Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: PFactorDave on April 13, 2012, 05:27:31 PM
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Anybody know what one of those guns weighed and what the ammo weight is?
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http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/
should have the imfo you're looking for!
:salute
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Breda SAFAT
Gun weight: 12.5 kg (16.5 kg with 500 rounds)
Ammunition: 7.7x56R (identical to UK .303)
Projectile weight:
- Ball: Either 10.1, 10.6 or 11.3 grams, 775 m/sec or 760 m/sec (sources vary)
API-T: 12 g, 750 m/sec (tracer colour was red)
API/HE: 11.8 g, 750 m/sec
HE: Weight and velocity unknown (at least to me)
Tracer: Weight unknown, 760 m/sec
Rate of fire: 800-820 rpm. Some sources give 800-900 rpm.
NOTE: RoF is sometimes given in English-language sources as around 710-720 rpm, the same as for the larger 12.7 mm SAFAT, but I believe this is incorrect. Some sources attribute this RoF to synchronised guns. Other sources give 650-680 rpm with synchronisation gear.
The Breda SAFAT was in general a pretty lackluster weapon, although not quite as poor as some technical sources make it appear. English language sources usually give it a lower RoF, lower M/V and lighter ammunition than Italian sources credit it with.
The gun was a couple of kg heavier than most of its those deployed by other nations during the war, and the RoF was down by 300-400 rpm on most comparable weapons. In terms of gun 'horsepower' and power per kg of weight, its well towards to bottom of the pile of the 20 or so LMGs used in aerial warfare in WW2.
Ammunition performance was close to the British version of the Browning, and the Italians deployed quite advanced ammunition, including a dedicated HE round, an API round and even an API/HE and pure HE rounds! [/list]