7.92×33mm Kurz
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2021) |
7.92×33mm Kurz | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7.92×57mm[4] | ||||||||||||
Case type | Rimless, bottleneck | |||||||||||
Bullet diameter | 8.22 mm (0.324 in) | |||||||||||
Land diameter | 7.89 mm (0.311 in) | |||||||||||
Neck diameter | 9.10 mm (0.358 in) | |||||||||||
Shoulder diameter | 11.40 mm (0.449 in) | |||||||||||
Base diameter | 11.94 mm (0.470 in) | |||||||||||
Rim diameter | 11.95 mm (0.470 in) | |||||||||||
Rim thickness | 1.30 mm (0.051 in) | |||||||||||
Case length | 33.00 mm (1.299 in) | |||||||||||
Overall length | 48.00 mm (1.890 in) | |||||||||||
Case capacity | 2.22 cm3 (34.3 gr H2O) | |||||||||||
Rifling twist | 240 mm (1 in 9.45 inch) | |||||||||||
Primer type | Berdan | |||||||||||
Maximum pressure (C.I.P.) | 340.00 MPa (49,313 psi) | |||||||||||
Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
Test barrel length: 419 mm Source(s): "Cartridges of the World" [5] |
The 7.92×33mm Kurz (designated as the 7.92 x 33 kurz by the
Cartridge dimensions
The 7.92×33mm Kurz has a 2.22 ml (34.3 grain H2O) cartridge case capacity.
7.92×33mm Kurz maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm).
Americans define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 ≈ 17.5 degrees. The common
According to the official Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives (C.I.P.) rulings, the 7.92×33mm Kurz can handle up to 340.00 MPa (49,313 psi) Pmax piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every rifle-cartridge combination has to be
Military designation
In German military instructions, the
Background
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2021) |
The cartridge was the same caliber, and had the same base diameter, as the 7.92×57mm,
What was needed was a cartridge that could be used in a lighter, more maneuverable rifle to bridge the gap between submachine guns and rifles. The standard issue 7.92×57mm cartridge case was shortened by 24 millimetres (0.94 in). With a case length of 33 millimetres (1.3 in), the Kurz round was substantially shorter and delivered less recoil than full-length 7.92×57mm Mauser ammunition, but was still almost as effective when engaging targets at typical combat ranges of 300 m (328 yd). This meant it could be fired effectively from a weapon that weighed less than a machine gun, yet still had much greater range, velocity, and stopping power than the 9×19mm Parabellum which was standard in German submachine guns. The weight of the 7.92mm Kurz m.E. round was 17.05 grams (263.1 gr), with the bullet taking up 8.1 grams (125 gr) and the cartridge and propellant the remaining 8.95 grams (138.1 gr).[11] The 34% weight reduction compared to full-length 7.92×57mm Mauser s.S. ball ammunition meant that a soldier could carry more rounds of ammunition, for an increase in sustained suppressive fire capability.
The shortage of brass in the later stages of World War II led to the use of steel cases for this new cartridge. The Kurz cartridge incorporated more taper than the parent case to increase reliability in feed from magazines (and because the cartridge retained the same base diameter and caliber as the longer, full-size round, requiring a more abrupt taper). This led to the distinctive curved magazine for weapons that used this cartridge, which became popularly known as "banana magazine", due to their curved shape, and which can be seen on other weapons using distinctly tapered cartridges, like the 7.62×39mm chambered in Kalashnikov rifles. The steel cases were typically lacquer-coated to prevent corrosion. Most projectile variants featured a boat tail and bullets designated with m.E. - mit Eisenkern ("with iron core") mild steel cored projectiles were developed to save on lead and other metals that became scarce in Germany during World War II.
Cartridge variants
During World War II the 7.92×33mm Kurz round was produced in a relative limited amount of variants, when compared to the full-power 7.92×57mm Mauser round.[12][13] The German military used 7,9mm as designation and generally omitted any diameter reference and only printed the exact type of loading on ammunition boxes during World War II. Ammunition boxes can have i.L. or in Ladestreifen added, meaning the containing 7.92×33mm Kurz rounds are provided in stripper clips.
- Pist. Patrone 43 m.E.
- These were m.E. - mit Eisenkern ("with iron core") — mild steel cored projectile with a ballistic coefficient of approximately 0.132 (G7 BC) rounds.[14]
- Pist. Patr. 43 L'spur
- These were L'spur - Leuchtspur ("tracer") projectile rounds.
- Pist. Patr. m.E.L'spur
- These were m.E.L'spur - mit Eisenkern Leuchtspur ("with iron core tracer") projectile rounds.
- Pist. Platzpatr. 43
- These were Platz ("blank") rounds.
- Pist. Treibpatrone 43
- These were Treib ("booster charge for rifle granades") rounds.
- Pist. Expatrone 43
- These were Exerzier ("drill") inert rounds for aiming exercises.
- Pist. Werkzeugpatrone
- These were Werkzeugpatrone ("toolcartridge") inert rounds for examining the functioning of a firearms action.
