Mg 51
| Mg 51 | |
|---|---|
 |
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| general information | |
| Military designation: | Machine Gun 51 (Mg 51) |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Arms factory in Bern |
| Manufacturer country: | Switzerland |
| Production time: | since 1951 |
| Model variants: | 51/71 |
| Weapon Category: | Army weapon |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1270 mm |
| Barrel length : | 563 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 7.5 mm (7.5 × 55 Swiss / GP 11 ) |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 50 cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Belts |
| Cadence : | 1000 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Series fire |
| Number of trains : | 4th |
| Twist : | 270 mm |
| Visor : | Rifle scope, open sights |
| Closure : | Support flap lock |
| Charging principle: | Recoil loader |
| Lists on the subject | |
The 7.5 mm machine gun 51 , abbreviated as Mg 51 , was the Swiss Army's first modern universal machine gun ; it replaced the heavy, water-cooled Mg 11 . In contrast to this, it could be shot from the carriage and front support. It has been in operation from 1951 to the present day, with the LMg 05 replacing it in the infantry ; it can still be found on vehicles and in fortresses.
Overview
The Mg 51 is an air-cooled recoil charger with support flap locking, short barrel return and belt feed. Thanks to a simple mechanism, the barrel can be exchanged within seconds, which is necessary because of the high level of heat generated during prolonged fire.
The manufacturing company is the Waffenfabrik Bern , which prevailed in the design competition against SIG developments and the MG HS 808 from Hispano Suiza.
Development, technology, equipment
The construction was strongly influenced by the tried and tested German MG 42 . Initially, it was even planned to buy MG 42s made in Czechoslovakia and convert them to the Swiss standard GP 11 rifle cartridge . The appearance, operation, function and ammunition feed of the Mg 51 largely correspond to this weapon.
In contrast to the MG 42, the majority of the production was carried out using a milling process instead of cold sheet metal forming, which increased the weight of the weapon, increased stability and increased production costs. In addition, according to the specifications of the KTA (War Technology Department), the rate of 1000 rounds / min was not allowed to be exceeded. The first prototypes still had the support roller lock of the MG 42, others had a delayed ground lock . Short shots were detected with all of these weapons, which could not be tolerated, since in Switzerland own troops are overshot during sharp combat exercises.
In order to avoid short circuits, the time of unlocking had to be precisely defined, which was achieved by means of support flaps instead of rollers. As a result, the impulse from the bolt head to the control piece was no longer sufficient to guarantee safe reloading even under adverse conditions. The control piece had to be accelerated additionally, which was done by a sling lever linked to the housing, which translated the impulse from the barrel and passed it on to the control piece.
The open sight ranges from 100 to 2000 m, the rifle scope has a field of view of 200 per thousand, a magnification of 2.3 and an adjustment range of up to 2000 m.
The mount allows point and scatter fire and enables precise and long groups of shots (100 shots) over greater distances. The ammunition box holds 202 rounds, the belt drum 52 rounds. Each weapon is equipped with a second breech and exchangeable barrels. The four barrels A to D from the original production were used for exercise, limited to series of 50 rounds. Barrels E and F were available in combat operations, which allowed several belts to be fired at 200 rounds (length in the ammunition box) one after the other. These runs withstood the corresponding warming. However, no cartridge was allowed to get stuck in the chamber, as was possible if the breechblock broke. Such a cartridge could ignite after a few tens of seconds due to the heating in the hot barrel.
commitment
The Mg 51 was usually shot from the gun carriage, the operating distance was 600 to 1500 m. When deployed at close range up to 600 m, the Mg 51 could fire short series of 6 to 8 shots from the front support, and it was also possible to shoot from a standing position with the hip stop. With the Flab mount, the Mg 51 was also used for frontal air combat up to a distance of around 800 m.
Versions
- Mg 51: standard version
- Mg 51/71: Version for vehicles like Mowag Eagle or Pz 68 .
- Mg 87: Version for the Pz 87
literature
- Swiss Army 2000, Huber & Co AG, Frauenfeld
Web links
- guns.ru (English)