A Brass Goblin's worst nightmare, a gun that saves the brass for you.

@redacted5937

6 ай бұрын

Or dream, depending if the owner's a goblin as well.

@DeliciousBoi

6 ай бұрын

@@redacted5937 A Brass Goblin by definition steals other people's brass, not their own, hence I make a distinction.

@redacted5937

6 ай бұрын

@@DeliciousBoi ah i see. I thought brass goblins just hoard brass, regardless where it's from. Now I know.

@yeshoohatzadik

6 ай бұрын

​@@redacted5937that would be a brass dragon

@Kremit_the_Forg

6 ай бұрын

​@@yeshoohatzadik From now on I will only introduce myself as "Brass Dragon". 😂

The story I have heard re the putting the brass back in the strip was in part so brass could be re-used, but also helps keep the firing position 'tidy'. The 'folklore' is that they were fixated on fighting in mountains again (just like most Italian actions in WW1, so understandable) and anything that stops crew members losing their footing (on something like a pile of spent brass) and plummeting a couple of hundred feet off to one side was seen as desirable.

@cheyannei5983

6 ай бұрын

Even if not, it's it's a machine gun, it's going to be firing hundreds of rounds in use. That brass and hefty clip has to go somewhere.

This was extensively used by the Portuguese Army in its campaigns in Angola, Guinea and Mozambique. Partly due to the fact that, having been issued in 1938, these were pre-NATO, and so allowed the country to circumvent the restrictions imposed by the Kennedy administration to the employment of NATO equipment for suppression of independentist movements in the colonies.

@tomhenry897

6 ай бұрын

Never heard of that

@terrywarner8657

6 ай бұрын

Canada gave Portugal M5 light tanks, Canadian made Grizzly and Sexton self-propelled artillery. The story of how three ex-Canadian M5s served in Angola for many years is a fascinating illustration of how old but workable equipment was "somehow" transferred abroad.

@provenancemachining

6 ай бұрын

@@terrywarner8657 Could be talking about a document from Kennedy's Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, but I agree, WW2-era hardware clandestinely sold or moved abroad in foreign wars during this time was nothing new, there was a metric shit-load of it floating around.

@RCZM64

6 ай бұрын

The M24 tanks and M3 half-tracks used by Spain in Africa were bought to France, since the US-provided ones weren't allowed to be used outside the peninsula. Common of the era, I suppose.

@lince18

6 ай бұрын

Same Happened with T6 airplanes, in Ifni and Sahara , , and its also the reason of the use of Buchones and He 111 on those conflicts, Spain colud not use the Sabres supplied by the US. And those limitations were one of the reasons to buy French Mirages in th 70's@@RCZM64

The Breda 37 was one of the MGs that the British pushed into service when a ton of the them were captured after Beda Fomm. It was considered one of the best/most reliable MGs being used in the Western Desert. and was well respected.

You could actually clip a strip to another so you could have 40/60/80 cartridges' strips or, you could add the second strip to the first being shot, not waiting for the first to be spent or holding it with the hand after the first. One of the few really goid weapon we had. Nicknamed "Guzzi" because when shooting it made the same noise as an idling Guzzi single cylinder bike

@Surv1ve_Thrive

6 ай бұрын

As in Moto Guzzi motorbikes I'm guessing? 🇬🇧👍✌️

@luigiduca

6 ай бұрын

@@Surv1ve_Thrive Exactly. It was also referred to as "la pesante" (The heavy one) both for weight and caliber. I suggest you to read "The sergeant in the snow", the memory af an Alpini sergeant during the russian retreat who was the chef of a Breda 37 section.

@Surv1ve_Thrive

6 ай бұрын

@luigiduca I have read about them. Noticed many statues to them in Italy. I will look that book up one day.

@rhyenan

Ай бұрын

​@@luigiduca Gran bel libro il Sergente nella neve.. Mario Rigoni Stern, ancora ricordo il nome dell autore nonostante siano passati decenni e centinaia di libri letti 😊

Not forgotten here in Spain. Many of them are displayed in military facilities. Unfortunately they're deactivated. It was very common during our Civil War.

@enricofesta1161

6 ай бұрын

Si la memoria no me engaña vi unas cuantas armas y uniformes italianas en el museo del ejército en Toledo. Saludos desde Italia.

