8×59mm Rb Breda

8×59mmRb Breda
A Breda cartridge discovered buried in the ground
TypeMachine gun
Place of originItaly, Kingdom of Italy
Service history
In service1935–1960s
Used byItaly, Portugal[1]
Wars
Production history
Designed1935
Produced1935–1960s
Specifications
Parent caseunknown
Case typerebated rim, bottleneck
Bullet diameter8.36 mm (0.329 in)
Land diameter8.0 mm (0.31 in)
Neck diameter9.14 mm (0.360 in)
Shoulder diameter10.80 mm (0.425 in)
Base diameter12.49 mm (0.492 in)
Rim diameter11.92 mm (0.469 in)
Rim thickness1.40 mm (0.055 in)
Case length58.84 mm (2.317 in)
Overall length80.44 mm (3.167 in)
Rifling twist240[2] or 245[3] mm
Primer typelarge rifle
Maximum pressure3150 atm 46,300 psi
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
13 g (201 gr) 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s) 4,057 J (2,992 ft⋅lbf)
13.4 g (207 gr) Ball mod. 35 750 m/s (2,500 ft/s) 3,768 J (2,779 ft⋅lbf)
12.57 g (194 gr) AP mod. 39
Source(s): [4][3]

8×59mmRb Breda was an Italian heavy arms cartridge. It is unusual in that it is one of the small number of cartridges designed with a rebated rim, meaning the rim of the cartridge is smaller in diameter than the body of the cartridge. The "Rb" in the designation stands for "rebated rim".

History and Usage

8×59mmRB Breda was a caliber created for use by the Royal Italian Army in World War II. The cartridge was originally designed for use in anti-aircraft heavy machine guns like the Breda M37, Breda M38, and Fiat–Revelli Modello 1935. It was also used in the experimental Pavesi M42 semi-automatic rifle. It was introduced in 1935 but is no longer in production today.

 Italy manufactured ammunition during the brief period the Breda machine guns were in Italian service.
 Albania manufactured ammunition after World War Two to use in Italian machine guns they captured during World War 2.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Abbott, Peter, and Rodrigues, Manuel, Modern African Wars 2: Angola and Mozambique, 1961-1974, Osprey Publishing (1998), p. 18
  2. ^ "Mitragliatrice Breda Mod 37 8mm 1940 | PDF".
  3. ^ a b Istruzione sulla Mitragliatrice Fiat 35 (PDF). Ministero della Guerra. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ Johnson, Melvin M. Jr. (1944). Rifles and Machine Guns. New York: William Morrow & Company. p. 384.
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