Lmg 25
| Lmg 25 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| general information | |
| Military designation: | Light machine gun 25 (Lmg. 25) |
| Developer / Manufacturer: |
Adolf Furrer / Weapons Factory Bern |
| Manufacturer country: | Switzerland |
| Production time: | 1925 to 1946 |
| Weapon Category: | Army weapon |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1163 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 8.65 kg |
| Barrel length : | 585 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 7.5 mm (7.5x55 Swiss / GP 11 ) |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 30 cartridges |
| Cadence : | 490 to 525 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Continuous fire , single fire |
| Closure : | Knee joint |
| Charging principle: | Recoil loader |
| Lists on the subject | |
The 1925 light machine gun , Lmg 25 for short, was the first machine gun in the Swiss Army that could be carried by a man . It was run from 1925 to the 1960s , when it was replaced by the Assault Rifle 57 and later by the LMg 05, which was procured in 2005 .
Overview
The Lmg 25 is a shooting recoil loader with a briefly sliding back barrel and knee joint , similar to the German 08 pistol .
The manufacturing company is the Waffenfabrik Bern , the designer was Colonel Adolf Furrer, Director of the Waffenfabrik Bern. The Lmg 25 is lighter than the water-cooled machine guns of the time, but was more complex to manufacture and therefore more expensive. In contrast to the pistol 08, the knee joint lock of the Lmg 25 is not bent by a control curve, but by a support joint attached to the extension of the rear joint . The Lmg 25 is considered accurate, but is susceptible to soiling due to large friction surfaces and small manufacturing tolerances as well as the large lateral opening of the breech block, which is necessary for the functioning of the knee joint, the closing flap of which opens automatically with the first shot. The ammunition is fed in from the right by means of a magazine, while the cases are ejected to the left. As a rule, the Lmg fires with advance ignition, ie the shot is released when the locked system is still in advance. This prevents it from hitting the housing, which has the effect that the Lmg has a constant kickback, rather a backward thrust, which has a positive effect on the shot precision. Since the recoil of the cartridge and the return of the barrel have to be very precisely coordinated with one another, a changeover switch was installed to ensure that the weapon would function properly when the weapon was tilted sharply downwards, with which the gunner could delay the ignition timing.
The Lmg 25 was used in the Swiss Army to increase firepower as the main weapon of light infantry units. In the fusilier group it was operated by 2 men and led by the group leader. The rest of the group was armed with carbine 31 and submachine gun. In addition to the bipod (front support), the mount served as a target aid and enabled more precise firing groups at greater distances. The rear support attached to the rear of the butt was adjustable in length and could also be attached to the fore-end as a handle, which simplified shooting from a standing position. With a flab visor, the flattened Lmg 25 could also be used to combat airplanes. The carriage was only used sporadically after the Second World War.
The Lmg was also used in numerous forts. In order to use the weapon in fortifications, the front bipod was removed and a bracket was attached in its place, which enabled shooting from the slot.
In contrast to Mg 11 , Lmg 25 was air-cooled. In the battle, a barrel change after 6 magazines (180 rounds) was planned in order not to overheat the barrel. However, a change had to be made less frequently if only short series (5-8 cartridges) were fired and the barrel was allowed to cool. Theoretically, the barrel change took 17 seconds.
Versions
- Lmg 25: standard version
- Lmg 25, special version for the cavalry with folding stock : Instead of the fixed piston, this could be folded down for easier transport. The rear leg of the mount for the cavalry was also shorter.
- Lmg 25 with telescopic sight rail: A mounting rail for a telescopic sight was retrofitted to some Lmg 25.
Web links
- Army Museum Bulletin (PDF; 216 kB)
- Knee joint closure
- ASMZ archive on E-Lib.ch, vol. 72, issue no. 2 of Feb. 13, 1926, pp. 49-69 (PDF, 16,124 kB)
literature
- Swiss Army (Ed.): Regl. 65.311 d, Das Leichte Maschinengewehr 25, Instructions for Arms Mechanics , Bern
- Lidschun, Reiner / Wollert, Günter: Encyclopedia of Infantry Weapons 1918 to 1945, Volume 2 , Bechtermünz, Augsburg 1998
Individual evidence
- ↑ Swiss Army: The Light Machine Gun LMG25 , edition 1939 (online PDF 8.82 MB) ( Memento from June 1, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ The light machine gun (Lmg and laf.Lmg) , Bern 1958
- ^ Bosson, Clément: The weapons of the Swiss soldiers, the personal armament of the Swiss soldiers then and now , Stuttgart 1982, p. 143