My Dad was a gunner in the Italian tank Corp in the early part of the war, firing twin Breda 8mm machine guns from the CV35 tankette. (Type 38, I’m guessing) He must have liked the brand because in the ‘50’s he bought a Breda semi-automatic 12ga shotgun that I still have. As far as I can see, Breda was still selling shotguns at least recently. I saw from his old photos that the crew were issued Carcano Moschettas as tanker carbines. I recently bought a 1936 production one of those from the Italian inventory stock that Royal Tiger recently imported. It’s interesting for nostalgia sake, but otherwise I’m glad Dad never had to rely on that carbine as his primary weapon. Not the greatest action, and it didn’t benefit from shortening the barrel from the standard rifle.

@enricofesta1161

6 ай бұрын

Breda is still selling shotguns and someone says they’re quality. I’m from Brescia where they are manufactured. I shoot a Beretta A400 serie chambered in 89 mm Super Magnum, but never tried a Breda. I have seen some among hunters around here and I really liked them.

@LeadHeadBOD

6 ай бұрын

​@@enricofesta1161 89mm? Are you sure you bought a shotgun and not a man portable artillery piece?

@Palaemon44

6 ай бұрын

⁠@@enricofesta1161It’s beautifully made and shoots very well. It is pretty light, about 3kgs, so it’s handy to carry, lift to your shoulder and swing, but you get a real push when firing full power 12 gauge loads. My father had a shock pad added to the butt and I changed to a new supposedly high tech one, but I still have to remember to “lean in” to the gun when firing.

@Palaemon44

6 ай бұрын

@@LeadHeadBODI didn’t know that shotgun shell lengths in Europe were measured in metric. (3.5 inches is 89mm) Fiocchi boxes sold here are just labeled as 3.5 inches. As I replied to Enrico, a 3.5” magnum shell in that light Breda will push me onto my back foot if I forget to lean in to it.

@IDOLA149

6 ай бұрын

If your dad is still around you should ask him for stories of his time in a CV35, bet that was a hair-raising experience

My late maternal grandad in his 90s used to still harbor the desire to go back in the desert to try and find the spot where he, imminent his capture by the brits, had buried his Breda heavy machine gun so that it woulnd’t fall into enemy’s hand.

@justindunlap1235

20 күн бұрын

That would have been a documentary worthy adventure.

Breda 37 was used in former Yugoslav Navy as coaxial machine gun on Bofors 40mm ship turrets, all the way in to early 80's - rechambered in 7.9mm and I think primarily used for gunners training. Lots of them was captured in WWII and used later after the war in some specific roles... have them in military museum.

@AndrewGivens

4 ай бұрын

Were these the same 8mm guns which were mounted on MS boats and VAS boats?

I find 1930's era MG's the most interesting, largely because while they weren't in their infancy, the designs had not had everything figured out and universalized like modern ones. Which left all kinds of room for novel ideas they were trying out. Some things worked, some didn't. But this Italian model reminds me of some of the unique features present on the MG13, in the sense of interesting little design elements to make the gun user friendly, etc. Plus there is a classic appeal to a large solid chunk of steel expertly machined and robust...

@TheFanatical1

6 ай бұрын

The design of most heavy machine guns in the 1930's were quite mature, really. This gun is mechanically complicated because it's being asked to do a mechanically complicated thing, but it's not like the idea was actually bad, it just didn't conform to modern sensibilities.

The British in North Africa loved stripping these out of captured or knocked out Italian armored vehicles and put them to use. This was because they just plain worked despite all the sand and dust that could be thrown at them.

They were used by Portuguese Army in Ultramar, until 1974. Portuguese ones were chambered for 8mm Mauser (7.92x57). Italian army kept those in use well into the '80s in "Fanteria d'Arresto" (fortress infatry) units on the eastern broder, and were in the inventory of Corpo delle Guardie di Pubblica Sicurezza (militarized Police) and Polizia di Stato (De-militarized Police, since 1981) well into the 2000s...

"La Pesante", as it was nicknamed... Italian pride and glory!

Man I lost count of how many of those Breda M37 parts and tool armorers kits I've had to inspect and get shipped out. Nice to see it get its due.

