St. Étienne Mle 1907

St. Étienne Mle 1907

 St. Étienne Mle 1907

  St. Étienne Mle 1907

  St. Étienne Mle 1907

  St. Étienne Mle 1907

  St. Étienne Mle 1907

  St. Étienne Mle 1907

  St. Étienne Mle 1907

  St. Étienne Mle 1907

 St. Étienne Mle 1907

The French St. Étienne Mle 1907 (French: Mitrailleuse Mle 1907 T) was a gas operated air-cooled machine gun in 8mm Lebel which was widely used in the early years of the First World War.It was not derived from the Hotchkiss machine-gun, as often repeated erroneously. It was instead a gas operated blow-forward design borrowed from the semi-automatic Bang rifle of 1903. The Bang system was transposed in 1905 to the French "Puteaux" APX machine-gun which soon proved to be unsatisfactory. Then, two years later, the Mle 1907 "St-Etienne" machine gun followed as an improved redesign of the "Puteaux" machine gun. However the Mle 1907 "Saint Etienne" was only a partial redesign : the original blow-forward gas piston, rack-and-pinion system and bolt mechanism of the Mle 1905 " Puteaux" machine gun had all been kept unmodified inside the newer weapon . Eventually a total of over 39,000 "St-Etienne" Mle 1907 machine guns were manufactured between 1908 and late 1917. They were widely used by French infantry during the early part of WW-1 until their replacement by the simpler and more reliable Hotchkiss M1914 machine-gun.
History
Around the turn of the century the French military evaluated machine guns made by the private French firm of Hotchkiss et Cie. While the tests were technically convincing, following which Hotchkiss machine-guns were purchased for French alpine and colonial troops, it was decided for political reasons that a machine gun for French line infantry had to originate from state-owned arms manufactures. A first attempt by a French government arsenal near Paris( APX )was the Puteaux M1905 machine gun inspired by the first gas actuated blow forward Bang rifle system of 1903. It was a deliberate attempt to develop an infantry machine gun that would be mechanically different, as much as feasible, from the patented Hotchkiss Mle 1900 machine gun design. However the M1905 Puteaux machine gun soon proved to be unsatisfactory. Consequently, the national arsenal at Saint Étienne (MAS) thoroughly reworked and modified the Puteaux machine gun resulting in some measure of improvement but also increased complexity (64 component parts for the St Etienne Mle 1907 vs only 32 parts for the Hotchkiss Mle 1914). Barrel changes on the Mle 1907 St Etienne were much easier than on the M1905 Puteaux and its firing rate could be set at any point between 8 rounds per minute and 650 rounds per minute. Either metal strips or fabric belts, the latter introduced in 1916, for the 8mm Lebel ammunition could be used. However, in the muddy environment of trench warfare the mechanically complex St Étienne Mle 1907 suffered from frequent stoppages and was difficult to maintain by frontline soldiers. A quote from a French post-war military evaluation says it all : " admirable weapon, patented clockwork but temperamental and sparing its whims only to the most meticulous machine-gun virtuosos " ( Revue d"Infanterie No487, p. 486, April 1933). The Mle 1907 St Etienne had to be taken away from the front lines, beginning in July 1917, and progressively replaced by the simpler and much more reliable Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun. Large numbers of the M1907 St Etienne machine gun were then transferred to military units in the rear, to the French colonies and also to the Italian Army. Many also ended up in the Greek Army during the 1920s. Altogether 39,700 Mle 1907 St Etienne machine guns had been manufactured when the decision to close down their last assembly line was taken in November 1917.

