| ✅ Relatively affordable airsoft MG42 | ❌ No MOSFET |
| ✅ Very realistic replica | ❌ Receiver not steel |
| ✅ Full metal build, wood stock | ❌ May attract negative attention due to historic associations |
| ✅ Quick change spring system | |
| ✅ Reasonable power | |
| ✅ Good range | |
| ✅ Adjustable hop up | |
| ✅ Can hold & fire thousands of BBs |
Developed during WW2, the German-built MG42 was one of the most famous and widely used machine guns of the war, and its design and high rate of fire influenced the development of many subsequent firearms.
Over the decades, the MG 42 has become an iconic weapon in popular culture, appearing in countless movies, video games, and other media, and has become something of a highly desirable replica amongst history-minded airsoft enthusiasts.
The AGM MG42 is one of the more popular airsoft replicas of this gun around, with its (relatively) affordable price and accurate design making it a highly attractive, if unconventional, vintage machine gun option.
To find out if it lives up to its reputation, and to help you figure out if its worth a spot in your collection, we decided to take a closer look.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | S&T / AGM |
| Airsoft type | AEG |
| FPS | ~350 @ 0.20g |
| Action | Automatic |
| Inner Barrel | 655 mm |
| Hop up | Adjustable |
| Construction | Metal |
A Note About Bringing Axis Airsoft Guns to Games
Airsoft guns are a lot of fun and many airsoft players enjoy collecting and using historical replicas and/or participating in milsim games.
And there isn’t anything inherently wrong with that.
However, even more than other historical airsoft guns, such as Kalashnikovs and Lugers, airsoft players interested in picking up MG42 replicas do need to recognize its rather dark past and associations and how that will be perceived by other players and enthusiasts.
The MG42 is notable for its development and use by Nazi Germany, one of the most brutal and evil regimes in history that was directly responsible for the deaths of millions of innocent people.
While the vast majority of people who buy these airsoft guns do so out of simple and harmless historical interest, bringing it to an airsoft field does run the risk of its owner being seen as a supporter of the regime and its ideologies.
In the best case scenario, this can lead to some simple mockery, name calling and rolled eyes (and perhaps being made a priority target by other players), and in the worst case scenario, users may face social exclusion, field bans and/or open hostility or even violence from other players.
As a result, we suggest most players who do buy these kinds of airsoft guns exercise caution and do a little surveying of public opinion before showing up to a game with one in hand.
How closely does the airsoft AGM MG42 resemble a real steel MG42?
| S&T / AGM MG42 | MG 42 | |
| Weight | 15.65 lbs (7.1 kg) | 23.1 lbs (10.5 kg) |
| Length | 49 in (1250 mm) | 48.25 in. (1225 mm) |
| Action | Full Auto | Full auto |
| Capacity | 2000 rounds | 50-250 rounds |
| Caliber | 6mm | 7.92 mm |
| Construction | Metal with wood stock | Steel with wood stock |
| Sights | Adjustable standard + flip up AA | Adjustable standard + flip up AA |
By and large, the S&T / AGM MG42 airsoft gun is a pretty accurate replica of a real steel Maschinengewehr 42.
The gun matches its vintage inspiration quite closely in terms of its overall dimensions, coming in at nearly 50 inches in length when fully assembled, and its overall sense of realism is enhanced by its metal and wood build.
Being an airsoft AEG (and being made of an aluminum alloy rather than stamped steel), the AGM MG42 is quite a bit lighter than its real steel counterpart (almost 8 lbs or so), but it is still quite hefty and solid, retaining that overall machine gun gravitas.
The AGM also replicates many of the external features and details of the MG 42, such as the large slotted cooling vents along its heatshield, unique flip up multi-use sights, wood stock, recoil booster cone, dual bipod attachment zones, old school grip and barrel handle.
That said, it is important to note that, unlike the real steel version, the AGM MG42 does not have a quick change outer barrel.
Being a vintage-style airsoft gun, there are no real markings or trades on this gun, which can be a bit of a disappointment to milsim enthusiasts and collectors (although probably for the best for most other players given the rather negative attention this kind of gun can attract on the field).
How Well Does the AGM MG42 Perform As An Airsoft AEG Machine Gun?
Build-quality and construction
The AGM MG42 is an all metal airsoft machine gun AEG.
The gun’s receiver is made of a sturdy alloy while the outer barrel, heat shield, bipod and charging handle are all made of steel.
Its detachable stock, meanwhile, is made of nicely finished, red/brown wood, which is a nice change of pace from the typical polymer and faux-woods used on most modern-style airsoft machine guns.
In fact, the only real plastic on the AGM MG42 is its grip and orange conical tip.
As a result of this build, although the gun’s receiver is not made out of the more durable stamped steel that characterizes other historical airsoft guns such as the PP-19 Vityaz or the Snow Wolf MP-18, the gun is still pretty solid and should stand up to typical in-game use pretty well (although you probably won’t want to drop it from any real height).
The gun is nicely put together, as well.
