Solothurn-Steyr S2-200 (MG30)

History

The Treaty of Versailles concluded after World War I (1914-1918) restricted Germany's ability to produce war materials, including mechanical weapons. Rheinmetall was the main manufacturer of such systems for the German cause in the conflict and came under special scrutiny - from 1919 it was expressly prohibited from making anything but artillery. Naturally, the company sought a solution to this limitation and eventually opened a branch in the Netherlands in the early 1920s.

When the joint venture failed, Solothurn in Switzerland was established as a subsidiary, and soon the company partnered with Steyr-Daimler-Puch in Austria.

Against this background, a new machine gun design emerged, the Type 1930/MG30 ("30 machine gun"), developed by Louis Stange of Rheinmetall in Sommerda, Germany, and eventually in Austria and Factory production in Switzerland. An air-cooled barrel developed a recoil action. Feed comes from a detachable box magazine inserted into the top of the receiver. The prototype shape became "Rh.

29" - a light machine gun for squad-level support missions.

The weapon takes a no-nonsense approach, with the stock, action and barrel balanced for accuracy and balance. The stock is ergonomically curved to hug the shoulders for support. The receiver is largely tubular overall, while the barrel assembly is perforated for air cooling. The magazine is fed from the tip of the gun close to the action, and the iron sights fire accurately.

Due to the rather long design, a foldable bipod became standard, and a conical flash suppressor was mounted on the muzzle. A sloping front grip mounted in front of the trigger assembly is optional. The two-stage trigger allows for semi-automatic or fully automatic fire, depending on the total trigger pull used by the operator.

Total weight is 26 lbs.

The weapon was adopted by its host countries Switzerland and Austria as the S2-200 or machine gun Solothurn 1930. It chambered the standard German rifle cartridge 7.92x57mm Mauser, but eventually other chambers were introduced - the 7.57mm Mauser and the 8.56mm R (the latter fed from a 25-round magazine).

The machine gun was stable, with a rate of fire of 600 to 800 rounds per minute and a muzzle velocity of 2,650 feet per second. After extensive testing, the Hungarians followed their regional brothers in adopting this weapon - this became the Solothurn 31st M "Golyoszoro" in the Hungarian stockpile.

Rejected by the German Army as an infantry support weapon, the rebuilt Luftwaffe found value in the aircraft weapon design and adopted it as the MG15 ("Plane Machine Gun 15"). These examples used a 75-round double-drum magazine and lost the stock due to compactness on German space-based bombers. An improved MG17 line was introduced in 1936, with a belt feed and a higher rate of fire.

These lines were used until they were replaced by the more efficient 13mm MG 131 system, introduced in 1940 and in production until the end of the war in 1945.

The design of the MG30 influenced the classic wartime MG34 and MG42 designs, which became dual-purpose machine guns in their own right.

Specification

Base

Year of Service

1930

Origins

Switzerland

Categories

Light Machine Gun (LMG) / Aircraft Machine Gun

Manufacturer

Solothurn - Switzerland; Steyr-Daimler-Puch - Austria

Operator

Austria; Bulgaria; El Salvador; Nazi Germany; Hungary

Roles

Fire Support

Ability to suppress enemy elements at a distance using direct or indirect fire.

Air Defense

Able to attack low-flying threats from the air.

Dimensions and Weights

Curb Weight

26.46 lbs

12.00 kg

Attractions

iron

Action

Recoil operation; air cooling; select fire (different trigger force)

(Material presented above is for historical and entertainment value and should not be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation - always consult official manufacturer sources for such information)

CARTRIDGE & FEED

Caliber(s)*

7. 92x57mm Mauser; 7x57mm Mauser; 8x56mmR

Rounds / Feed

25- or 30-round detachable box magazine; belt- or drum-fed on aircraft variants.

PERFORMANCE

Rate-of-Fire

700

rds/min

VARIANTS

S2-200 - Swiss Army designationMG30 - Austrian Army designationMG15 - German flexible aircraft machine gun; double-drum magazine support; sans shoulder stock. MG17 - Improved German aircraft machine gun; belt-feeding; increased rate-of-fire. 31. M "Golyoszoro" - Hungarian Army designation