The 12.7×108mm cartridge is a
12.7 mm heavy machine gun
A heavy machine gun (HMG) is significantly larger than light machine gun, light, medium machine gun, medium or general-purpose machine guns. HMGs are typically too heavy to be man-portable (carried by one person) and require weapon mount, mountin ...
and
anti-materiel rifle
An anti-materiel rifle (AMR) is a rifle designed for use against military equipment, structures, and other hardware (materiel). Anti-materiel rifles are chambered in significantly larger calibers than conventional rifles and are employed to elimin ...
cartridge
Cartridge may refer to:
Objects
* Cartridge (firearms), a type of modern ammunition
* ROM cartridge, a removable component in an electronic device
* Cartridge (respirator), a type of filter used in respirators
Other uses
* Cartridge (surname) Ca ...
used by the former
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, the former
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...
countries, modern Russia, China and other countries. It was invented in 1934 to create a cartridge like the German
13.2mm TuF anti-tank rifle round and the American
.50 Browning Machine Gun round (12.7×99mm NATO).
It is used in the same roles as the
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
.50 BMG (
12.7×99mm NATO) cartridge. The two differ in bullet shape and weight, and the casing of the 12.7×108mm is slightly longer, and its larger case capacity allow it to hold slightly more of a different type of powder. The 12.7×108mm can be used to engage a wide variety of targets on the battlefield, and will destroy unarmored vehicles, penetrate lightly armored vehicles and damage external ancillary equipment (i.e.: searchlights, radar, transmitters, vision blocks, engine compartment covers) on heavily armored vehicles such as tanks. It will also ignite gasoline and—since 2019—diesel fuel (experimental "Avers" AP/I round).
Cartridge dimensions
The 12.7×108mm has 22.72
ml (350
grains
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legume ...
) H
2O cartridge case capacity.
![12,7 x 108](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/12%2C7_x_108.jpg)
12.7×108 maximum cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm).
Americans define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 ≈ 18.16 degrees.
According to guidelines the 12.7×108mm case can handle up to 360 MPa (52,213 psi) piezo pressure. In
C.I.P. regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be
proofed at 125% of this maximum CIP pressure to certify for sale to consumers.
Cartridge types
Soviet and Russian 12.7×108 types
; Б-30 / B-30
: First version of 1930. Armor-piercing () bullet weighing 49 g and 64 mm long with hardened steel core.
[Гнатовский Н. И., Шорин П. А. История развития отечественного стрелкового оружия. — М.: Военное изд-во Министерства обороны СССР, 1959, с. 235] Replaced by B-32.
; БЗТ / BZT
: Pre-WW2 armor-piercing incendiary () tracer.
Replaced by BZT-44.
; Б-32 / B-32 (
GRAU# 57-BZ-542, 7-BZ-2)
: Steel-cored bullet. Main type in use.
Penetrates 20mm NATO medium-hard RHA from 500m at 0° when fired out of DShKM. Penetrates 20mm 2P steel from 100m at 0° when fired out of NSV-12.7. First produced 1936; named after the B-32
7.62×54mmR
The 7.62×54mmR is a rimmed rifle cartridge developed by the Russian Empire and introduced as a service cartridge in 1891. Originally designed for the bolt-action Mosin–Nagant rifle, it was used during the late tsarist era and throughout t ...
ammunition of 1932.
; БС-41 / BS-41
: API bullet weighing 55.4 g and 51 mm long with a
cemented carbide
Cemented carbides are a class of hard materials used extensively for cutting tools, as well as in other industrial applications. It consists of fine particles of carbide cemented into a composite by a binder metal. Cemented carbides commonly use ...
(Re8 WC-Co) core. Produced in small quantities at the beginning of WWII for the 12.7 mm Sholokhov anti-tank rifles (PTRSh-41).
; БЗТ-44 / BZT-44 (GRAU# 57-BZT-542)
: APIT with brighter tracer, usually used with B-32. Complemented by BZT-44M (GRAU# 57-BZT-542M) of 2002 with subdued tracer.
; БЗФ-46 / BZF-46
: API bullet with (white) phosphorus (). Aircraft MG round.
