There is very little known about the 8x87 (or 7,92x88) Spanish Anti-tank rifle. Spain also followed trends from Poland and Germany to produce a more economical means of defeating tank armour as well as light artillery pieces on infantry level. Developments in tank...

There were tentative and short-lived Austrian caliber reduction experiments done during the 1870’s but without great success. These appear similar to Roth case #44/3 but are tombak (Brass type alloy with high Cu content and between 5% - 20% Zn) instead of brass and...

During the mid to late 1860’s, various military powers in Europe were in process of changing their outdated percussion cap rifles to the newly developed self-contained metallic breech loading cartridge. Much of the work and research was done by the Mauser brothers,...

During October 1885 when Portugal ordered the Guedes Rifle from Steyr in Austria, the order also included 9,000 Kropatschek rifles, which would have indicated that they already saw the error of their ways by trying to introduce a single-shot rifle when the rest of the...

   After the end of WW1 and into the early 1920’s a lot of research went into the development of not just an anti-tank rifle, which soldiers first encountered during the last stages of the War, but also to defeat artillery pieces as a more economical means...

With the introduction of tanks during WW1, the need quickly arose for infantry anti-tank weapons. Late in World War 1, Germans introduced the first heavy anti-tank rifle – the 13.35mm Mauser Tank Gewehr Model 1918 based on the 7.92mm Mauser Model 98 rifle. This new...

This was one of a series of experimental rounds started in 1931 for the Karabinek KP-32 anti-tank rifle designed by Józef Maroszek as his academic thesis at the Faculty of Engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology. Trials were done around 1934-35 by the...

This was an unsuccessful high velocity experimental cartridge by Rheinmetall-Borsig designed for aircraft machine guns. It appears to have been a parallel development with the 13mm machine gun. At that time during WW2, the Germans were on the defensive and were taking...

Mr. Janacek was a Czech designer and his principles incorporated a rifle with a standard barrel, but with a tapered bore muzzle attachment which could be easily unscrewed and replaced. The bullet worked on the almost the same principle as the Gerlich bullet which was...

The Norwegians came to the same conclusion as most European Nations during the years post WW1 and that was that their 6.5x55SE was not powerful enough for machine gun use. The 7.92x57 M.98 was in use in Norway, but they introduced a new caliber with the case extended...

   During 1900 the Dutch put together a commission to study and evaluate the procurement of machine guns for the Dutch Military. Extensive test were performed with a variety of guns available and in the end, the most cost effective gun was selected by the...

   This was one of a series of British experimental cartridges dating from the 1920’s. It has a slight rebated rim.

   This was a development by Polte Magdeburg during the years between WW1 and WW2 similar to the 7x45 Polte when the Germans did research regarding short cased intermediate cartridges that culminated in the 7.92 Kurz. The Swiss were also doing research in...

          With the capitulation of Germany at the end of WW2, the Mauser factory fell in the French area of occupation. Most of the Mauser engineers were transferred to France, together with the machinery from these...

SYNTOWN MINIATURES, UDIMORE SUSSEX, ca 1986       04 = Mechanische Werkstatten, Königswartha...

   This is the predecessor of the 7.62x24.5mm sub caliber cartridge and was used as an anti-tank spotter round. It was phased out of service when the 7.62mm became standard, although it remained in use to some extent. The case was not based on the...

From a note in the IAA Journal 466:25 (March/April 2009). The VBR-B 7.92x24mm caliber was first developed in Belgium by Rik Van Bruaene on 14 April 2005 as a new defence cartridge for a PDW (Personal Defensive Weapon) with the first official pressure measurements and...

   This was one of a series of small, intermediate cartridges developed by Germany during the 1930’s. The 7.9x30 was done by Polte Armaturen und Maschinenfabrik AG at Magdeburg. Their experimental cartridges were generally shorter than the corresponding...

This was a Belgian experimental round for very early M.88 testing.   

   The German Heereswaffenamt (military weapons development establishment) contracted with Gustav Genschow & Co. (GeCO) during 1934 for the development of a smaller, lightweight cartridge. The Vollmer-Maschinenkarabiner 35 or M35 was developed in early...

The official Japanese service rifle was the 6.5x50 Type 30 that was adopted in 1897, right after the First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895). This was in the move towards smokeless powder and the Type 30 was eventually replaced by the Type 38 in 1905,...

The official Japanese service rifle was the 6.5x50 Type 30 that was adopted in 1897, right after the First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895). This was in the move towards smokeless powder and the Type 30 was eventually replaced by the Type 38 in 1905,...

The 7.65 Argentine Navy cartridge was designed by a Capt. Casey who used to be at DuPont who used a shortened 30-06 case and loaded with a 7.65mm bullet weighing 180gr. the prototype cases were from Frankford Arsenal. He proposed the design to the Argentine Naval...

Completed 2017/11/13   On the page describing the history and development of the 6.5 X 52 Carcano and other 6.5mm’s, one name surfaces throughout the late 1880’s onwards in practically all facets of military rifle and cartridge research, development and...

Developed by Uldarique Marga, who was an official in the Belgian Infantry. He was granted patents during 1899-1902 for an M.88 rifle loosely based on the Dutch Beaumont system. The rifle also had a sliding safety catch at the back of the bolt (not unlike modern...

Experimental cartridge for a Berthier rifle, probably for Turkey.    Bullet shown at 200% scale Shown below is drawing 7021 from SFM made in June 1891 that shows the "Turkish cartridge for Mr. Berthier" with cylinder-ogival bullet and drawing 8088E showing...

  ...

After World War II, the Mauser firearms factory was captured by French Forces and restarted to supply the French. Mauser's Department 37 development group was placed under control of the French War Department's armament group, Direction des Etudes et Fabrication...

This was a “Pistolengewehr” development dating from around 1921 by Swiss engineer Adolf Furrer, who was the director of Waffenfabrik Bern. The Pistolengewehr was a toggle-action short-recoil operated weapon with a side-mounted 30 round magazine with a wooden stock. It...