It's worth noting that contrary to popular myth, the Breda 37 does not have an oiler nor do the feed strips need greasing. (Even the Imperial War Museum gets that one wrong.) Hence the 37 gets lumped in with the utterly terrible 30.

It's always interesting to look at the machining marks that remain on things as it shows you the specific cuts they were making, at least right there at the end. Sure, it means they didn't bother to do finishing operations that would remove them, but it means you can peek behind the curtains a bit. It really drew my eye on the tower for the top cover lug. The finish was worn just enough to have bare metal on the peaks while remaining in the valleys so that you can see the passes they were making with an endmill.

Man that is one slick design!

Every time Ian reviews an Italian machine gun I realize how much I want to start collecting Italian military arms.

@brooksbrown580

6 ай бұрын

I have a nice collection of Italian Weapons, WW1, WW2, 14 Riles, Carcano's They are great Rifles, I have several Carbines as well.

Italy always gets a bad rep regarding their effectiveness in ww2 even though their guns are quite practical and mechanically fascinating

@fabiogalletti8616

6 ай бұрын

guess it's the infamous M30 squad machine gun (Fucile mitragliatore) that was to blame, as it was an exceptionnally bad design for a pre-war weapon and well known to be bad and never fixed: carcanos were honest rifles - not bad, not excellent - the MAB38 submachine gun was superb, the heavy M38 was good. We may make an argument on the Brixia light mortar/grenade launcher thing - which worked, but it was an oddity of no pratical use.

@LeadHeadBOD

6 ай бұрын

Their military vehicles get similar treatment. The tanks were not great admittedly and the Italian industry really didn't have the capacity to expand, but their aircraft were surprisingly good.

@JDaVaporPhonkGuy03

6 ай бұрын

the problem of the tanks were the classification was done bad a tank like the P40 was classified as heavy tank when the armor was more of a medium one and also some of them have a role not really fitted for some of their roles were applied too@@LeadHeadBOD

@JDaVaporPhonkGuy03

6 ай бұрын

well carcanos are not as bad like people say they treat them most time like an hazard and/or a imprecise weapon wich is not Breda 30 yes indeed was crap but in optimal condition never had problem running almost MAB38 well since served until the 60s was quite indeed a really a nice SMG@@fabiogalletti8616

@SlavicCelery

6 ай бұрын

@@LeadHeadBOD I'll agree that their aviation is critically underrated. But, their tanks were good for what they could do. Ideally their industry would produce something closer to the Pz 38t. Weight wise their industry could handle that class. Even though it was an outdated tank later in the war... if the Italians had that, it would potentially be a game changer in some campaigns.

My grandfather used M37 in WW2 as Yugoslav partisan and loved it as most Breda users did. The cartridge was powerful enough to shred wooden patrol and supply ships used by Italians and later Germans of the Dalmatian coast. My grandfather actually sank one of those in '43 with his Breda from a hill overlooking a piece of land that some 30 yrs later my father built our summer house on. So the family history will in a way always be remembered by myself, my children and all that come after us...

Hi Ian, regarding the recovery of empty cases, always keep in mind that Italy has been under economic sanctions in the 1930s due to the war in Abyssinia. Italy is a beautiful country but it is not very rich in raw materials. Especially regarding what we could define as strategic metals. Beyond any technical consideration, the recovery of cases for reuse was certainly considered something structural in the supply chain

Ian casually has 3 epic guns leaning against the wall behind him 😂

My gratgrandfather used this gun during WW2 he was Yugoslav partisan. Unfortunately, I did not live when he died, but my grandpa told me all the stories about him and the machinegun. So this gun is technically part of me now.

I honestly love this gun, can't wait to see you make a video on the M38.

I remember these in Call of Duty 2: Big Red One. That game had a lot of the weaponry from our lesser known enemies, the Vichy French and the Italians. Also the bonus features that covered the weapons in the game and their history was awesome too.

No way! I thought you would never make it! Thanks a lot!!! Absolutely love this gun 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹

Brilliant design. I loved watching the disassembly. My congratulations to its new owner who wisely modified it to 8x57.

I'm from italy this breda mg was one of the few weapons projected and produced really really good and ahead of his times during the regime.. Like the mab's..

@am17frans

6 ай бұрын

I think you are wrong here, quite alot of the Italian small arms were really quite good.

