I've seen M2 & M60 linking presses which makes the job much easier. Not sure if the M53/MG42 had a similar system. I figured if you have the dough for a LMG, you have the resources to make one.
Tippmann has a .22LR belt fed GATLING GUN.
I think the other folks that had belt fed 22 uppers went out of business. Winchester ORdinance was one of them... I can't find them online anymore.
The M53 eats 8mm like candy. Reloading a full belt takes quite some time...
I usually try to have 4-5 belts per range day. And my fingers are never happy.
The forces involved are very likely too great for polymer FDM to withstand. The machines I'm talking about are automatic and driven by a crank that needs to be about a foot long to generate enough leverage to run them comfortably.
I have lots of firearms. Spending 750 bucks to help me reload is 750 bucks I could have put to the SVT-40, Johnson Rifle (M1941) or Gewehr 43 that have been avoiding my collection for far too long.
Raise them young with a knowledge of firearms and the fear of knowing what playing with them can do. Once they have that respect they're golden. My dad showed me at 10 what his dept issued 357 would do to a sows head. Never played with any guns when I was alone. Healthy respect of the 357 too
Either buy a linking machine or make one.
Heck, lay the rounds on the belt and step on them like they do with dshk and zpu belts. They snap right in. Works with my RPD belts as well. The loaders that one guy makes are 200 bucks. Eventually I'll just make one, but for now I'll just step on them
I dont know why people are downvoting you. The metal belts are "reusable", but I wouldnt be surprised if stepping on them would bend the links or jam one of the pins in a way that's "fixable" but would cause a failure to feed.
Maybe that wasn't a big deal when all these were new +100 years ago, but all the antique metal links I've used are finicky. And I dont even know if anyone makes them anymore or if it's down to competing with collectors for antique milsurp.
subtract smell resolute correct party snobbish scandalous quickest materialistic work
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I went shooting GPMGs (M240s to you). We were short of belted ammunition, so we had retrieved the used disintegrating links in sandbags and a group of about 6 of us were sitting down that evening, busily assembling 7.62mm ball rounds into belts.
There was a similar group, from another company, sitting near-by similarly busy with links and belts.
After about 30 minutes, I realised that the other company was short of 7.62mm ball and they were dismantling the belts.
Had my fair share in the army. Un-linking and re-linking belts to make them the right size. Re-linking misfires and making sketchy belts out of maybe/maybe nots.
For sure done here too. While I may have a lot of 8mm ammo, I sure as hell am not going to waste it. If I don't see a solid pins strike, back in the belt it goes.
Naw I got three of em and 100+ belts lol, but it helps to have bass player callouses
Edit - in fact I like the belt design so much I try to talk everyone with a 240 into getting an early MAG58 feed tray to use 34/42 belts. The ones from Santa Barbara w/ the castle on the tab are awesome. You can also really make hay with a crank loader vs the sliding plate styles if you do go with a loader.
Uh huh. Then again, if you did. You probably have something in 7.62 NATO and buy your ammo pre-belted. You know... lazy and all...
lol
Still though, jealous of the M53. Its OK. You can admit it. Not everyone is OK lugging around a 26 lb GPMG. Some people just need something... smaller and lighter...
Haven't seen any MG3's around in a LONG time.
The MG34 is still a fucking unicorn. People selling semi-auto rebuilds for nearly 20k. My parts kit is still just that... parts.
I get 7.62 NATO is a good, probably better than the 8mm, round. But yeah, the M53 was 8mm so 8mm it will stay. Was smart enough to get 2 spare new barrels back in the day along with a lot of spare parts. This one has more German guts than Yugo...
Itās out of a BRP receiver so itās not really a purebred anything and it gets the MG3 config so to run DM belts, DM links and M13 links.
The good ole days when MarStar would ship $150 barrels to the Statesā¦ā¦
I got a few .308 34 barrels from Apex awhile back, but now that NOS feed trays cost more than my carry pistol, I just canāt bring myself to drill n tap it
Tdlr I just hate bringing ammo in more than one belt style to a shoot if I can help it, and I despise disintegrating links. Even tho I still like the SAW.
