Fiat–Revelli Modello 1935

Mitragliatrice Fiat–Revelli Modello 1935

A Fiat-Revelli 35, mounted on its tripod.
Type Heavy machine gun
Place of origin Kingdom of Italy
Service history
In service 1937-1945
Used by Italy
Wars World War II
Production history
Designed 1934
Manufacturer Società Metallurgica Bresciana
Produced 1935-194
Number built not known
Variants none
Specifications
Weight 17 kg gun + 23 kg tripod
Length 1250 mm
Barrel length 654 mm

Cartridge 8x59mm RB Breda
Caliber 8mm
Rate of fire 600 round/min
Muzzle velocity 750 m/s (2,460 ft/s)
Effective firing range 1000 m
Feed system Belt feed
Italian soldiers firing a Fiat-Revelli 35.

The Fiat–Revelli 35 was a modified version of the Fiat–Revelli Modello 1914, which had equipped the Italian Army of the Great War.[1]

Overview

Italian soldiers aiming a Fiat-Revelli 35.

The gun has an overall length of 50 inches, including its 25.75 inch barrel. Unloaded, the gun weighs 40lbs. Like the Modello 1914, the Modello 35 is a complete weapon system made up of the machine gun unit, the tripod mounting assembly and ammunition supply, and therefore required a multi-person crew to operate.[2]

The Modello 1914 had seen widespread use during the Great War, but its flaws (excessive weight, water-cooling and its use of the underpowered 6.5x52mm Carcano) became more and more apparent as time passed; while the Italian Army was beginning to develop the new Breda M37, it was seen convenient to modernize the many Modello 1914s still existent. The Modello 35 opted for a more conventional belt feed, air-cooling, rechambering for the 8x59mm RB Breda and, after an unsuccessful attempt, discarding an oil pump to lubricate the bullets as on the Breda 30 light machine gun (but some sources claim that, as the Modello 1914, this weapon still featured this troublesome design, which is not mentioned in any of the technical manuals).[3]Also, the machine gun was prone to the cook-off of the chambered rounds during the pauses of firing.[4]

The rechambering to the 8mm calibre and the adoption of a belt feed succeeded in improving both the stopping power and the rate of fire of the machine-gun; however, it reportedly suffered from jammings rather often.

See also

Notes and references

  1. http://world.guns.ru/machine/it/fiat-revelli-m1914-m1935-e.html
  2. Nathan Block. "FIAT-Revelli Modello 1935 Heavy Machine Gun (1935)". Military Factory. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  3. "Mitragliatrice Fiat Mod. 35". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  4. The Italian Army 1940-45 (1): Europe 1940-43 By Philip S. Jowett, p. 13
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