@hendriktonisson2915

6 ай бұрын

I agree about the Beretta SMGs but I think the Breda M37 was not "ahead of it's time" as it's design is more similar to the Hotchkiss M1914 than to the MG42 which influenced most of the post-WW2 MG designs. The main problem with the M37 is it's feed system. Deciding to use new 20 round feed strips (not optimal for a sustained fire MG) instead of the same metallic belts used on the Fiat-Revelli M1914/35 unnecessarily complicated logistics. And the feature of inserting spent cartridge cases back into the feed strip was also not great for the MG crews who had to reload these feed strips and did not have the special loading tool (if it was lost or broken).

@neutronalchemist3241

6 ай бұрын

@@hendriktonisson2915 For the last one, it's a completely made-up problem. Were the crews of belt-fed machine guns supposed to reload spent belts? This MG was made PRECISELY for sustained fire. It was a MG made specifically for suppressive fire (while, IE, the MG42 was a point weapon, and German Gunners were instructed to not use it for suppressive fire) because, as said, to insert the strips one after the other reduces the dead times in respect to changing belts.

@hendriktonisson2915

6 ай бұрын

@@neutronalchemist3241 Of course machine gun belts were reused. And the feed strips of the M37 were certainly reused since it's special loading tool was designed to remove the spent cases from the feed strip and replace them with live ammo. It's more practical to use 200-250 round belts on a machine gun instead of having to constantly feed new 20 round feed strips into the gun and that is the reason why no one used feed strips after WW2.

@neutronalchemist3241

6 ай бұрын

@@hendriktonisson2915 Reloading was a backline activity. It was not supposed to be done in first line. If your WWII MG uses 200-250 round belts, that means you are going to change belt many times in action, and the assistant is going to keep that belt in hand all the time only to to reduce the frequency of jammings. We dont' use many WWII things, cloth belts, not disintegrating belts (like those of the FIAT M35)... It's not "belt good, strip bad". Belts had to EVOLVE to be good.

beautifully designed machine gun

@krissteel4074

6 ай бұрын

It's way nicer than I expected. When you typically hear 'Italian machinegun' you tend to end up in some crazy places. But this is a very good design overall for the time it was made

20:56 It cannot be the 'fin' that is pushing the fresh round from the strip because it wont be in front of the breech face. It has to be the breech face that pushes the round, with the extractors rising up to capture it there. Presumably there are locking recesses in the receiver that engage with the rising block as well.

@roberthopwood3758

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for commenting. Saves me the trouble 👍

@johnanon6938

6 ай бұрын

I was also wondering about when the extractor part gets involved too. Just couldn't figure out how extractor could push thru fin/cartridge/barrel unless that angled part with extractor was up in front of the 'fin' to slide cartridge into before the fin hits the firing pin to fire the cartridge.

The feed system must really be appreciated by people who shoot and reload for this gun. Now all we need is an indexing press that reloads the cartridges while they're still in the strip... Sort of a Lee Load-All for cartridges instead of shotshells.

Simple without being crude, different parts working towards desired effect, and a very sleek, futuristic-feeling style in machining with all those lines and slopes. I've got to say this beauty of a machine gun seriously contends to be my favorite MG, and this coming from someone with strong bias for the works of Aimo Lahti!

A friend of my dads who helped liberate Ethiopia in WW2 told me that some Italian forces were particularly effective ehen backed by this MG contray to the images of large numbers of their troops surrrndering in the Rast and North Sfrican campaigns.

The feed strip system works a bit like the Bofors guns (which I trained on but never fired in the german navy) with their 4 round loading clips. As long as you have enough people throwing in new 4 round clips you can fire continously

The spring loaded interface with the top cover assembly puts this WAY ahead of a lot of machineguns. Re-inserting the empty brass is a bit over the top and feels Swiss but it just reminds me of a sewing machine more than a weapon. But the thought and engineering that went into the system is pretty fascinating.

@neutronalchemist3241

6 ай бұрын

Still the M60 didn't have the bolt nut spring loaded, and to close the top cover with the bolt forward (a quite easy to make mistake) meant to break the feeding mechanism.

