MG 27 Experimental Machinegun
Heinrich Vollmer (1885-1961) was one of the most prominent figures of the German design school and his established weapons include the German MP 38 and 40 submachine gun, as well as the MG 34 machine gun. In the 1920s, he owned the Vollmer Werke Maschinenfabrik in Bibberach am Riss, where he developed automatic infantry weapons, especially submachine guns. It was here that the prototype of the air-cooled machine gun, later known as the MG 27, was developed in the early 1920s.
The function of the weapon was based on the principle of a locked breech with a short recoil of the barrel. The breech was locked by a pivoting bolt, which was guided in helical grooves in the bolt carrier. A drum magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds was used to feed the weapon. Apart from the letters and the numeral V.G. 4a stamped on the top of the bolt housing cover, the specimen bears no company description. The marking is probably an abbreviation of the words Versuchs Gewehr 4a, i.e. experimental rifle. To date, only two examples of this weapon have survived in collections. One of them was acquired by the museum in 1994 by transfer from Prototypy, a. s.
Calibre: 7,92 mm Mauser
Overall length 1550 mm
Barrel length 717 mm
Intentional length 797 mm
Magazine capacity 30 rounds
Weight of weapon with empty magazine 11.48 kg
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