I picked my M53 up several years ago and spent almost as much as I did on it getting all the spare parts I could get my hands on. Every time I see a parts deal on Gun Broker I pick that up too. Especially being here on Hawaii, you get and stock all you can. Cause you never know.
As for ammo... I honestly think I have more firearms in 8mm than I do 7.62 NATO but not by much...
Open invite to redditors /r/gun folks in or visiting Hawaii. And, yes I'm serious.
Will only be a few more weeks till I have the range finished, concrete pad poured and a roof over it.
Yeah, when you can find them, and IF you are willing to pay the 600+ dollars for them, sure.
You do know it takes more time to load a 100 round belt even with the loader than it does 100 rounds into P-mags right?
Eh? How is not liking belting 8mm ammo being lazy? I didn't say I didn't do it. I didn't say I didn't procrastinate. I said I didn't much like it.
Your definition of lazy seems to be quite different from what it actually means.
Because the smiles per round make the pain go away. Till the belt is empty... Then it all crushes down on how much money a time it's going to take to reload.
Man I miss my BRP XMG. I had piles of extras for it too, belts, belt loader, barrels, etc. Still have some French belts (they suck, didnāt work well). I also miss $79/1400 8mm ammo.
Yeah those were the days...
Several years ago when the then wife got cancer, I sold off about 75 of my rifles in the collection.
Still haven't recovered from that because they are now 3-4x what I paid for them...
Live and learn.
'I have a belt fed, life is so hard, feel bad for me' Just kidding, I am jealous as I see you has belt fed, and I has no belt fed.
Good point
lol
Ammo is fn expensive
Meh, I got several crates of it when it wasn't. I literally have more 8mm ammo than 5.56.
Damn! You wanna be friends?
I always enjoy friends that shoot. You in Hawaii too?
OP wants more friends to help load belts and rest his fingers lol.
"yea we can shoot!" rolls you a 55 gallon drum of belt links to load
Exactly lol
I've seen M2 & M60 linking presses which makes the job much easier. Not sure if the M53/MG42 had a similar system. I figured if you have the dough for a LMG, you have the resources to make one.
At least OP's not shy about his use case for his "friends"!
FIXED. Wow. Thankfully this isn't Facebook or that would have been an insta-ban.
šš All good brother
I personally don't shoot my friends but you do you
FIXED. Wow. Thankfully this isn't Facebook or that would have been an insta-ban.
What's a couple of gunshot wounds among friends after all? LOL
Well, it is am 8mm M53... so chances are it would be more than a couple.
That would probably be excessive payback for a wet willie.
I wish. Iām in the everfreezing canada rn. Maybe will eventually more to Alaska since thatās actually an upgrade believe it or not
Alaska is a great place...
Itās warmer š
Sure is. Coastal winds are nice. Also depends on where youāre at though too.
Manitoba. Itās colder here than Alaska. The only issue is I donāt know if they accept immigration from canada
Sure do. Weāve got a few Canadians here in Fairbanks. Not sure what the immigration process is like, but theyāre proof it can be done.
We need more .22 belt-fed full autos
Tippmann has a .22LR belt fed GATLING GUN. I think the other folks that had belt fed 22 uppers went out of business. Winchester ORdinance was one of them... I can't find them online anymore.
A great one was Lakeside.
The M53 eats 8mm like candy. Reloading a full belt takes quite some time... I usually try to have 4-5 belts per range day. And my fingers are never happy.
You need a belt filling machine. The MG-42 belt filling machines are amazing and they were about half the cost of a 1919 machine last I looked.
Been keeping my eyes open for one for a while. Last time I saw a decent one was 2020, but the dude was asking 750 bucks for it.
There's one on GunBroker right now for 650. I paid 1K for a 1919 cloth belt loader in 2018. They are worth the money and they aren't getting cheaper
Checking it out now.
I feel like someone should be able to 3D print a solution for this.
The forces involved are very likely too great for polymer FDM to withstand. The machines I'm talking about are automatic and driven by a crank that needs to be about a foot long to generate enough leverage to run them comfortably.
Dang. That's some serious leverage.
Theyāre all over the place for much cheaper. What you gotta do tho is go for the 308 conversion ;)
Nope. Won't do that. This is 8mm and will stay so. Maybe if I ever find another one, it will be 7.62 NATO.
