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Fucile Migliatore Breda Modello 30

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 12:29 Written by Administrator Thursday, 02 July 2009 03:26

The Breda Modello 30 was a light machine gun used by the Italian army during the Second World War. It was designed and manufactured by a company called Breda Meccnica Bresciana from 1930 to 1945.

The Breda 30 weighed 10.6 Kg and was 1230 mm long. The barrel was 450 mm long. It used a blowback mechanism and used the 6.5x52mm Mannlicher-Carcano calibre round. It was capable of firing at a rate of 500 rounds per minute and had an effective range of 800 meters.

The Breda 30 had many design flaws and was basically unworkable in the field. It had susceptible clips, a slow firing rate and made use of the 6.5x52mm cartridge that didn’t pack enough power. In addition, it was also prone to constant jamming when used continuously.

The machine gun had a detachable box magazine system and the magazine was fed from the right side of the gun. The magazine had a capacity of only 20 rounds which was not sufficient to maintain consistent and continuous firing. On the plus side, the magazine could be quickly filled using rifle chargers i.e. devices used to fill rifles with internal magazines.

The barrel design was also lacking. Though the barrel was designed to be quickly changed on overheating, the barrel didn’t have a handle and this made changing the hot barrel unusually difficult.

The Breda 30 also made use of an unusual firing mechanism. It has a small lubricating arrangement that sprayed drops of oil on each cartridge when it was introduced into the chamber. This system caused the chamber to get overheated after prolonged use and cause the cartridge to cook off prematurely even before entering the chamber fully. The oil would also pick up dirt and cause the gun to jam and malfunction.

The Breda 30 was used to design some variants like the M37 chambered for use with the 7.35 mm. However, none of these variants or the original gun saw widespread use and adoption. The Breda 30 was also used as a mounted machine gun on various Italian armoured vehicles.

Though the Breda 30 has some interesting and innovative features, it turned out to be a major failure and quickly disappeared from use in the field.