The 12.7×108mm cartridge is a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun and anti-materiel rifle cartridge used by the former Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries, as well as China, Iran, and North Korea. It was invented in 1934 to create a cartridge like the German 13.2mm TuF anti-tank rifle round and the American .50 Browning Machine Gun round (12.7×99mm NATO).
It is used in the same roles as the NATO .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO) cartridge. The two differ in bullet shape and weight, and the casing of the 12.7 × 108 mm is slightly longer, and its larger case capacity allows it to hold slightly more of a different type of powder. The 12.7 × 108 mm can be used to engage a wide variety of targets on the battlefield, and will destroy unarmored vehicles, penetrate lightly armored vehicles and damage external ancillary equipment (i.e.: searchlights, radar, transmitters, vision blocks, engine compartment covers) on heavily armored vehicles such as tanks.Technical Intelligence Bulletins May - June 2003 It will also ignite gasoline and—since 2019—diesel fuel (experimental "Avers" AP/I round).
Cartridge dimensions The 12.7 × 108 mm has 22.72 ml (350 grains) H2O cartridge case capacity.
12.7 × 108 mm maximum cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm).
Americans define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 ≈ 18.16 degrees.
According to guidelines the 12.7 × 108 mm case can handle up to 360 MPa (52,213 psi) piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be proofed at 125% of this maximum CIP pressure to certify for sale to consumers.
Cartridge types
Soviet and Russian 12.7 × 108 mm types Б-30 (B-30) First version of 1930. Armor-piercing () bullet weighing and long with hardened steel core.Гнатовский Н. И., Шорин П. А. История развития отечественного стрелкового оружия. — М.: Военное изд-во Министерства обороны СССР, 1959, с. 235 Replaced by B-32. БЗТ (BZT) Pre-WW2 armor-piercing incendiary () tracer. Replaced by BZT-44. Б-32 (B-32) (GRAU# 57-BZ-542, 7-BZ-2) Steel-cored bullet. Main type in use. Penetrates NATO medium-hard RHA from at 0° when fired out of DShKM. Penetrates 2P steel from at 0° when fired out of NSV-12.7. First produced 1936; named after the B-32 7.62×54mmR ammunition of 1932. БС-41 (BS-41) API bullet weighing and long with a cemented carbide (Re8 WC-Co) core. Produced in small quantities at the beginning of WWII for the 12.7 mm Sholokhov anti-tank rifles (PTRSh-41). БЗТ-44 (BZT-44) (GRAU# 57-BZT-542) APIT with brighter tracer, usually used with B-32. Complemented by BZT-44M (GRAU# 57-BZT-542M) of 2002 with subdued tracer. БЗФ-46 (BZF-46) API bullet with (white) phosphorus (). Aircraft MG round. БС (BS) (GRAU# 7-BZ-1)сайт ЗАО НПЗ API bullet with cemented carbide (VK8 WC-Co, commonly called a "cermet" in Russian) core, developed in 1972. Ballistics also similar to B-32. / MDZ (GRAU# 7-3-2) Immediate-action incendiary. Used in belt with B-32 and BZT-44(M). 12,7 1СЛ (12.7 1SL) (GRAU# 9-A-4012) 12,7 1СЛТ (12.7 1SLT) (GRAU# 9-A-4427) Tandem / duplex cartridge with two bullets inside, in normal and tracer versions. Developed 1985 for use by helicopter against soft targets. 12,7СН (12.7SN) (GRAU# 7N34) Sniper cartridge (FMJ; AP). Bullet weighs and travels at ~. Bullet consists of hardened tool steel tip and lead body. Able to defeat lightly-armored vehicles at and RHA at . Entered production in the 2000s.АСВК КОРД 12.7х108 и ОСВ-96 - YouTube 12.7 Blank (GRAU# 7H1) 12.7 UCH Dummy (GRAU# 7H2)
Note that some WW2 bullets share designations with ones for 14.5×114mm.
Use
Rifles China 2000 – AMR-2 anti-materiel rifle 2005 – Zijiang M99 anti-materiel rifle 2006 – Zijiang M06 anti-materiel rifle 2010 – QBU-10 anti-materiel rifle 2012 – anti-materiel rifle 2021 – QBU-201 precision sniper rifle
Czechia 1996 – ZVI Falcon OP96 anti-material rifle 2000 – ČZW-127 anti-materiel rifle
Georgia 2013 – PDShP anti-materiel rifle
Hungary 1990 – Gepárd anti-materiel rifle
India 2007 – Vidhwansak anti-materiel rifle
Russia 1994 – V-94 anti-materiel rifle 1998 – SVN-98 experimental anti-materiel rifle 1998 – KSVK-12.7 anti-materiel rifle 2000 – OSV-96 anti-materiel rifle
Syria 2018 – Golan S-01 anti-materiel rifle
Ukraine 2017 – Snipex M
Serbia 1993 – Zastava M93 Black Arrow anti-materiel rifle 2012 – Zastava M12 Black Spear anti-materiel rifle
Machine guns China 1977 – Type 77 heavy machine gun 1988 – QJC-88 heavy machine gun 1989 – QJZ-89 heavy machine gun 2001 – QJH001 (M17G) hatch machine gun 2005 – CS/LM5 rotary machine gun 2023 – QJZ-171 (CS/LM23) heavy machine gun
Russia 1934 – ShVAK aircraft machine gun 1938 – DShK heavy machine gun 1939 – Berezin BS aircraft machine gun 1941 – Berezin UB aircraft machine gun 1953 – Afanasev A-12.7 aircraft machine gun 1971 – NSV-12.7 heavy machine gun 1973 – YakB-12.7 rotary aircraft machine gun 1998 – Kord-12.7 heavy machine gun 2010 – 6P62 handheld machine gun
Serbia 1987 – Zastava M87 heavy machine gun 2002 – Zastava M02 Coyote heavy machine gun
See also .50 BMG (American equivalent) 14.5 × 114 mm 20 mm caliber
References
Maxim Popenker, modernfirearms.net Cartridge Plant official site Tulammo official site ASVK Kord 12.7×108 and OSV-96 Youtube
Further reading Борцов А.Ю. "Пятилинейный", Мастер-ружье issue 110, May 2006, pp. 56–62
External links 12.7×108 large-caliber cartridges 12.7 mm cartridges for more types Russian Ammunition Page