Fiat–Revelli Modello 1914

Fiat–Revelli Modello 1914
Type Medium machine gun
Place of origin Kingdom of Italy
Service history
In service 1914-1945
Used by Kingdom of Italy, Austria-Hungary
Wars World War I
Vlora War
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
World War II
Production history
Manufacturer Fiat
Specifications
Weight 17 kg gun (without water) + 22.4 kg tripod
Length 1180 mm
Barrel length 654 mm
Cartridge 6.5×52mm Carcano
Action blowback
Rate of fire 400-500 rpm
Muzzle velocity 800 metres per second (2,600 ft/s)
Feed system 50-round magazine
Sights Iron

The Fiat–Revelli Modello 1914 was an Italian water-cooled medium machine gun produced from 1914 to 1918. It was the standard machine-gun of the Italian Army in the First World War, and was used in limited numbers into the Second World War.[1]

Overview

It was very similar to the Maxim in appearance (in fact it had the same air-cooling jacket and tripod), even though its internal workings were completely different.

Some sources claim that it had a cartridge-oiling system, but the weapon manual does not mention its presence, and it seems that only a 1930 version briefly incorporated such a system.[2] It was fed from a 50-round integral magazine divided in ten compartments, each fed from a rifle clip, an arrangement that made it rather slow to reload, prone to malfunction and very uncomfortable in sustained-fire role because of this magazine arrangement.

It was chambered for the 6.5×52mm Mannlicher–Carcano, which eased logistics (as it was the same cartridge of the Carcano rifle) but made it somewhat underpowered compared to higher-calibre weapons, weighed 17 kg (37 lb) (the tripod weighed 21.5 kg (47 lb)) and had a firing rate of 400-500 rpm (rounds-per-minute), rather low for this type of machine gun.[3]

An interesting feature was the presence of select-fire, which allowed for the choice between single shot, "normal" fire and full automatic fire.

It was developed into the Fiat–Revelli Modello 1935.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Popenker 2015
  2. ↑ Segal 2012
  3. ↑ Big set N°20 "armi della fanteria" (infantry weapons) by John Weeks
Sources

Further reading


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