The technical differences between the two are minor, the M53 has a different thread pitch on the buffer where the stock installs onto, and as such, stocks won’t interchange between the two. The M53 shroud has the recess stamped into the shroud for the bracket but they never manufactured the bracket for use on the production models. The most visible change on the M53 is the removal of the anti-aircraft front mounting bracket. To start this article off, let’s compare the differences between the major three variants, the MG42, M53 and the MG3.Īnti-aircraft sight attached to the anti-aircraft mounting bracket I do not see a reason to remove them in a semi automatic build, and honestly, new rails are a pain in the ass to install and it is much easier to do this build welding the receiver up with the originals in place. I will use the original cut rails that are riveted in the kit without removing them. The main tools needed for this build is a gas MIG welder, angle grinder, dremel, and of course a set of basic tools such as hammers, punches, vises etc.I should note here that I will not be installing new rails. I want to show the most simplistic way of completing this build without the use of specialized tools or jigs. In this tutorial, you all will learn how to build a semi-automatic version of the MG42 and the differences and details of the different variants. I will go into much more detail in this article on how I accomplished this build and the specific challenges I faced. This written guide will act as a companion to my build video documentation. Hi all, it has been very busy for me over the last few months, so I haven’t had the opportunity to finish up this write up of the Zastava M53 build like I wanted to several months ago.

MG42 in use by German soldier during WWII

Mg34 replica plans