MG 131 machine gun
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (September 2022) |
MG 131 | |
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Belt-fed |
The MG 131 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 131, or "machine gun 131") was a German 13 mm caliber machine gun developed in 1938 by Rheinmetall-Borsig and produced from 1940 to 1945. The MG 131 was designed for use at fixed, flexible or turreted, single or twin mountings in Luftwaffe aircraft during World War II. It was also license-built in Japan for the Imperial Japanese Navy as Type 2 machine gun.[1]
It was one of the smallest of the heavy machine guns of that war, with a weight of 16.6 kilograms (37 lb), less than 60% of the
Lower ballistic properties that were still adequate for the task were obviously seen as an advantage: the gun was very accurate (35 x 45 cm spread at 100 m), and the barrel wore out much less quickly (barrel life of the MG 131 was 17,000 rounds), which meant that ballistic properties deteriorated more slowly.
It was installed in the
The MG 131 fired electrically primed ammunition in order to sustain a high rate of fire when shooting through the propeller disc of a single-engined fighter. A pair of MG 131 machine guns was used as cowl armament on later models of the Bf 109G and the Fw 190.
Technical data
- Weight : 16.6 kilograms (37 lb)
- Length : 1.17 metres (3.8 ft)
- Muzzle velocity : ~ 750 metres per second (2,500 ft/s)
- Rate of fire : 900 rpm AP-API ; 930 rpm HEF-HEFI-I
- Accuracy : 35 x 45 cm spread at 100 m
- Barrel Life : 17,000 rounds
Ammunition specifications
The MG 131 is the sole user of the electrically-primed 13×64mm B cartridge. A mechanically-primed variant was produced in small quantities in Spain for unknown uses.
German designation | US abbreviation | Projectile weight [g] | Bursting charge [g] | Muzzle velocity [m/s] | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 mm Sprenggranatpatrone L'spur El. mit/ohne Zerleger | HEF-T | 34±1 | 1.2 - 1.4 g HE ( lead azide)-(tetrazene explosive )
|
750 | Nose fuze, tracer, with or without self-destruct |
13 mm Brandsprenggranatpatrone L'spur/Gl'spur El. ohne Zerleger | HEFI-T | 34±1 | 0.9 g HE () | 750 | Nose fuze, tracer, no self-destruct |
13 mm Brandgranatpatrone El. ohne Zerleger | I | 32±1 | ? g incendiary ( Al+Mg )
|
770 | Nose fuze, no tracer, no self-destruct
On impact, the priming charge shears away the grenade's cardboard head and sheet metal cap and ignites the incendiary charge in the projectile, which is sprayed forward up to 5 m of projectile travel.
|
13 mm Brandgranatpatrone L'spur/Gl'spur El. ohne Zerleger | I-T | 34±1 | ? g incendiary (BaNO3+Al+Mg) | 770 | Nose fuze, tracer, no self-destruct
On impact, the priming charge shears away the grenade's cardboard head and sheet metal cap and ignites the incendiary charge in the projectile, which is sprayed forward up to 5 m of projectile travel.
|
13 mm Panzergranatpatrone L'spur/Gl'spur El. ohne Zerleger | AP-T | 38,5±1 | none (bakelite filling in cavity) | 710 | No fuze, tracer, no self-destruct. Penetration 10-14-17 mm of armour at 60-75-90-degree impact, 100 m range. |
13 mm Panzerbrandgranatpatrone (Phosphor) El. ohne Zerleger | API | 38±1 | 0.36 g incendiary ( WP )
|
710 | No fuze, no tracer, no self-destruct. Penetration 10-14-17 mm of armour at 60-75-90-degree impact, 100 m range. Incendiary effect also against protected fuel tanks when the specially hardened tail section of the grenade and the incendiary capsule break. The range of the incendiary effect extends over a distance of 2 m after the incendiary charge is released. |
See also
- List of common World War II infantry weapons
- List of firearms
- Type 2 machine gun
- M2 Browning machine gun
References
- ISBN 0-7643-2097-1.
- ^ "Kurzbeschreibung Focke-Wulf Ta 400 Fernkampfflugzeug - Heckstand" (PDF). deutscheluftwaffe.de. Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau, Bremen. October 13, 1943. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 24, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
External links
- Municion.org query for 13 x 64 ammunition (for more types with images and markings)
- Image
- http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Waffen/Bilderseiten/bordwaffen-R.htm
- [1]
- https://web.archive.org/web/20071130005600/http://library.thinkquest.org/C006001/armament/mg131.html
- https://web.archive.org/web/20091027135418/http://geocities.com/Augusta/8172/panzerfaust5.htm