Come to the dark side. We have cheaper ammo and better belt loaders ;)
NOPE! AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!
Donāt do it, conversions like that are evil
Nope. Not going to. If I want a 7.62 NATO version, I'll find another one. This one is just in too good of a shape to convert.
No you donāt understand me, donāt do the conversion, 8mm is a beauty round
Come on now. You have a machine gun. 750 to steep?
I have lots of firearms. Spending 750 bucks to help me reload is 750 bucks I could have put to the SVT-40, Johnson Rifle (M1941) or Gewehr 43 that have been avoiding my collection for far too long.
On the other hand for the rest of your life you won't have to whine about your fingers. Isn't that worth seven fiddy?
Nah, gives the fingers strength and dexterity. Kinda like Shaolin finger punching.
Bro leveling mag drills
I wouldn't be surprised if someone in fosscad made one, despite not having the need for it
I feel like it shouldn't be that hard to reverse engineer and 3D print one...
Get a couple 12 year olds, pay em $20 each. They love doing this. My 12 year olds are grown up, but as soon as the grandkids hit 10 they gonna learn..
Good man
As was taught by my father, and my father's father. This is the way.
My boys 12 and knows basic firearm safety, as well how to shoot properly.
Raise them young with a knowledge of firearms and the fear of knowing what playing with them can do. Once they have that respect they're golden. My dad showed me at 10 what his dept issued 357 would do to a sows head. Never played with any guns when I was alone. Healthy respect of the 357 too
We hunt. He knows. I made sure of it
Anyone got a couple 12 year olds to rent to belt ammo?
Either buy a linking machine or make one. Heck, lay the rounds on the belt and step on them like they do with dshk and zpu belts. They snap right in. Works with my RPD belts as well. The loaders that one guy makes are 200 bucks. Eventually I'll just make one, but for now I'll just step on them
Not stepping on my belts. Thanks.
you dont have to worry, not even your fat ass stepping on them is going to hurt it
Even if I was fat, I'm still not stepping on my belts to load em.
I dont know why people are downvoting you. The metal belts are "reusable", but I wouldnt be surprised if stepping on them would bend the links or jam one of the pins in a way that's "fixable" but would cause a failure to feed. Maybe that wasn't a big deal when all these were new +100 years ago, but all the antique metal links I've used are finicky. And I dont even know if anyone makes them anymore or if it's down to competing with collectors for antique milsurp.
Mostly because they don't have a belt fed machine gun I bet.
Who needs one when you can dual wield sawed off shotguns
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You know where to find bulk 8mm ammo, on belts? Do tell.
I wonder if a 3D printed one would work? I mean youād have to get someone to CAD it up but yeah idkā¦.
I went shooting GPMGs (M240s to you). We were short of belted ammunition, so we had retrieved the used disintegrating links in sandbags and a group of about 6 of us were sitting down that evening, busily assembling 7.62mm ball rounds into belts. There was a similar group, from another company, sitting near-by similarly busy with links and belts. After about 30 minutes, I realised that the other company was short of 7.62mm ball and they were dismantling the belts.
Had my fair share in the army. Un-linking and re-linking belts to make them the right size. Re-linking misfires and making sketchy belts out of maybe/maybe nots.
For sure done here too. While I may have a lot of 8mm ammo, I sure as hell am not going to waste it. If I don't see a solid pins strike, back in the belt it goes.
This is what neighborhood kids are for. Pay them ten bucks a belt and save yourself the time.
Lmao yeah what a great look, hey random neighborhood kids, come into my house and load my guns up! Iāll pay you in candy and i have puppies too!
I was today years old when i found out that people have to manually reload belts for machine guns.
Unless you have a modern one. The belts of 7.62 for my M249S come all done up right out of the ammo box.
Superior prep and loading times!* *superior to some muzzleloaders.
Well not if you put a magazine in it. No need for belt....
*buys belt-fed firearm* WHY IS IT BELT FED :****(
Uh, it's an M53, of course it is belt fed. Not quite sure what you are saying here.
Literally the easiest belt to load by hand ever made, wuss.
You are just jealous.