One of my old man's units jobs was clearing up all the crap left after the battle. He always had a story about all weird and wonderful shite they picked up. He was clearing up in Sidi Barani, and the built an huge ammo dump on the outskirts of town, rather village. One of the Guards Regiments had captured a small dump of 88mm ammo, and had an accident of some kind. Setting off the entire thing in a massive chain reaction. He used to describe running away, being followed by a tumbling and very slow 88 HE shell.

That's quite an intimidating looking HMG. The fact that it's durable and versatile makes it a quintessential choice for defense and offense even if the 9 man crew sounds like it can run into problems as combat produces casualties. Either way a solid weapon built for battle.

@memenadekhanh3992

6 ай бұрын

Lots of milled components. Looks like pain in the ass to produce in huge quantity under stress of war.

@604116

6 ай бұрын

Is this an AI post?

@dwaneanderson8039

6 ай бұрын

Most of the 9 men were just ammo carriers, which you would need for any heavy machine gun. And they can use any available men for that.

@TheArklyte

6 ай бұрын

​@@604116 sure sounds like one😅

@neutronalchemist3241

6 ай бұрын

An MMG is a crew served weapon. if one of the crew is wounded, one of the infantrymen takes his place, because the MMG is more important than a rifle.

What struck me was how it was designed but not *over* engineered. Truly a work of art. If that had been in something closer to a 12 mm it would have been fearsome...

@neutronalchemist3241

6 ай бұрын

It had been made in 20mm and 37mm.

@M.M.83-U

6 ай бұрын

you can search for Breda model 31 (13,2mm), 35 (20mm) and 37/54 (37mm)

@AndrewGivens

4 ай бұрын

@@M.M.83-U I thought it looked not dissimilar to the 31 & 35, but wondered if the mechanicals were different. Topic creep, but: If the essential mechanism was the same, again it puts to bed the silly objection that lay folk have over the Modello 35's 'small' magazine - as i suspect the second crewman was just keeping it fed. The 20mm gun seems to have shot down a *lot* of Beauforts & Beaufighters for such a supposedly terrible gun. (See Drachinifel's assessment-cum-hatchet job). And, again, a tyoe which was used by British when they got hold of it - mounted on a couple of 78-foot Elco torpedo-boats.

I love how simple yet beautifully made it is.

The 20 mm Breda modelo 35 used the same 20 rounds strips and replace the empty cases in the strip too.

Ian, the Browning M-1919 A4 was classified by the United States Army as a "Light" machine gun. It was much more portable than the Breda.

My theory: Ian filmed every single FW vid in one week...there's no other explanation as to why he looks the same age over 10 years

@jagerdergroe8604

6 ай бұрын

Nah, Gun Jesus is immortal. He will forever educate and entertain us with unusual guns.

@robertsaget6918

6 ай бұрын

He's slowing down a little bit, you can see it when he goes to retrieve the birds. He's got less of that first time out puppy energy & he definitely comes back for water more. He's still a fine dog but he's not a pup anymore Junior.

@josephd.5524

6 ай бұрын

may explain why his hands are chewed up in this one; lad's been a bit too busy and not paying attention to where the digits are as actions snap closed.

@beargillium2369

6 ай бұрын

The cosmolene has absorbed into his blood stream

@stephencolley334

6 ай бұрын

​@@jagerdergroe8604 Ha, ha! Indeed, as Ian has become quite wealthy through Forgotten Weapons, and his associated ventures, I bet he would enjoy an extended life span.

The Breda 8x59mm was one heck of cartridge comparable to the 8mm Remington Magnum. It would probably be too much for most soldiers to handle in a rifle, which would itself have had to be big and heavy to handle such a cartridge.

@JDaVaporPhonkGuy03

6 ай бұрын

for testing were made 5 91/41 Carcano in that caliber and a semi auto prototype fed by clip (similar carcano) that function like a SVT Ian done a video on this Pavesi M42