Firearms
Prior to the development of the Kurz round and its associated weapons, two basic small arms existed to equip the regular infantryman, the
Only a few weapons used this round, most notably the
A number of Karabiner 98 rifles have appeared for sale on the European market in this caliber with "NUR FÜR KURZ PATRONE" (only for short cartridge) stamped on the barrel. While there were a few Karabiner 98 rifles made in this caliber for testing during the war, these rifles are deemed by specialists and collectors to have been rechambered post-war.[citation needed]
A small number of Remington XP-100 bolt-action target pistols were made in 7.92×33mm Kurz.[21]
Lothar-Walther manufactures new Mauser 98 barrels chambered in 7.92×33mm Kurz.[22]
Schwaben Arms GmbH of Rottweil, Germany offers newly made K98K rifles in 7.92×33mm Kurz (also known as 8x33 in Europe) in addition to 8mm Mauser and
Post-World War II
After World War II, the cartridge was tested and used in prototype rifles in Argentina and Belgium, amongst other nations, during the late 1940s and early 1950s. The first FN FAL prototype was designed to fire the cartridge when NATO was organized. After the war it was manufactured by East Germany (the German Democratic Republic), the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, and Egypt.
Spain continued development after the war, creating a few variants of the cartridge, such as tracer rounds, boat-tailed rounds and slightly shorter bullets that have a lead core. These developments were encouraged by Calzada Bayo, a Spanish lieutenant colonel.[24] However, they were cancelled in favour of a more radical cartridge, 7.92×40mm CETME. Finally, Spanish CETME rifles were chambered for a variant of the 7.62×51mm NATO round.
Demand for the ammunition still exists, as the StG 44 is still in use by some within the Lebanese Forces militia, Djibouti and Pakistan [25] as well as irregular forces in some countries in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, where captured German arms were distributed as military aid by Eastern Bloc countries as well as Yugoslavia. It is currently manufactured by the Prvi Partizan factory in Užice, Serbia.[26] There is also some demand on the private collectors' market; reloadable cartridge cases can be produced by resizing and trimming 7.62×51mm NATO cases, and Hornady makes a 125-grain .323-inch (8.2 mm) bullet for this caliber suitable for handloads.
In Pakistan, the same cartridge is also reported to be in use by the local name of "44 Bore." This either refers to the 44 of the MP44/StG44 series or the "L44A1" inscription found on the headstamps on necked-down
See also
References
- ^ "WWII German weapons during the Vietnam War". WII After WII. WordPress. July 10, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-87943-350-6.
- ^ "Sturmgewehre" (in German). Lexikon der Wehrmacht Sturmgewehre.
- ^ a b c Hogg, Ian V.; Weeks, John S. (2000). Military Small Arms Of The 20th Century. pp. 221, 243–245, 407.
- ISBN 0-87349-178-5.
- ^ a b "C.I.P. TDCC datasheet 7,92 x 33 kurz" (PDF). CIP BOBP. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-12-28.
- ^ a b "Small arms Review refers to this cartridge only as 7.92×33mm Kurz". Small Arms Review. 7 (4). 2004.
- ^ a b c Hogg, Ian; Gander, Terry (2005). Jane's Guns Recognition Guide. Harper & Collins Publishers.
Page 287 refers to this cartridge only as 7.92×33mm Kurz
: 287 - ^ ISBN 0-87349-178-5.
Cartridges of the World refers to this cartridge only as 7.92×33mm Kurz
- ^ a b Kopp, Carlo, "Origins of the assault rifle" (PDF), Defence Today, pp. 74–75, archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-09, retrieved 2011-12-03
- ^ "Polte 7,9mm Pist. Patrone 43 m.E. drawing". Archived from the original on 2015-11-07. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
- ^ "Pistolen Patrone 43 m.E. - 1941 - 1945" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2014-12-28.
- ^ "Pistol Patrone 43 Polte factory drawings". Archived from the original on 2010-01-07.
- ^ Historical Intermediate Calibers 017: The 7.92x33mm Kurz, August 18, 2016
- ^ "Machine Carbine Promoted: MP43 Is Now Assault Rifle StG44, WWII Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 57, April 1945". Lone Sentry. 2007-05-10. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ^ Ehrhart, Thomas P. (2009). "Increasing Small Arms Lethality in Afghanistan: Taking Back the Infantry Half-Kilometer" (PDF). US Army. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-01-22.
- ^ Williams, Anthony G. (June 22, 2008). "Assault Rifles and Their Ammunition: History and Prospects". Military Guns & Ammunition. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ "Malý kulomet ZK 423". VHU (Military History Institute in Prague). 2012. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
- ^ a b Senich, Peter R. (1987). The German Assault Rifle, 1935–1945. Boulder, Colorado: Paladin Press.
- ^ Walter, John (2003). Guns of the Third Reich. Pennsylvania, USA: Greenhill Books.[page needed]
- ^ "Remington Model XP-100 7.92x33mm KURZ Bolt Action". Guns America. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "Mauser 98k Original | 7,92x33short | MuD:.610" | L:23.62" | Cr-Moly Steel".
- ^ "Schwaben Arms GmbH" (in German). Schwaben Arms GmbH.
- ^ "The Spanish kurz". Claus.espeholt.dk. 1952-12-18. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ^ "Lebanese Forces web site". Lebaneseforces.com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-27. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ^ "7.92 x 33 Kurz". Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ^ "The Firearms Blog". thefirearmblog.com. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-22.
- ^ "44 Bore – 7.62 x 39 mm AK rifles modified to fire 7.92 x 33 Kurz ammunition". 8 September 2014.
- ^ McCollum, Ian (8 September 2014). "44 Bore – 7.62 x 39 mm AK rifles modified to fire 7.92 x 33 Kurz ammunition". Armament Research Services. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
Further reading
- Kapell, Dr. Dieter, Die deutsche Kurzpatrone 7,92×33, Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt Germany, 2007
- Handrich, Hans-Dieter, Sturmgewehr! From Firepower to Striking Power, Collector Grade Publications Inc., Cobourg, Canada, 2004