The Flare Path: Belt-Fed, Bipod-Mounted, Beer-Cooled

For the last three years this column has used an ancient bolt-action Lee-Metford to dispense sim and wargame news. This week, as an experiment, we’ll be trialling a far more modern fact flinger, the MG 42K. According to its manual, this Mauser-manufactured marvel can fire 20 separate story snippets in under a minute! Obviously, the high ROF comes at a price. Accuracy – especially at the end of long bursts – can be slightly compromised says the bumph. Give me a second to insert my ear plugs and press my cheek against the porcelain-cool steel stock, and we’ll set about finding out what slightly compromised means. … <