Fiat–Revelli Modello 1914

Italian water-cooled medium machine gun

Fiat–Revelli Modello 1914

Type	Medium machine gun
Place of origin	Italy
Service history
In service	1914–1945
Used by	Italy, Austria-Hungary
Wars	World War I Vlora War Second Italo-Abyssinian War Spanish Civil War^[1] World War II
Production history
Designer	Abiel Revelli
Manufacturer	Fiat
Produced	1914-1918
No. built	~47,500
Specifications
Mass	17 kg gun (without water) + 22.4 kg tripod
Length	1180 mm
Barrel length	654 mm

Cartridge	6.5×52mm Carcano
Action	Delayed blowback
Rate of fire	400–500 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	800 metres per second (2,600 ft/s)
Feed system	50-round or 100-round strip-feed box magazine
Sights	Iron

The Fiat–Revelli Modello 1914 was an Italian water-cooled medium machine gun produced from 1914 to 1918. It was the standard machine-gun of the Italian Army in World War I, and was used in limited numbers into World War II.^[2] The ammunition was fed from an awkward large box magazine, which could hold 50 rounds and fired the same 6.5mm round issued for the Carcano rifle. Like many machine guns of that period, it was water cooled and somewhat cumbersome. ^[3]

Overview

It was very similar to the Maxim in appearance (it had a similar-looking water-cooling jacket and tripod), even though its internal workings were entirely different.

Some sources claim that it had a cartridge-oiling system, but the weapon manual does not mention its presence, and it seems that only a 1930 version briefly incorporated such a system.^[4] It was fed from a 50-round or 100-round magazine referred to as a "strip-feed box," divided into ten or twenty compartments, each fed from a rifle clip. This magazine arrangement made it relatively slow to reload, prone to malfunction, and very uncomfortable in its sustained-fire role.

It was chambered for the 6.5×52mm Carcano, which eased logistics (as it was the same cartridge of the Carcano rifle, though it could not be loaded using the 6-round en-bloc clips issued for rifles) but made it somewhat underpowered compared to higher-calibre weapons, weighed 17 kg (37 lb) (the tripod weighed 21.5 kg (47 lb)) and had a firing rate of 400-500 rpm (rounds-per-minute), rather low for this type of machine gun.^[5]

One feature was the presence of select-fire, which allowed for the choice between single shot, "normal" fire, and full automatic fire.

It was developed into the Fiat–Revelli Modello 1935.

The machine gun saw some use within armored vehicles, such as the Ansaldo Light Tank Prototype 1931,^[6] a precursor to the L3/33 tankette.

References

^ Esdaile, Charles J. (10 October 2018). The Spanish Civil War: A Military History. ISBN 9780429859298.
^ Popenker 2015
^ "MITRAGLIATRICE MODELLO 14 - Quartermaster Section".
^ Segal 2012
^ Big set N°20 Armi della fanteria (infantry weapons) by John Weeks
^ "Ansaldo Light Tank Prototype 1931 - Tanks Encyclopedia". Tank Encyclopedia. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2022.

Sources

Popenker, Maxim (2015). "Modern Firearms: FIAT-Revelli M1914 and M1914/35 machine gun (Italy)". World Guns.
Segal, Robert G. (10 January 2012). "FIAT Revelli Modello 1914". Small Arms Defense Journal. 3 (2).

External links

YouTube Animation showing mechanism of Fiat-Revelli machine gun
YouTube Animation illustrating some additional features of Revelli mechanism

v t e Italian firearms and light weapons of World War II
Side arms	Beretta M1923 Beretta M1934 Beretta M1935 Roth–Steyr M1907 Steyr M1912 Glisenti M1910 Bodeo Model 1889
Rifles and carbines (fucili e moschetti)	Fucile da Fanteria Mod. 1891 Moschetto Mod. 91 da Cavalleria Moschetto per Truppe Speciali Mod. 91 Fucile Mod. 1938 Armaguerra Mod. 39 rifle Moschetto Automatico Revelli-Beretta Mod. 1915
Submachine guns	MAB 38 Onorati Carabinetta Automatica O.V.P FNAB-43 OG-43 TZ-45
Machine guns and other larger weapons	Fiat-Revelli Mod. 1914 Fiat Revelli Mod. 1935 SAFAT M1926 Breda-SAFAT Breda Mod. 1930 Breda Mod. 5C Breda Mod. 1937 Breda Mod. 1938 Solothurn S-18/1000 Fucile Controcarro 35(P)
Grenades	OTO Mod. 35 OTO Mod. 42 SRCM Mod. 35 Breda Mod. 35 Breda Mod. 42 L Type P Bomb
Mortars (mortai)	Brixia Model 35 81/14 Model 35 Mortar
Cartridge	.32 ACP .380 ACP 6.5×52mm Mannlicher-Carcano 7.35×51mm Carcano 8×57mm IS 8×59mm Rb Breda 9×19mm Glisenti 9×19mm Parabellum 20×138mmB