MG42s just need to suppress a target they shoot at on the first burst.
they do. run a rifleman into the middle of the arc at them over open terrain without any smoke; you'll be instantly suppressed. that's a SUPER ideal situation, although i've still done it (lol...) and the MG42 preforms pretty poorly in non-ideal situations. the maxim mostly doesn't care and the M2 cares but has more tolerance than the MG42.
Buff 50cal first. no one uses that piece of pudding
i use them quite often. they're really good against shrek blobs as long as you prevent them from getting flanked. with a pair you can even handle two or three obers if they blob. expensive though.