; БС / BS (GRAU# 7-BZ-1)
: API bullet with cemented carbide (VK8 WC-Co, commonly called a "cermet" in Russian) core, developed in 1972. Ballistics also similar to B-32.
; / MDZ (GRAU# 7-3-2)
: Immediate-action incendiary. Used in belt with B-32 and BZT-44(M).
; 12,7 1СЛ / 12.71SL (GRAU# 9-A-4012)
; 12,7 1СЛТ / 12.7 1SLT (GRAU# 9-A-4427)
: Tandem / duplex cartridge with two bullets inside, in normal and tracer versions. Developed 1985 for use by helicopter against soft targets.
; 12,7СН / 12.7SN (GRAU# 7N34)
: Sniper cartridge (FMJ; AP). Bullet weighs 59.2 g and travels at ~790-800 m/s. Bullet consists of hardened tool steel tip and lead body. Able to defeat lightly-armored vehicles at 1500 m and 10 mm RHA at 800 m. Entered production in the 2000s.
АСВК КОРД 12.7х108 и ОСВ-96 - YouTube
/ref>
; 12.7 Blank (GRAU# 7H1)
; 12.7 UCH Dummy (GRAU# 7H2)
Note that some WW2 bullets share designations with ones for 14.5×114mm
The 14.5×114mm (.57 calibre) is a heavy machine gun and anti-materiel rifle cartridge used by the Soviet Union, the former Warsaw Pact, modern Russia, and other countries.
It was originally developed for the PTRS and PTRD anti-tank rifles, ...
.
Use
Anti-tank and anti-materiel rifles
* AMR-2 anti-materiel sniper rifle
An anti-materiel rifle (AMR) is a rifle designed for use against military equipment, structures, and other hardware (materiel). Anti-materiel rifles are chambered in significantly larger calibers than conventional rifles and are employed to elimin ...
* ČZW-127 anti-materiel sniper rifle
* Falcon OP-99 anti-material rifle
* Gepard anti-materiel rifles
Gepard, meaning "cheetah" in a number of languages, may refer to:
* Flakpanzer Gepard, a German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
* Flakpanzer 38(t), German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun used in World War II
* Gepárd anti-materiel rifle, a fam ...
* KSVK
The KSVK 12.7 (russian: Крупнокалиберная Снайперская Винтовка Ковровская (''Krupnokalibernaya Snayperskaya Vintovka Kovrovskaya''); en, Large-Caliber Kovrov Sniper Rifle) or Degtyarev sniper rifle is ...
anti-materiel sniper rifle
* OSV-96
OSV-96 (Russian: ОСВ-96) is a Russian heavy Semi-automatic rifle, semi-automatic precision rifle chambered for the 12.7×108mm.
Description
The rifle is capable of engaging infantry at a distance of up to 1800 meters and can combat material ...
anti-materiel sniper rifle
* PDSHP anti-materiel sniper rifle
* QBU-10
The QBU-10 or Type 10 sniper rifle is a semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle designed and manufactured by Norinco. First introduced in 2010, it has since seen use by the People's Liberation Army Ground Force, People's Liberation Army Navy, and Mari ...
anti-materiel sniper rifle
* Snipex M
Snipex M is a long-range single-shot 12.7mm rifle with automatic case ejection. Developed by XADO, XADO-Holding Ltd. company (Kharkiv, Ukraine).
Design
The Snipex М rifle is available in two versions. Snipex М75 has a barrel length of 750 ...
* SVN-98 experimental anti-materiel rifle
* V-94 anti-tank/anti-materiel rifle
* Vidhwansak
Vidhwansak (Sanskrit: "The Destroyer") is an Indian multi-caliber anti-materiel rifle (AMR) or large-caliber sniper rifle manufactured by Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli. It can be used in the anti-materiel role for destroying enemy bunkers, light ...
anti-materiel rifle
* Zastava M93 Black Arrow
The M93 Black Arrow ( sr, М93 Црна стрела/''M93 Crna strela'') is a 12.7×108mm anti-materiel rifle developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms.