SIG MG 710-3

SIG MG 710-3

 SIG MG 710-3

  SIG MG 710-3

  SIG MG 710-3

  SIG MG 710-3

  SIG MG 710-3

  SIG MG 710-3

  SIG MG 710-3

  SIG MG 710-3

 SIG MG 710-3

The SIG MG 710-3 is a Swiss 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) designed and manufactured by SIG - Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (currently Swiss Arms AG). The weapon was developed as a commercial venture primarily for export, since the Swiss Army had already adopted the 7.5 mm MG 51 GPMG (chambered for the 7.5×55mm Swiss Schmidt-Rubin rifle cartridge), produced by the federal arms factory W+F.
Development
Work on the SIG MG 710-3 machine gun (initially designated the Model 55, changed in 1957 to SIG MG 710) began in 1955 and its design was influenced by the MG 45, a late World War II development of the German MG 42 machine gun. These efforts resulted in the SIG MG 710-1 (adapted to use the 6.5×55mm round) and the SIG MG 710-2 (with the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge), while the prototype for the final production version which would become the SIG MG 710-3 (chambered in a standard NATO 7.62×51mm caliber) was completed by the mid-1960s. Currently the weapon is in use by the armed forces of Bolivia, Brunei, Chile, Liberia,and Liechtenstein
Design details
The SIG MG 710-3 is an automatic, air-cooled belt-fed weapon operated by roller-delayed blowback and fires from an open bolt. The machine gun's bolt differs from other contemporary designs employing the short recoil method of operation (such as CETME and Heckler & Koch designed weapons), being a 3-piece design that consists of a bolt head with two locking rollers, a striker sleeve and the bolt carrier which is connected telescopically with the bolt head. When a round is chambered pressure from the return spring drives the bolt and carrier assembly forward; simultaneously both rollers engage camming surfaces which drive the rollers outward from their compressed travel position into recesses in the barrel extension. Upon firing, the bolt carrier and striker assembly recoil to the rear and the geometry of the fixed camming surfaces drives the rollers inward unlocking the bolt breech and increasing the speed at which the striker sleeve withdraws relative to the bolt. As the slower bolt continues rearward it impacts the returning striker sleeve (this impact decelerates the bolt).
The bolt assembly also contains the spring extractor, while a lever case ejector is located at the base of the feed tray. Spent casings are ejected downward. The weapon has a striker firing mechanism, a trigger assembly for fully automatic only fire and a cross-bolt safety (the "safe" setting disables the bolt catch).
The SIG MG 710-3 is fed from the left side by either NATO standard disintegrating M13 (U.S.) or continuous link German DM1 belt, but only after swapping several parts in the feed block. When used in a light machine gun role, the ammunition belt is stored in a sheet metal container that has a 50-round capacity and is attached to the left side of the receiver. The feeding mechanism resembles the one used in the MAG machine gun (a simplified version of the MG 42's feed system) operated with a feed arm driven by the motion of the striker sleeve. The belt is fed in two stages during both the forward and rear movement of the bolt assembly.
The quick-change barrel, ended with a slotted flash suppressor, has a fixed handle used to remove it. The machine gun uses three types of barrels: a light profile, heavy profile (in a heavy machine gun role), and special type (used for firing blank ammunition).
The firearm has a fixed stock (metal or wood), detachable bipod and open-type sights (rear sight is a sliding tangent with settings from 100 to 1200 m with 100 m increments). Used as a static heavy machine gun the weapon is placed on a SIG L810 tripod. It is also adapted to use an optical sight (with 2.5x magnification) or a night vision device.

SG-43 Goryunov

SG-43 Goryunov

SG-43 Goryunov

SG-43 Goryunov

SG-43 Goryunov

SG-43 Goryunov

SG-43 Goryunov

SG-43 Goryunov

SG-43 Goryunov

SG-43 Goryunov

SG-43 Goryunov

SG-43 Goryunov Ammo

SG-43 Goryunov

SG-43 Goryunov

SG-43 Goryunov Ammo

The SG-43 Goryunov was a Soviet medium machine gun (about the equivalent of the American M1919 Browning) that was introduced during the Second World War and is chambered for the 7.62x54mmR cartridge. It was introduced in 1943 as replacement for the older M1910 Maxim machine guns and was mounted on wheeled mounts, tripods and vehicles. After the end of World War II the SG-43 was improved and renamed SGM ("M" for modernized). A tank mounted variant was also developed under the designation SGMT. The SG-43/SGM was widely exported and also manufactured in China and elsewhere. Besides World War II it saw service in the Korean War with North Korean and Chinese forces. In Soviet service, it was replaced in the 1960s by the RPK and PK machine guns, because of the switch in Soviet tactical doctrine to the universal machine gun concept.

NTK-62

Sumitomo Type 62

 NTK-62

  NTK-62

  NTK-62

  NTK-62

  NTK-62

 NTK-62


The Sumitomo NTK-62 (62式7.62mm機関銃 Rokuni-shiki Nana-ten-rokuni-miri Kikanjū?) is the standard issue GPMG of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, known as the Type 62 GPMG. Though the Sumitomo Heavy Industries' M249 had largely replaced it in the J.G.S.D.F,the weapon still plays a support role as it is still used as a co-axial weapon in various armored vehicles, including tanks and APCs, as well as being a medium support machine gun.
Like most modern Japanese-made firearms, it was never exported
History
After years of using the Browning M1919A4 as its standard GPMG during the early days of founding the Japan Self-Defense Forces, Sumitomo Heavy Industries had manufactured the NTK-62 GPMG, designed at Nittoku Metal Industry (NTK) by Masaya Kawamura's team. The GPMG was made to meet the requirements of the Japanese Defense Agency.The designation "62" was present due to the fact that first batches of the NTK-62 were made in 1962 after development started in 1954.It was specifically adopted on February 15, 1962, effectively replacing the M1919 Browning machine gun in J.G.S.D.F service
Overview
The Sumitomo NTK-62 is a gas operated machine gun chambered in the 7.62mm NATO cartridge, belt fed with the use of M13 disintegrating links.It has an unusual feed tray as the pivoting lever is above the bolt in the receiver rather than in the feed tray cover found on most machine guns.
One can tell the difference between the NTK-62 from the FN MAG by the bipod, barrel, buttstock, and pistol grip as these changes were possibly made to suit Japan Self-Defense Forces' guidelines and standards. It is actually a heavily modernized version of the M1919 Browning machine gun as it uses a similar belt feed, position of trigger