When we handled it, we found that the gun’s receiver and grip were all tightly and securely installed, with no flexing, clattering or rattling that we could notice.
Further, we found the gun’s detachable stock to be easy to use, popping on with a simple 90 degree twist (providing a nice, audible “click” when locked into place) and once attached it stayed attached, showing no sights of looseness or wobble when maneuvering around.
Even the gun’s hinged top cover felt pretty secure and tightly attached when opened, with minimal lateral movement that might cause it to wiggle loose with long term use.
The only real issue that users really need to be careful about with this gun is with its bipod.
As with its real steel counterpart, it is designed to swivel around while bearing the weight of the gun itself and, being made of alloy metal rather than steel, can get damaged if slammed around too hard or if the gun is dropped hard enough.
As a result, many more hard-charging users tend to eventually replace it with a steel MG3 version.
Interestingly, the AGM MG42 comes with two potential bipod attachment areas, one at the front and one towards the middle of the gun, which gives users a little more choice of placement and can help make firing the gun prone a bit more comfortable.
In terms of accessory attachments, well…there aren’t many to speak of – this is an airsoft replica of a WW2 machine gun, after all.
The gun’s outer barrel is threaded for its flash hider, but isn’t a standard 14mm, so users will need an adapter to fit any tracers (or mock suppressors if you want to be that guy) to the outer barrel.
Similarly, based on an Axis gun from the 1940s, there aren’t any rails to mount anything to its frame.
The AGM does, however, come with a true to life MG42 multi-use flip up tangent sights.
The sights are fully adjustable, are period correct and should be familiar to anyone used to airsoft (or real steel) AK 47 or 74 iron sights.
Interestingly, they also come with a kind of flip up L-shaped bar, which was originally designed to help target aircraft.
Although perhaps less than useful on an airsoft field, it is a pretty cool touch that we appreciate.
Internally, the S&T / AGM MG42 sports a proprietary and pretty chunky split gearbox.
On the bottom half, users will find 18:1 metal gears, a short type ferrite motor, wiring and the gun’s trigger system.
In the top half, users will find the gun’s piston, metal cylinder, a nozzle with a decently respectable 29mm diameter and a hop up unit.
The hop up unit is adjustable and pretty easy to use, using a slide system to adjust the level of spin imparted.
It is located under the magazine feed attachment, however, which does limit a user’s ability to make adjustments on the fly even if it is conveniently located under the gun’s dust cover.
The gearbox, interestingly enough, comes with a quick change spring system, which makes swapping springs pretty easy, allowing users to up and down power the gun without having to open the gearbox and with just the help of a phillips head screwdriver and by pushing a little lever down.
The AGM MG42 fires its BBs out of a nicely finished 6.08mm diameter brass barrel.
At ~655mm long this barrel is one of the longest stock versions out there, which can help with overall performance when firing, although for volume matching reasons most users will want to keep BBs at a medium to light heavyweight (.28-30) for optimal consistency.
Batteries for the gun slot into the removable stock, which is pretty cavernous and gives the AGM MG42 the ability to accommodate a wide range of battery sizes and types.
Due to the fact that the gun doesn’t have a MOSFET, users will probably want to keep it around the 7.4v level during regular use in order to prevent damage to its contacts in the long run.
Performance and accuracy
Overall, the AGM MG42 is a pretty capable airsoft machine gun.
Using 0.20g BBs and a standard 7.4v battery, we saw the gun get around 350 FPS, which should slide under most FPS restrictions and it should be able to be used in most airsoft fields that allow full automatic fire.
Should you need more power, the gun can be easily fitted with stronger springs, taking it to about 410 FPS or so.
The gun is, of course, full auto and on 11.1V batteries, we saw the gun get around 21 RPS, which, combined with its 2000+ BB capacity, means that the gun can send a satisfying hail of BBs downrange in short order.
It’s also not too far away from the real steel MG42 performance of 1200 RPM.
In terms of accuracy and range, the gun isn’t exactly a sharpshooter (and you wouldn’t expect it to be being a machine gun), but it can reach out and hit targets well past 200 feet (60m) when loaded with some good medium weight BBs, making it a decent support option with some old-school charm.
Handling and feel
There’s no getting around the fact that the AGM MG42 is a big, heavy gun.
Although not quite as hefty as a real steel MG42, an airsoft minigun or even the classic Lancer Tactical M240, it does tip the scales at a beefy 15 lbs or so, which puts it roughly in the same class as an A&K M60 or PKM.
Combined with its nearly 50 inch length, the AGM is certainly not something you’ll be running and gunning with or using in CBQ – this is a gun best used for suppressive fire at range.
The gun’s plastic grip is pretty decently textured, with a nice diamond shaped pattern that’s easy to grab onto, even when wearing gloves or in wet weather, which we always appreciate with guns that are most at home in outdoor games.
In terms of ambidexterity while, as with most airsoft machine gun platforms, it’s not too hard for left-handed users to operate, the AGM MG42 is patterned after a gun designed in the 1940s and so is really optimized for right-hand use.
