Breda 30
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| Fucile Mitragliatore Breda Modello 30 | |
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| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin | .svg/22px-Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946).svg.png){kind=small} Kingdom of Italy |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1930 to 1945 |
| Used by | Italy |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1930 |
| Manufacturer | Breda Meccanica Bresciana |
| Produced | 1930 to 1945 |
| Number built | ? |
| Variants | Breda M37 (cal. 7.65 mm) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 10.6 kg |
| Length | 1230 mm |
| Barrel length | 450 mm |
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| Cartridge | 6.5x52mm Mannlicher-Carcano |
| Action | blowback |
| Rate of fire | ~ 500 round/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 630 m/s |
| Effective range | 800 m |
| Maximum range | 3000 m |
| Feed system | 4 stripper cilps of 5 round stripper clip = 20 rounds |
The Fucile Mitragliatore Breda modello 30 was the standard light machine gun of the Italian army during World War II.
The Breda 30 is widely regarded as a poor weapon. It had fragile clips, a slow rate of fire, used the underpowered 6.5x52mm cartridge and was prone to jamming.
It was magazine fed from the right side. The magazine was attached to the gun, and was loaded using brass or steel 20 round stripper clips.
This weapon is interesting in that it fired from a closed bolt alongside using Blowback for its action, and had a small lubricating device that sprayed oil on each cartridge as it entered the chamber. This system allowed the chamber and barrel to heat rapidly, which caused rounds to "cook off" (fire) before they were fully in the chamber. The oil from the lubrication also quickly picked up dust and debris, making the weapon highly prone to jamming during the North African Campaign.
Some Bredas were retooled as the M37 to take the 7.35 mm cartridge the Italians were attempting to adopt, but that was short-lived as production never allowed full adoption of the new calibre.
The Breda 30 was also mounted in a number of Italian armored fighting vehicles.
Firing from a closed bolt causes the round to cook off once sitting in the chamber, not during loading. Any MG can have an out of battery fire (firing before fully loaded) due to overheat, though open bolt guns do generally cool a little better.
This is a clear problem because when the round cook off the crew may be relocating (normal after extremely heavy firing), and there is a chance the barrel may be pointed in an unsafe direction(regardless of training and common sense).
[edit] External links
| Italian firearms and light weapons of World War II |
|---|
| Side arms |
| Beretta M1934 | Beretta M1935 | Glisente M1910 |
| Rifles & carbines |
| Fucile di Fanteria Mo.1891 Moschetto Mo.91 da Cavalleria | Moschetto per Truppe Speciali Mo.91 | Mo. 1938 |
| Submachine guns |
| Beretta 1918 | MAB 38 | OVP | FNAB-43 | TZ-45 |
| Machine guns & other larger weapons |
| Fiat-Revelli M1914 | Fiat Revelli M1935 | Breda M1930 | Breda M1937 Breda M1938 | Brixia M1935 |
| Cartridges used by the Italian Army during World War II |
| .32 ACP | .380 ACP | 6.5 x 52 Mannlicher-Carcano | 7.92x57 mm Mauser | 9 mm |
