The 15.2mm was the US .60 inch, originally designed in WW2 for an anti-tank rifle which never happened, then adopted for various aircraft MG projects, and finally necked out to 20mm to create the cartridge still used in the M61 Vulcan cannon, plus various other guns.
I assume that the photo is one from the Ammo Photo Gallery on my website.
yes, you posted that picture here. I assume that since that (mighty looking…) 15,2x114 exists, something must have been around that could fire it, were there no working prototypes of the ATR or the MG´s?
Did FN make a 15,2mm MG?
Yes, there was at least one prototype of the ATR, and some 300 T17 aircraft MGs were made - basically, a copy of the Mauser MG 151 modified to use the .60" cartridge. The first protoypes of what became the M39 revolver gun and M61 Gatling were also made in .60", until it was decided to switch to 20mm.
Did FN make a 15,2mm MG?
Not quite: their BRG HMG was first developed in 15x115 and later in 15.5x106, but neither made it into production.
Thank you Tony, -the fountain of MG wisdom;)
The switch to 20mm was most wise I guess, Couldn´t see the M61 enjoy so long a life as a 15,2mm weapon
The 15.2mm was the US .60 inch, originally designed in WW2 for an anti-tank rifle which never happened, then adopted for various aircraft MG projects, and finally necked out to 20mm to create the cartridge still used in the M61 Vulcan cannon, plus various other guns.
I did now about the U.S made MG 151s but none about the AT rifle, stand corrected :mrgreen:
Here is an interesting ammunition chart from april 1942. These are prints from the Holerit mechanical computers using punch cards to manage mass data.
It is interesting to see that barrel life was limited to 600 rounds and that in april 1942 no more 7,92mm anti tank rifles where made.
I wonder that brass case ammo ( 1,10 RM ) was cheaper than steel case ammo ( 1,30 RM ). An average worker get an monthly pay of app. 60 Reichsmark.
Interesting chart, thanks. Is remarkable the high number of blank ammo manufactured.
It seems remarkable the number of large rifles around and being used today.
I think it’s funny on any video of someone firing one they yell/holler and everyone that sees it fired does the same think. Talk about feeling the Power.
They are truly impressive weapons.
Speaking of larger bore anti-material rifles there are currently 50-80% receiver kits for the 50BMG on the market today at amazingly modest cost for those handy in gunsmithing, and I’m curious if anyone knows of any for these beasts like maybe a 20mm 50-80% kit? I would love to look into building one, would be a great winter project. 
Fascinating subject in any regard. Also interesting to me are the men who carried them in actual wartime use.
Hey, about that blank ammo in the chart, considering the period and the amount of training they were constantly doing, I’d say that makes sense.
Anyway, here is a link off a blog that wasn’t a bad story on monster bore rifles.
http://kitup.military.com/2007/08/return-of-the-e.html
Quote to self :
H. Krieghoff made not less interesting AT rifle model 43 (also known as PzB.40 K). Zul armsmasters presented seven prototypes with differences. They were gas-operated with wedge barrel locking. Most part of rifle components (excluding barrel and lock), was made out of steel sheet by punching. 8-round box-shaped magazine was fastened on the left side of the rifle. Rifle weighted 14kg, it’s overall length was 1570mm (1300mm with folded butt), while the barrel itself was 1150mm long
Photo of the Krieghoff panzerbüchse 40 7,92 mm AT.
Two not very high quality but interesting nevertheless images of the actual deployment of the Pzb 39, in France by ciclist troops and Russia.
Source: Waffen Arsenal Nº140: Deutsche Panzernahbekämpfungsmittel 1917-1945
Here’s another photo of the Pzb39 in use on the Russian front:
By the other side!
The russians never trew anything away.
Nice picture.
The only .60 cal ATR specimen(s) were protos , none were ever produced for issue. I have seen a picture of one, in a small blue book about ATR weapons, 20 odd yrs ago.
