Lahti L-39
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Lahti L-39 | |
---|---|
A Lahti L-39 anti-tank rifle. | |
Type | Semi-automatic anti-tank rifle
Gas-operated |
Rate of fire | Max. 30/min |
Muzzle velocity | 800 m/s (2,600 ft/s) |
Feed system | 10 round box magazine |
The Lahti L-39 is a Finnish 20 mm
Development
Operation
The rifle is a semi-automatic, gas operated weapon with the piston located beneath the barrel and ammunition feed from a detachable top-mounted magazine with bottom ejection for the spent cartridges. To reduce recoil, the rifle is equipped with a five-hole muzzle brake and a padded leather recoil pad. The barrel has a wooden jacket to allow for transportation after firing has caused the barrel to heat up.
Usage
Winter War
During the Winter War (1939–1940) Finland lacked anti-tank weaponry. Only two 20 mm rifles and a few 13.2 mm machine guns made it to the front, where the 13.2 mm machine guns were found to be ineffective and unreliable while the larger 20 mm rifles proved successful against Soviet armor. Because of this, Finland finally settled on the 20 mm design and started production.
The gun was also widely[clarification needed] used in the "cold Charlie" counter-sniper technique, where the Finns would use mannequins posing as sloppily-covered officers. Soviet snipers would fire upon the mannequins, and the Finns would then return fire at the Soviet snipers with Lahti L-39s.[1]
Continuation War
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Lahti_L-39_being_used_as_an_anti-aircraft_weapon%2C_1942.jpg/220px-Lahti_L-39_being_used_as_an_anti-aircraft_weapon%2C_1942.jpg)
The Continuation War (Finnish: jatkosota, Swedish: fortsättningskriget, 25 June 1941 – 19 September 1944) was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.
Although the weapon was not able to penetrate newer Soviet tanks like the
Around December 1940, a Lahti L-39 replaced the original 13.2 mm L-35/36 machine gun on the Finnish
After World War II
Several of the rifles remained in service after World War II serving as anti-helicopter weapons, while many others were sold to collectors, mostly in the United States. Today the rifles, especially those in working condition, are quite rare and highly sought after. Some deactivated weapons (with steel bars welded into the chambers) have been reactivated due to their value. Because ammunition is rare, they are often rechambered to .50 BMG to lower the cost of use. In the United States, civilian ownership remains possible, depending on state and federal laws. Because the weapon fires rounds larger than .50 caliber, it is considered a destructive device and is subject to the 1934 National Firearms Act. Civilian ownership is dependent on compliance with this law and whether the individual state prohibits civilian ownership of destructive devices.
Details
Users found the L-39 to be heavy and difficult to move in the battlefield. Even its magazine weighs almost two kilograms. The magazines have a covered viewing slit on the right side to indicate the number of rounds left in the magazine, and a 15-round magazine was later developed for anti-aircraft use.
To combat the L-39's immense recoil, the
The whole weapon weighs some 50 kilograms and it was usually towed by horses, but when stripped down could be carried by several men. The rifle has adjustable iron sights calibrated between 200 and 1,400 meters and was equipped with an unusual "dual" bipod, with two sets of legs, one with spikes for use on hard ground and the other with skids for use on softer ground or snow.
In the field, a two-man team was assigned to the gun to move and fire it. Some rifles were abandoned in the heat of battle, but they were easy to replace. By the end of the war over 1,900 L39s had been manufactured by VKT (Valtion Kivääritehdas, "State Rifle Factory", modern day Patria) and put in the field.
See also
- Anti-tank rifle
- Boys anti-tank rifle
- Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr
- Nkm wz.38 FK
- Panzerbüchse 39
- PTRD-41 ― Mass produced competing design to the PTRS
- PTRS-41 ― Mass produced competing design to the PTRD
- Solothurn S-18/100
- Type 97 automatic cannon
- Wz. 35 anti-tank rifle
References
- ^ Kekkonen, P. T. (26 October 1999). "LUKEMATTOMAT KIRJAT: Simo Häyhä, 'Valkoinen kuolema'". Gunwriters, Guns.connect.fi. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
- ^ "FINNISH ARMY 1918 - 1945: HEAVY ARMOURED CARS". Jaeger Platoon. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
Bibliography
- Käkelä, Erkki: Marskin panssarintuhoojat. WSOY, 2000, ISBN 951-02-4638-7
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- How to Operate a Finnish Lahti Anti-Tank-Gun - YouTube
- Anti-Tank Rifle History and Collecting
- Winterwar.com
- AT-RIFLES PART 1: Finnish domestic designs
- JAEGER PLATOON:FINNISH ARMY 1918 - 1945 WEBSITE - Site about the Finnish Army.
- iMac vs 20mm Anti-Tank Rifle
- 20mm Lahti L39 Antitank Rifle (Shooting & History)