about reloading your own ammo? Assuming you have good quality control and good equipment to reload with? I will start looking around for the 8mm mauser ammo. is there much made in the US and does it function well, or do you have to find good quality surplus from overseas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxfaxdude Posted July 4, 2020 Report Share Posted July 4, 2020 Mike, as usual, provided a lot of good info here. I'll chime in with my experience. I bought a MG 34 about 5 years ago. Bolt was badly worn and so was the barrel so the gun would not function properly which was very discouraging to say the least. I bought several NOS bolts, top covers and barrels (which are hard to come by these days) and new repro recoil springs. Replaced the old worn out parts and it was like a whole different animal! Very reliable. My 34 prefers the slight looser German wartime belts and brass cased ammo. I lube the belts and cartridges with a very light coating of Johnson's floor wax. Unlike my MG 42, the 34 likes to be kept clean and well oiled to run properly. They are more finicky than a MG 42 for sure but the 34 is a joy to shoot and surprisingly accurate in semi-auto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike todd Posted July 5, 2020 Report Share Posted July 5, 2020 its not just a question of good ammo, but the proper pressure curve! that is the key and its almost impossible to obtain without lab grade equipment to track. also once THATS pinned down, then you need to find the right case lube. the germans had a major problem with all 3 and consider the assets available too them. the johnsons paste wax is a must for all my belt feds it reduces the strain as things move. the worst trait i found was with all the same components, one time was good another no way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryo Posted July 5, 2020 Report Share Posted July 5, 2020 SC Johnson's Paste Wax has caught my attention.. so you rub that stuff on both the bullet casing and the belt? I was thinking of picking up a MG34.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
har1690 Posted July 5, 2020 Report Share Posted July 5, 2020 "SC Johnson's Paste Wax has caught my attention..." Same here. I wonder if this product will help with all belt guns? At least keep things slick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryo Posted July 6, 2020 Report Share Posted July 6, 2020 Been doing some hard core google-fu on Johnson Paste and belt fed machine guns. I finally found info about it... and of course it bring me back to this site. http://www.sturmgewehr.com/forums/index.php?/topic/16565-8mm-machine-gun-ammo-fedarm/#comment-51581 So it looks like you wax your ammo to feed the MG34 better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxfaxdude Posted July 6, 2020 Report Share Posted July 6, 2020 I put a light coat of wax on the belts with a toothbrush before placing the rounds in the belt. Then it goes into a Ziploc bag for storage to keep dirt out. Mike told me about the wax trick several years ago. I have to say that it makes the gun run much smoother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryo Posted July 6, 2020 Report Share Posted July 6, 2020 @maxfaxdude Thanks letting us know about Mike's tricks. I'm sure he has a lot more up his sleeve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike todd Posted July 7, 2020 Report Share Posted July 7, 2020 right at the start as a young man studying the various belt fed weapons it became obvious that the load placed on the parts from a full belt was hard on them and anything that reduced it was a big plus. the main problem with lube is it will pick up anything it contacts. my father kept a can of Johnsons floor wax in the gun room and anytime we went hunting in the high country he covered the entire weapon for protection from rain and snow.. when it dry's the haze has no adhesive traits and is quite slick and it worked on belts and links from the start so this is what i came up with. after I wash loose links I place them on a cookie sheet and hit them with a spray auto wax any brand will work but you want a "haze" when it dry's. I put JOHNSONS floor wax on loaded belts but only just b-4 I load them in the gun. I keep a fleece auto detail mitt in a 50 cal can saturated with wax, add some new and pull the belt through the mitt getting both sides with one pull. also, I make sure the each belt has a blank round at the end to correct bolt to barrel contact. I find that fired blanks do just as well as a new one so all those cases are saved for future use. I'm sure there are several methods that will do the job so feel free to add your own tricks, just remember to share them with others . CHEERS MIKE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.