Designed by Werner Gruner in 1942 fir The German War effort, The MG 42 was one of the most effective squad automatic weapons deployed during The War. Using a 7.92mm Mauser round, The MG 42 was the principle weapon of both The Wehrmacht and Waffen SS. Weighing 25 pounds with a 50 inch barrel, it was capable of a cyclic rate of 1,200 to 1,500 rounds per minute. The MG 42 had an impressive maximum effective range of 5,000 yards, and required no tripod system (utilizing a bipod forward mounted component). This allowed The MG 42 to be carried and used by a single soldier. Thus weapon was comparable to The US Browning Automatic Rifle. Robust and reliable enough, The MG 42 was also incorporated in many Panzer Tank Models as a secondary anti-personnel weapon. Over 400,000 MG 42 were produced between 1942 and 1945. The weapon continued after The War (and still does), in 5 different variants - throughout The World.