13mm MG 131 WWII German Luftwaffe Machine Gun
$18,750.00
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13mm MG 131 WWII German Luftwaffe Machine Gun
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Bring one of the Luftwaffe’s most important late-war aircraft weapons into your collection with this original restored display 13mm MG 131 German WWII machine gun. Developed by Rheinmetall-Borsig and introduced during the Second World War, the MG 131 was designed as a compact, hard-hitting aircraft heavy machine gun that delivered substantially more punch than the earlier rifle-caliber guns it replaced, while still remaining light enough for fighter and turret installations.
This example is offered as an original restored display gun, making it an outstanding centerpiece for collectors of Luftwaffe armament, WWII aviation weapons, and original German aircraft hardware. Its compact receiver, aircraft-mount layout, and unmistakable wartime profile give it immediate visual impact in any serious ordnance or aviation collection.
The MG 131 – Germany’s Compact 13mm Aircraft Gun
The MG 131 was developed in 1938 and entered production in 1940 as a 13mm aircraft machine gun for Luftwaffe service. Chambered for the 13×64mmB cartridge, it was created to give German aircraft a heavier, more effective weapon than the older 7.92mm machine guns that had become increasingly inadequate against better-armored Allied aircraft.
One of the most important features of the MG 131 was its remarkably compact size and relatively light weight for a weapon in this caliber. At roughly 16.6 kg, it was much lighter than many comparable heavy machine guns of the era. That made it especially useful in aircraft installations where space and weight were critical, including nose mounts, cowling mounts, synchronized fuselage guns, flexible defensive positions, and powered or manually operated turrets.
The MG 131 became especially common in later-war Luftwaffe aircraft as German designers sought greater firepower without the installation penalties of heavier cannon systems.
Technical Characteristics of the Live Gun
In live-service configuration, the MG 131 is generally described as:
- Caliber: 13mm
- Cartridge: 13×64mmB
- Manufacturer: Rheinmetall-Borsig
- Operation: Short-recoil, recoil-operated aircraft machine gun
- Feed: Belt-fed
- Weight: approximately 16.6 kg
- Rate of fire: approximately 900 rounds per minute
- Muzzle velocity: commonly around 710–750 m/s, depending on ammunition type
The MG 131 fired a wide range of ammunition, including:
- Armor-piercing
- Armor-piercing incendiary
- Incendiary
- High-explosive
- High-explosive incendiary
- Tracer-loaded variants
That ammunition flexibility gave Luftwaffe crews a weapon capable of damaging aircraft structures, igniting fuel systems, and defeating lightly armored targets.
Service Use and Historical Importance
The MG 131 became one of the Luftwaffe’s most important aircraft machine guns of the later war years. It was used in both fixed forward-firing and flexible defensive roles, and it appeared in a wide range of German aircraft installations.
Typical applications included:
- Cowling and fuselage guns in later-war fighters
- Flexible and turreted defensive mounts in bombers and heavy aircraft
- Single and twin mountings in aircraft where compact heavy-caliber firepower was required
Because of its favorable size-to-firepower ratio, the MG 131 was especially valuable in places where a full aircraft cannon would have been too large, too heavy, or too difficult to install. In that sense, it helped bridge the gap between lighter machine guns and heavier autocannons such as the MG 151/20 and Mk 108.
That service history makes the MG 131 one of the defining German aircraft guns of the Second World War, especially for collectors focused on late-war Luftwaffe fighters and bomber-defense systems.
About This Specific Display Gun
This example is an original restored display 13mm MG 131 machine gun.
Original WWII German Aircraft Gun
- Original MG 131-pattern German WWII aircraft machine gun
- A highly desirable centerpiece for Luftwaffe, aircraft armament, and WWII aviation collections
- Correctly represents one of the principal heavy machine guns used in late-war German aircraft
Professionally Restored for Display
- Restored for strong visual presentation
- Ideal for museum display, private collection, aircraft armament exhibit, or hangar office presentation
- Preserves the mechanical and visual character that made the MG 131 one of the most recognizable German aircraft weapons of the war
Display-Only Configuration
- Sold strictly as a display gun
- Intended for collecting, educational, and museum purposes
- INERT Not represented as functional or live-fire capable
Why This Piece Matters
The MG 131 is one of the most important German aircraft machine guns of WWII because it reflects the Luftwaffe’s move toward heavier-caliber air armament without sacrificing the compactness needed for fighter and turret installation. It offered more destructive effect than rifle-caliber guns while remaining far lighter and more installation-friendly than many cannon systems.
For collectors, that makes it especially appealing because it represents:
- Late-war Luftwaffe weapons development
- The shift from rifle-caliber armament to heavier aircraft guns
- A weapon widely associated with German fighters, bombers, and defensive installations
- A visually distinctive and historically important original aircraft gun
Ideal For
This display machine gun is an excellent fit for:
- Luftwaffe and German WWII ordnance collections
- Fighter and bomber armament displays
- Museum exhibits on late-war aircraft weapon development
- Collectors of original aircraft guns and aviation hardware
- Aviation history displays centered on German air combat and bomber defense
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