Maintenance and upgradability
As with other vintage-style airsoft guns and as with many machine gun replicas, disassembly of the AGM MG42 can be a bit more challenging than a standard AR and can involve a bit of unscrewing.
While the gun’s hop up and battery are pretty freely accessible (with the former being under the dust cover and the later held in the twist-off stock), accessing the gun’s gearbox for inspection, cleaning and lubing does require detaching the hop up unit, unscrewing 5 chunky screws along its side, popping a couple body pins out and detaching its lower half.
Once this is done, however, the critical components of the gun (inner barrel, top gearbox, lower gearbox) do come free pretty easily.
In terms of upgrades, although the gears and motor are pretty standard, the gun does use quite a few proprietary parts, including its split gearbox, nozzle, hop up and more, which means modding this gun can take a bit more time and effort than a typical Tokyo Marui.
That said, owing to the gun’s popularity, there are 3rd party companies who do make ready upgraded parts for this gun, such as Bullgear’s CNC upper gearbox, various tightbore barrel options, stronger hop up units, r-hop conversions and more.
Magazine type and capacity
The AGM MG42 comes with a fairly cavernous tapered steel drum magazine.
This magazine is an auto winding drum that looks pretty authentic and is powered off of 4 AA batteries.
Holding about 2000 or so rounds, the drum allows the AGM MG42 to have about the same firepower capacity as most modern airsoft machine guns and has a nice sliding top that allows users to pour BBs in without having to open it up completely, which is always appreciated.
Being an MG42, the magazine does attach to an adaptor via a flexible loading tube, which then clips to the gun itself and feeds directly into the hop up unit.
As with other side loading airsoft machine guns, this does add a bit of extra time to reloads and can increase the likelihood of misfeeds, although the gun ran pretty smoothly and reliably when we tested it.
The magazine and its adaptor are proprietary and, at over $70 or so, spares are a bit on the pricey side.
Price
Note: All prices correct as of writing, all prices in USD.
At around $6-700, the S&T AGM MG42 is not exactly cheap in an absolute sense, coming in a little higher than many airsoft machine guns out there, such as the A&K M60 or PKM.
That said, the gun is significantly more affordable than its next closest alternative, the G&G, which usually comes in at over $2000.
While it may lack that gun’s steel build and more performance-oriented qualities, it is a highly realistic, skirmishable and capable airsoft MG42 that most interested players will actually be able to buy.
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Advantages of the S&T / AGM MG42 Airsoft AEG
Relatively affordable
Compared to its rivals, the S&T / AGM MG42 is a pretty affordable airsoft MG42 machine gun, offering 1:1 realism and usable performance for a fraction of the price.
Realistic replica
Around 50 inches long, tipping the scales at a hefty 15+ lbs and with many of the small details accurately reproduced, the AGM MG42 is a realistic airsoft replica of the Maschinengewehr 42, allowing history-minded enthusiasts to more feasibly add one to their collection.
Full metal build with real wood stock
The AGM MG42 is made using a good deal of metal, with an aluminum alloy receiver, steel bipod, real wood stock and more all giving it a very true-to-life feel when handled.
Quick change spring
Interestingly, the AGM MG42 split gearbox also contains a quick change spring system that allows users to swap springs and up/down power the gun without having to open it.
Reasonable Power
Depending on the spring it comes with, the AGM MG42 can range in power from 350 to 410 FPS or so, meaning it’s powerful enough to hang with the big boys outdoors but can easily be adjusted to slide under even strict FPS limits.
Good Range
While perhaps not a sniper’s choice of weapon, the AGM MG42 is capable of delivering BBs pretty far downrange, hitting targets well past 200 feet without an issue.
Adjustable Hop Up
The AGM MG42 comes with a relatively easily accessible slide hop up that can be adjusted pretty easily without the need for a screwdriver or any tools.
Disadvantages
No MOSFET
The AGM MG42 does not come with a MOSFET installed, and while it can deliver pretty impressive performance with 11.1V batteries, it’s best run with lower voltage options in order to prevent scorching over time.
Alloy receiver
Although it should stand up to typical airsoft game play, the receiver on the AGM MG42 is made of aluminum alloy instead of stamped steel, which would make it more capable of standing up to rough and tumble use without sustaining damage.
May attract unwanted attention on the field
At the end of the day, this is a gun that was invented and used by Nazi Germany.
While historically significant and a feat of firearms engineering, its presence on the field can be controversial to say the least and offensive to some players, leading to the potential for serious conflict.
Bottom Line
With a realistic design and capable of delivering decent performance on the field, the AGM MG42 is an affordable and achievable way for airsofters to get their hands on this historically-significant airsoft machine gun.
David Lewis – A longtime airsoft and airgun enthusiast and collector, our editor David’s lifelong passion for tactical sports began in high school with some friends, a cheap knock-off airsoft M4, and an open field behind his parents’ house.
When he’s not plinking around, he enjoys sharing his knowledge of airsoft and helping those just starting out.