Overview
The rifle was designed in 1993 and entered production in 1998. The primary purpos ...
anti-materiel sniper rifle
* Zastava M12 Black Spear
Zastava Arms ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Застава oружје, Zastava oružje) is a Serbian manufacturer of firearms and artillery, based in Kragujevac, Serbia. It was founded in 1853 when it cast its first cannon. It is the leading producer of firear ...
anti-materiel sniper rifle
* Zijiang M99
The Zijiang M99 is a semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle first introduced in 2005. It has since seen use by the People's Liberation Army Navy and Marine Corps in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, and has been seen in the hands of variou ...
anti-materiel sniper rifle
** Zijiang & Poly M99-I/M99B-I/M06 anti-materiel sniper rifle
* Zijiang LR-2/LR-2A anti-materiel sniper rifle
Heavy machine guns
* 6P62
6P62 (6П62) is the GRAU designation of a Russian handheld machine gun chambered for the 12.7×108mm round. Its project code name is unknown.
It is a large-frame automatic rifle with a short barrel and a folding bipod. It has a large compensating ...
handheld machine gun
* Afanasev A-12.7
The Afanasev A-12.7 is a heavy machine gun developed by Nikolay M. Afanasev in 1949 and adopted for service in 1953. This gun was supposed to have a considerably higher rate of fire than its predecessor, the Berezin UB aircraft machine gun. Due ...
heavy machine gun
* DShK
The DShK 1938 (Cyrillic: ДШК, for russian: Дегтярёва-Шпагина Крупнокалиберный, Degtyaryova-Shpagina Krupnokaliberny, links=no, "Degtyaryov-Shpagin large-calibre") is a Soviet heavy machine gun with a V-shaped but ...
heavy machine gun
* Berezin UB
The Berezin UB (russian: УБ - Универсальный Березина) (''Berezin's Universal'') was a 12.7 mm caliber Soviet aircraft machine gun widely used during World War II.
Development
In 1937, Mikhail Yevgenyevich Berezin bega ...
aircraft machine gun
* CS/LM5 Gatling machine gun
* M17G 12.7mm hatch machine gun
* NSV heavy machine gun
* Kord heavy machine gun
* Type 77 heavy machine gun
The Type 77 heavy machine gun or Type 85 is a Chinese 12.7×108mm heavy machine gun featuring an indigenous design.
History
During the mid-1970s, China decided to develop a lighter 12.7 mm machine gun to replace the Type 54 (indigenous DShK ...
* W85/QJC88 heavy machine gun
* QJZ-89
The QJZ-89, also known as the Type 89 heavy machine gun, is a heavy machine gun designed in the People's Republic of China and fires the Soviet 12.7×108mm ammunition.
History
In the early 1980s, Chinese firearms designers received scattered inf ...
heavy machine gun
* Zastava M02 Coyote heavy machine gun
* Yak-B 12.7mm Gatling gun
* Zastava M87 Zastava (Serbo-Croatian and Slovene for "flag") may refer to:
Organizations
* Zastava Arms
* Zastava Automobiles
** Zastava Special Automobiles
* Zastava TERVO, successor to Zastava Trucks
Places
*Zastava, Črnomelj
Zastava (; german: Sastaw ...
heavy machine gun
* Yu-12.7 aircraft gun
See also
* 20 mm caliber
20 mm caliber is a specific size of popular autocannon ammunition. It is typically used to distinguish smaller-caliber weapons, commonly called "guns", from larger-caliber "cannons" (e.g. machine gun vs. autocannon). All 20 mm cartridges ha ...
* 14.5×114mm
The 14.5×114mm (.57 calibre) is a heavy machine gun and anti-materiel rifle cartridge used by the Soviet Union, the former Warsaw Pact, modern Russia, and other countries.
It was originally developed for the PTRS and PTRD anti-tank rifles, ...
References
*
Maxim Popenker, modernfirearms.net
Cartridge Plant official site
Tulammo official site
ASVK Kord 12.7×108 and OSV-96 Youtube
Further reading
* Борцов А.Ю. "Пятилинейный", ''Мастер-ружье'' issue 110, May 2006, pp. 56–62
External links
for more types
{{DEFAULTSORT:12.7x108mm
Pistol and rifle cartridges
Military cartridges
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1935