Perino Model 1908

Perino Model 1908

 Perino Model 1908

  Perino Model 1908

  Perino Model 1908

 Perino Model 1908

The Perino Model 1908 was an early machine gun of Italian origin designed earlier in 1901 by Giuseppe Perino, an engineer (Tecnico dell'Artiglieria). Perino's design apparently was the first Italian-designed machine gun, and in its original configuration weighed in at a heavy 27 kilograms (60 lb). It was redesigned in 1910 and brought the weight down to 34 pounds (15 kg), which is more in keeping with other machine guns of its class and era. After various successful field tests, the gun was adopted by the House of Savoy and was used along with the Maxim guns in Italian service.

MG51

MG51

  MG51

  MG51 Ammo

  MG51

  MG51 Ammo

  MG51 Ammo

  MG51 Ammo

  MG51

  MG51

  MG51

 MG51

The 7.5 mm Maschinengewehr 1951 or Mg 51 is a general-purpose machine gun manufactured by W+F of Switzerland. The weapon was introduced into Swiss service when the Swiss Army initiated a competition for a new service machine gun to replace the MG 11 heavy machine gun and the LMG 25 light machine gun adopted in 1911 and 1925 respectively.
The MG 51 is based on the Second World War-era German MG 42 but made from heavier quality machined components and hence slightly heavier.
In around 1942 the Swiss army initiated a competition for a new service machine gun to replace both the “heavy” MG 11 and the “light” Lmg25, adopted in 1911 and 1925 respectively. Three participants joined the competition–government-owned Waffenfabrik Bern, and privately owned factories SIG and Hispano-Suiza. Waffenfabrik Bern based its development on the hugely successful German MG 42. The first prototypes emerged in around 1944, and looked much like MG42, although the shape of receiver and butt was somewhat different. The final design, which appeared in 1950, was in most respects similar to the MG 42, although many parts were produced by machining instead of stamping, and the locking system was changed from roller to flap locking. The resulting weapon was heavier than the German original, and much more finely made and finished. In certain respects it was a “Rolex” of machine guns. Until very recently MG 51 served as a primary infantry and vehicle machine gun for Swiss army, although it is now being gradually replaced in service with lighter and less expensive, but also less powerful 5.56mm FN Minimi machine gun of Belgian origin and manufacture. The MG 51 is a short-recoil-operated, locked breech, air-cooled and automatic only, belt-fed weapon. It uses a modified MG 42 type locking system with a two-piece bolt and dual locking flaps located in the front part of the bolt. These flaps engage the cuts made in the short barrel extension to provide rigid locking. Upon recoil, the flaps are retracted toward the center of the bolt, to unlock it. An additional lever-type bolt accelerator is provided; it is located in receiver, next to the barrel breech and below the bolt. The gun housing also somewhat resembles the German MG 42, although it is made from two separate parts – the barrel jacket (made from stamped steel) and receiver (a solid machined body). The barrel jacket is permanently welded to the front of the receiver. The barrel can be changed rapidly if required; the barrel change procedure is similar to that of the MG 42, with the locking latch located at the right side of the jacket, which is opened to provide a barrel replacement window.
The belt feed system is also similar to the MG 42, with single-stage cartridge feed that uses open-pocket steel belts (push-through type) and a two-stage belt pull (on both the opening and closing movement of the bolt). Feed is from the left side. For the mobile role, 50-round belts can be loaded into drum-type containers, which are clipped to the side of the gun. Standard sights are of the open type, but telescopic or night sight can be fitted to the gun if necessary. A folding bipod is fitted; for sustained or long range fire missions a universal tripod is provided. Early production guns had wooden pistol grips and buttstocks; more modern guns have polymer furniture. The Pz Mg 51/71 is a vehicle-mounted variant for armoured vehicles like the MOWAG Eagle scout car, the Panzer 68 battle tank and the Entp Pz 65 recovery tank.
The more modern Pz Mg 87 variant is used on the Pz 87 "Leopard 2" tank.