Monday, 31 August 2015

Imperial Japanese Navy Ammunition - 7.7mm, 13mm, and 13.2mm Projectiles



Navy Projectiles: Part 1


 
7.7mm Aircraft Machine Gun Ammunition

 
 

                             Ball               AP                 Incendiary             Tracer               H.E.
Overall Length:            3.03 in           3.01 in            3.04 in                    3.04 in                3 in
Length of case:           2.21 in           2.21 in            2.21 in                    2.21 in                2.21 in
Length of projectile:     1.28 in           1.59 in            1.53 in                    1.40 in                1.32 in
Weight of projectile:     173.6 g                                133.2 g                  130.4 g

 
Type --- Projectile Jacket --- Projectile Core
 
        Ball --- CuNi --- Lead      
AP --- Brass --- Steel
Tracer --- CuNi --- Lead
Incendiary --- Brass --- W.P. and Lead
H.E. (Blunt Nose) --- Copper --- PETN and Lead
 
Used by the following weapons

 
Type 92 A.A.M.G. (Lewis Design)
Type 92 flexible A.C.M.G. (Lewis Design)
Type 97 fixed A.C.M.G. (Vickers Design)
 
Type --- Primer Color

Ball --- Black
AP --- White
Tracer --- Red
Incendiary --- Green
H.E. --- Purple

 
Remarks

This ammunition is used in Navy aircraft.  There is no sequence of loading.
All the rounds are rimmed.  They are interchangeable with British caliber 303.
The Type 92 AAMG and ACMG use a drum magazine, and the Type 97 uses a link belt feed.






13mm Aircraft Machine Gun Ammunition

 
                     Tracer                    A.E.T.               Incendiary
Overall Length:                          4.12 in                    4.12 in               4.12 in
Length of case:                         2.5 in                      2.5 in                 2.5 in
Length of projectile (w/o fuze):    1.57 in                    1.57 in               1.57 in
Weight of projectile (empty):       27.2 g                     24.6 g                24.3 g

Type --- Projectile Jacket --- Projectile Core

Ball --- Copper --- Lead
APT --- Copper --- Steel
Tracer (Dummy fuze plug) --- Copper --- Lead
Incendiary --- Copper --- W.P. and Lead
H.E.T. (Fuzed) --- Copper --- PETN and Lead 
H.E. (Fuzed) --- Copper --- PETN and Lead

 
Used by the following weapons
Type 2 A.C.M.G. (Copy of German 13mm Rheinmetall-Borsig)

 
Type --- Body Color

Ball --- Black
A.P.T --- White
Tracer --- Red
Incendiary --- Yellow
H.E.T. --- Red (with brown band)
H.E. --- Maroon (rust)

 
Remarks

This ammunition has a reduced-rim brass case with a shoulder above the extractor groove.
All rounds have a nose fuze or a dummy fuze plug.
The body of the projectiles are paitned in distinctive colors after the system used in 20mm aircraft cannon ammunition.







13.2mm Aircraft Machine Gun Ammunition

 
 
               Tracer              A.P.                 H.E.I.             
Overall Length:                        5.37 in             5.37 in             5.37 in
Length of case:                       3.87 in             3.87 in             3.87 in
Weight of projectile (empty):    44.8 g              51.8 g              44.3 g
 
Type --- Projectile Jacket --- Projectile Core
Ball --- Copper --- Lead
Tracer  --- Copper --- Lead
AP --- Copper --- Steel
H.E.I. --- Copper --- PETN and Incendiary Composition
 
Used by the following weapons
 
Type 93 AAMG
Type 3 Fixed/Flexible ACMG
 
 
Type --- Color Around Primer
 
Ball --- Black
Tracer --- Red
A.P. --- White
H.E.I. --- Yellow
H.E. --- Maroon (rust)

Remarks
This ammunition has a rimless brass case.  It is very similar in appearance but not interchangeable with U.S. cal .50.
The standard Navy code for marking small arms ammunition is used.



Next Time: 20mm Projectiles 

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