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Modern Firearms |
Machine gun - the book
Machine guns introduction
Austria
Schwarzlose M07 M07/12
Steyr-Solothurn MG 30
Steyr AUG /Hbar
Belgium
FN Model D
FN Minimi
FN MAG
FN BRG-15
China, People's Republic
Type 67 GPMG
Type 88 GPMG
Type 95 LMG
Type 77 HMG
Type 85 HMG
W-85 HMG
Type 89 HMG
Type 02 / QJG 02 HMG
Czech Republic
ZB 26
ZB 53 / Vz.37
ZB 60 new
Vz.52, Vz.52/57 upd
UK Vz.59 upd
Denmark
Madsen LMG
Madsen-Saetter
Finland
L/S-26
Valmet KvKK 62
France
Chauchat CSRG M1915
Hotchkiss Portative
Hotchkiss M1914
Hotchkiss M1922 LMG
Hotchkiss M1930 HMG
MAC M1924/29
AAT Mod.52
Germany
MG 08, MG 08/15, MG 08/18
MG 13
MG 34
MG 35/36 Knorr-Bremse
MG 42 and MG 3
HK 21 and 23
HK MG 4
Great Britain
Vickers Mk.I
Hotchkiss Portable Mk.I
Lewis
Vickers-Berthier
Bren
L86A1 SA-80 LSW
Israel
Dror
Negev
Italy
Fiat-Revelli M1914 M1935
Breda M1930
Breda M1937
Japan
Type 03 & Type 92
Type 11
Type 96 & Type 99
Type 62
Mexico
Mendoza
Russia / USSR
Maxim M1910/30
Degtyarov DP DPM RP-46
Degtyarov DS-39
Degtyarov RPD
Kalashnikov RPK
Kalashnikov RPK-74
Gorjunov SG-43 SGM
Kalashnikov PK / PKM
Pecheneg
DShK DShKM 12.7
NSV 12.7 'Utes'
Kord 12.7
KPV 14.5
Singapore
STK Ultimax 100
CIS .50 MG
South Africa
Vector SS-77 / Mini-SS
South Korea
Daewoo K3
Spain
CETME Ameli
Sweden
Knorr-Bremse m/40
Switzerland
W+F Lmg 25
SIG KE-7
Steyr-Solothurn MG 30
SIG MG 50
W+F MG 51
SIG MG 710
USA
Benet-Mercie M1909
Lewis
Browning M1917 M1919
Browning M1918 BAR
Johnson M1941 M1944
M60
M16 LSW / LMG
M134 Minigun
XM214 Microgun
Stoner 63
M249 SAW
M240
Mk.48 mod.0
Browning M2HB .50 cal
XM312 .50 cal
LW50MG
all texts and some pictures
Contact E-Mail
copyright © 1999-2009
by Max R. Popenker
and can not be used without author permission
ICQ:
ZB-60 / 15mm Besa heavy machine gun (Czhechoslovakia / UK)
ZB-60 heavy machine gun on universal AA / ground support role tripod, which featured detachable wheels and folding tripod legs.
| Caliber | 15x104 mm |
| Weight | 55 kg (gun body) |
| Length | 2 050 mm |
| Barrel length | 1 400 mm |
| Feed | belt |
| Rate of fire | 430 rounds per minute |
One of he most formidable machine guns of the interwar period was the monstrous ZB60 heavy machine gun, which was born out of a Czechoslovak army requirement for an automatic anti-armor weapon, issued in the late 1920s. The first test guns were more properly classified as automatic cannon, because of their 20mm caliber. Later work focused on guns of smaller calibers. In 1933 the Army changed the requirements for its future HMG, relegating it to the AA role and leaving anti-tank tasks for cannon and AT rifles. Despite much effort, it took several more years to perfect both the ZB60 weapon and its 15mm cartridge (developed by the Skoda factory). As a matter of fact, the Czechoslovak army received no weapons of the type, and ZB60 found much more favour abroad, being reportedly sold to Greece, Yugoslavia and Iran, and adopted by the British Royal Tank Corps as the 15mm BESA heavy machine gun, built under licence at the Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) factory and fitted to some British light armoured vehicles. The major user, however, was the German Army, which took over the output of occupied ZB factory during the war.
The ZB60 is a gas operated, air-cooled, belt fed weapon that
fire from an open bolt. The barrel can be changed quickly to provide
sustained firepower, and is fitted with a carrying handle.
The action of the gun is very similar to that of ZB53, scaled up for
the larger cartridge, except that it has no dual-rate buffer system.
Otherwise the gas action, tipping bolt locking and belt feed were more
or less similar to same systems of the “smaller brother”. Feed was from
the right side only, using steel belts.
A variety of mountings was designed for ZB60, those included ground-use
and AA tripods, as well as wheeled mounts with a towing boom that can be unfolded to form a tripod.
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