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Italian medium machine gun From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Fiat–Revelli 35 was an Italian machine gun, a modified version of the Fiat–Revelli Modello 1914, which had equipped the Italian Army of World War I.[2] It was a vast improvement on the early model, offering superior penetration power due to the adoption of belt fed 8mm (8x59) rounds. The Modello 35 also omitted the oil reservoir found on the earlier Modello 14. Later it was found that the new chamber still jammed and rounds had to be lubricated before use. Despite its faults the Modello 35 saw extensive action during World War II. [3]
| Mitragliatrice Fiat–Revelli Modello 1935 | |
|---|---|
A Fiat-Revelli 35, mounted on its tripod. | |
| Type | Medium machine gun |
| Place of origin | Kingdom of Italy |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1937–1945 |
| Used by | Italy |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1934 |
| Manufacturer | Società Metallurgica Bresciana |
| Produced | 1935–1943 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 17 kg gun + 23 kg tripod |
| Length | 1250 mm |
| Barrel length | 654 mm |
| Cartridge | 8x59mm RB Breda |
| Caliber | 8mm |
| Action | Blowback |
| Rate of fire | 600 round/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 750 m/s (2,460 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 1,000 m |
| Maximum firing range | 5,200 m |
| Feed system | Belt feed |
The gun has an overall length of 1700 mm, including its 650 mm barrel. Unloaded, the gun weighs 17 kg, while the tripod weighed 23 kg. Like the Modello 1914, the Modello 35 is a complete weapon system made up of the machine gun unit, the tripod mounting assembly and ammunition supply, and therefore required a multi-person crew to operate.[4]
The Modello 1914 had seen widespread use during the World War I, but its flaws (excessive weight, water-cooling and its use of the underpowered 6.5x52mm Carcano) became more and more apparent as time passed; while the Italian Army was beginning to develop the new Breda M37, it was seen convenient to modernize the many Modello 1914s still existent. The Modello 35 opted for a more conventional belt feed, air-cooling, rechambering for the 8x59mm RB Breda and, after an unsuccessful attempt, discarding an oil pump to lubricate the bullets as on the Breda 30 light machine gun (but some sources claim that, as the Modello 1914, this weapon still featured this troublesome design, which is not mentioned in any of the technical manuals).[5] Also, the machine gun was prone to the cook-off of the chambered rounds during the pauses of firing.[6]
The rechambering to the 8mm calibre and the adoption of a belt feed succeeded in improving both the stopping power and the rate of fire of the machine-gun; however, it reportedly suffered from jammings rather often.
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