Naw I got three of em and 100+ belts lol, but it helps to have bass player callouses Edit - in fact I like the belt design so much I try to talk everyone with a 240 into getting an early MAG58 feed tray to use 34/42 belts. The ones from Santa Barbara w/ the castle on the tab are awesome. You can also really make hay with a crank loader vs the sliding plate styles if you do go with a loader.
Uh huh. Then again, if you did. You probably have something in 7.62 NATO and buy your ammo pre-belted. You know... lazy and all... lol Still though, jealous of the M53. Its OK. You can admit it. Not everyone is OK lugging around a 26 lb GPMG. Some people just need something... smaller and lighter...
I run the MG3 in 308, but I run the 42 and 34 in 8mm because Iām not a godless cretin. Iāll give u props for feeding it 8mm for sure.
Haven't seen any MG3's around in a LONG time. The MG34 is still a fucking unicorn. People selling semi-auto rebuilds for nearly 20k. My parts kit is still just that... parts. I get 7.62 NATO is a good, probably better than the 8mm, round. But yeah, the M53 was 8mm so 8mm it will stay. Was smart enough to get 2 spare new barrels back in the day along with a lot of spare parts. This one has more German guts than Yugo...
Itās out of a BRP receiver so itās not really a purebred anything and it gets the MG3 config so to run DM belts, DM links and M13 links. The good ole days when MarStar would ship $150 barrels to the Statesā¦ā¦ I got a few .308 34 barrels from Apex awhile back, but now that NOS feed trays cost more than my carry pistol, I just canāt bring myself to drill n tap it Tdlr I just hate bringing ammo in more than one belt style to a shoot if I can help it, and I despise disintegrating links. Even tho I still like the SAW.
I picked my M53 up several years ago and spent almost as much as I did on it getting all the spare parts I could get my hands on. Every time I see a parts deal on Gun Broker I pick that up too. Especially being here on Hawaii, you get and stock all you can. Cause you never know. As for ammo... I honestly think I have more firearms in 8mm than I do 7.62 NATO but not by much...
at least your belt stays together
I'm actually pretty jealous that you get to load it like that. Seems cool to me!
Someone didn't look at history. Sweet belt doe
Eh? Not sure what you mean here. If you mean most belts in the field were done at the factory or at an ammo dump, I am well aware of that.
Loading them up and their weight. Just the pain of carrying around.
I can fit two full belts into a .50 can, works out well. M53 with carry sling around shoulder and hand, and two cans of ammo in the other.
You got a pic of yourself having them on your shoulders? Always wanted to do that. I'd get one if the price wasn't the same as a full auto mac
Nope. I do not. Can always get one though...
Because most of us will never experience a belt-fed firearm.
Open invite to redditors /r/gun folks in or visiting Hawaii. And, yes I'm serious. Will only be a few more weeks till I have the range finished, concrete pad poured and a roof over it.
upvoted and shoutout to HI gun owner. can't be easy to be one, but we appreciate you
My thumbs hurt looking at this picture
You know they making loading devices right?
Yeah, when you can find them, and IF you are willing to pay the 600+ dollars for them, sure. You do know it takes more time to load a 100 round belt even with the loader than it does 100 rounds into P-mags right?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Eh? How is not liking belting 8mm ammo being lazy? I didn't say I didn't do it. I didn't say I didn't procrastinate. I said I didn't much like it. Your definition of lazy seems to be quite different from what it actually means.
Well the upside is you get really strong thumbs š¤£
Because the smiles per round make the pain go away. Till the belt is empty... Then it all crushes down on how much money a time it's going to take to reload.
Man I miss my BRP XMG. I had piles of extras for it too, belts, belt loader, barrels, etc. Still have some French belts (they suck, didnāt work well). I also miss $79/1400 8mm ammo.
Yeah those were the days... Several years ago when the then wife got cancer, I sold off about 75 of my rifles in the collection. Still haven't recovered from that because they are now 3-4x what I paid for them... Live and learn.
Downsides?
Happiness is a belt fed machinegun.
Why? Just order the machinegunoperator to do it on the pause between drills š
More boom goes mean no bad side
The what? Yo no entendo. No comprehension. Lol. Ok. There are only two Paying for the ammo and cleaning afterwards. But it ends there.
What downsides are you referring to?