Refinished WWII drum.	Primer interior with directional arrow.	Shown loaded. (Ammunition not included.)	Mounted on an MG42.

Original, refinished WWII MG drum magazine. Introduced in 1939 the Gurttrommel holds one 50rd. belt for the MG34 and MG42 light machine guns. These were used by in all theaters both by infantry and in vehicles.

These drums are original WWII examples that have had all the old finish removed, been cleaned, checked, then repainted in red primer and then a correct shade of dunkelgelb (dark yellow). For original drums, we mask off the door and rim so that the interior remains primer red. On originals in factory finish, one finds them with both red or tan interiors- we just thought this looks cooler.

Year option: Due to many request for dated drums, we have now sorted them so. The dated ones are slightly more and we have very few of them. Note that the markings can be VERY faint, but they are there. The vast majority of these are marked "ddf" (Lohmann Werke A.G.) which did not use a date or WaA mark.
As for the few that are dated (usually as WC or h.u.q.), only 43 or 44 examples will be painted dark yellow, while earlier dates will be painted dark gray. We don't offer a maker choice. I will put a tag on each drum with the maker code on it.

Paint: We use industrial acrylic enamels and urethanes that are custom mixed to match WWII samples. These are primed and then hardened in a paint oven for maximum durability. Note that a few nicks in the paint are possible from where we have test fitted these on an MG.

How are they to use? They work fine, and it can be nice not to have to check the belt for grass and twigs that can cause a malfunction. That said, if one wants to carry 300rds., one can beats 6 drums, so there are trade offs.