The Rheinmetall FG 42 Type II (Late) is a WW2 first produced in 1944. It carries a scarcity score of 97/100 based on tracked survey data, with 9 active listings currently on the secondary market and a global benchmark price of $140,718.
The FG 42, or Fallschirmjägergewehr 42, was a select-fire automatic rifle developed specifically for Germany's airborne Fallschirmjäger forces following the costly 1941 invasion of Crete, where paratroopers had been forced to jump separately from their heavier weapons and suffered accordingly. Chambered in the standard 7.92x57mm Mauser rifle cartridge, the FG 42 combined an in-line stock, forward-mounted pistol grip, bipod, and selective-fire capability into a single lightweight weapon intended to give paratroopers rifle, automatic rifle, and light machine gun capability in one package, an ambitious design years ahead of its contemporaries. Manufacturing shifted between several contractors during the war, including Rheinmetall, and the Type II, or late pattern, incorporated simplified stamped components and a redesigned stock to speed production as wartime material shortages intensified. Produced in exceedingly limited numbers relative to standard German infantry weapons, the FG 42, dated here to 1944, is regarded by firearms historians as one of the most innovative rifle designs of the Second World War, directly informing postwar general-purpose machine gun and battle rifle development.
View full listing, price history, and active offers for the Rheinmetall FG 42 Type II (Late)