Correct - I have a copy of that book somewhere (“Know Your Anti-Tank Rifle” by Hoffschmidt, IIRC).
The .60" cartridge was used in various other experimental guns, all of them aircraft MGs. The T17 was the Mauser MG 151 modified to fire the .60, and som 300 of these were made in WW2 but never used. The first prototypes of what became the postwar M39 revolver cannon and the M61 Gatling were also made in .60", before the case was shortened and necked-out to 20mm calibre to obtain more destructive effect.
The Karabiner K-98 as antitank weapon.
The main weapon of the german infantry, The 98K, could be also used as antitank , or better said antiarmor when coupled with the firing cup “schiessbecher” the SchB was originally designed as a high explosive fragmentation grenade launcher for antipersonnel purposes. Starting In 1940 a special family of shaped charge grenades were introduced for fighting armor.
The Schiessbecher was basically a short rifled barrel with a caliber of 30mm and a length of 25cm. It weighed 0.75kg and was attached to the bore of the rifle. A rather complicated aiming device was mounted to the left of the original sights and allowed for aiming ranges of up to 300m.
Usually this device was trown away in the field and replaced by the rear sight or other “guesstimates” means to aim. the grenade s body reproduced a negative of the SchB rifling so that allowed a spin stabilized flight towards the target.
The first type of AT ammunition used was the Gewehrpanzergranate 30, a slim hollow charge grenade that fit into the SchB.
Gw.Pz.gr 30 squematic
Due the small bursting charge and lack of penetration this was replaced in late 1942 by the Gross Gewehrpanzergranate with a 5 cm warhead and 390 grams in total weight. The quoted penetration of the Gw Pz Gr Gross is 80 mm, teorically allowing to destroy or at list penetrate most of tanks in service up to 1944.
All the rifle grenades were propelled by a 7,92x57 treisspatrone, special blank.
Muzzle velocity was about 70-90 mps and range 100-200 m.
loading the GW Pz Gr 30
SchB with the Gross Pz grenate fit.
i never knew that existed, but I guess its not unexpected to find such a grenade launcher. I would think it to be useful against lightly armored vehicles, and fortified positions. (I think that might come in handy if the opposing soccer team is gaining too many goals:) )
The concept of the rifle launching grenades from the muzzle is still used, I know the israeli army have some models, the argentine army used both types, one HEDP with bullet “trap” to allow the normal FMJ cartrigdes for projection.
The Karabiner K-98 as antitank weapon. (II)
Other hollow charge grenade used in the K-98 was the GGP series.
The Gewehrgranate zur Panzerbekämpfung (“rifle grenade for fighting tanks”) of the company WASAG that was usually referred to under it’s abbreviation GGP or GG/P, it also carried the designation GGP 40 or GG/P 40. This larger weapon’s shaft could not fit into the SchB so a special spigot was attached to the muzzle in the rifle to fire it.
Over this spigot fits the hollow tail-piece of the grenade. It is fitted to the rifle, in the same manner as a bayonet, over the bayonet standard and foresight block, and is locked in position by a spring-loaded bolt.
On firing the propelling cartridge, the gasses pass out of the barrel of the rifle, through the spigot, and into the hollow tail-piece to propel the grenade.
The GGP was put in service in mid 1940, weighed 520g and had a length of 23.4 cm. The warhead had a diameter of 60mm and carried a shaped charge of 175g that enabled the GGP to penetrate 40mm of armor.
As it could not achieve a spin from the Schiessbecher’s rifling it had to depend on six stabilizing fins attached to the rear of it’s shaft for flight stabilization.
Later a longer cap was put onto the warhead that allowed for an earlier detonation of the shaped charge which increased the penetration performance to 45mm. This final production version of the GGP had a length of 29.5cm.
GGP improved
Video of the Solothurn S-18-100 cal. 20x105 used by Hungarian troops in the southern sector of the Eastern Front, august 1941.