@davecarlson1918

6 ай бұрын

1920s-1930s: Sweden: 6.5x55mm bolt-action rifles [by mid-WWII a self-loader], and automatic rifles + (after 1932) 8x63mm HMG/AA guns. [two cartridges] Germany: 7.92x57mm bolt-action rifles and MGs + (after 1935-36) GPMGs [one caliber... for a time] France: 7.5x57mm, no wait! 7.5x54mm automatic rifle, later bolt-action rifles, with theoretical underpinnings for self-loaders + (after 1931) HMG [one caliber, seven bolt-action rifle designs] Italy: 6.5x52mm, no, wait! 7.35x51mm, no wait! 6.5x52mm bolt-action rifles and automatic rifles/ LMGs + (after 1937) 8x59mm HMG [two calibers] USSR: 7.62x54mmR bolt-action rifles, some self-loaders and LMG, + HMGs [one caliber] UK: .303" bolt-action rifles, an LMG + HMG [one caliber] USA: .276-cal. self-loading rifle, no, wait! .30-06 single-caliber for rifle and MGs, bolt-action .30-06 rifles, self-loading rifles, automatic rifles, and belt-fed MGs.... Adopts new .30 M1 carbine in early 1940s. [intended one caliber, for all practical purposes, issues two... or even three what with SMGs and pistols and so on... arguably true for all the above as well--9x19mm]

The engineering here is remarkable.

Given that gunners are trained to fire bursts of 20 rd max, the stripper clips are actually pretty practical, and a good A-gunner should be able to feed them quickly enough to give continuous fire when needed.

@hendriktonisson2915

6 ай бұрын

Still why complicate logistics when they could've used the same metallic belts that the Fiat-Revelli M1914/35 used?

@cheyannei5983

6 ай бұрын

​@@hendriktonisson2915 Weren't those belts less than reliable?

@hendriktonisson2915

6 ай бұрын

@@cheyannei5983 From what I've read the problems with the M1914/35 were not caused by the belt.

@petesheppard1709

6 ай бұрын

@@hendriktonisson2915 Good question!

@neutronalchemist3241

6 ай бұрын

@@hendriktonisson2915 The names are misleading here. The Breda 37 had not been adopted in 1937, and the Fiat-Revelli 1914/35 had not been adopted in 1935. 1935 is the year when it had been adopted the ammo, "Cartuccia per mitragliatrice Mod. 1935" (cartridge for machine-gun mod. 1935). The Breda 37, a scaled down version of the 20mm Breda 20/65 (1935), that was a scaled down version of the 37mm Breda 37/54 (1932), both tray-fed, had been adopted, first by the Navy, in 1936 (and even the production started in 1936), and infact it had been first called Breda 36, and the early boxes of ammos were marked Breda 36. The Fiat-Revelli M1914/35 had not been made by FIAT, that quit manufacturing small arms in 1930. It was a conversion made by MBT. I don't know when they exactly started converting old WWI MGs, but it's higly improbable they came up with the complete conversion and the belt in 1935. The instruction manual of the gun is dated 1937. So that belt simply didn't exist when the Breda 37 had been designed.

This is just so beautifully designed, it's clearly designed by someone with lots of experience in milling operations. It just screams 'mill me!' out and most of the shapes don't look that critical when it comes to tolerances. No wonder they could easily pump out a 1000 a month, even though it's massive & highly durable it's seriously optimized for speedy production. That's a highly respectable machine gun.

@neutronalchemist3241

Ай бұрын

Infact. Many people see the Breda designs, and start complaining about all the required machining and how complicate and expensive the weapon was to manufacture. Not knowing that Breda designs had been adopted after competing with others. Especially Scotti - Isotta Fraschini designs, that were very simple to produce. But somehow, Breda always managed to keep low the price of its heavily machined guns. Because they knew how to design for easy tooling. Mostly straight cuts, with no tight tolerances required.

We always knew when a Breda was there. The sound is unique and terrifying. Darn good gun....for it's users.

This Breda is one massive beast

A beautiful piece of hardware, in a cold and stark way.

I’m glad you did a video on this! I work in a very small WW2 museum on my college campus, and we actually have one of these in our collection. No tripod sadly, but it’s matching numbers and even has some of the insides (but it still deactivated). I was always fascinated by it, but I couldn’t find much info on it until now

Right off the bat it's a learning day. I have always wondered how the same gun could be designated a LMG, MMG, and HMG in WW2. I kind of was aware, but to hear Ian actually say it was the first time I have heard an expert talk about it.

Very cool, relatively simple mechanism. Love your content.

keeping the empty brass in the strip also increases it's chances of survival for reuse, they seem more robust than other feed strips but still

BREDA is also a city the Netherlands and you are asking the question why they wanted to safe the brass 😅 . Great content as most of the time 👍.

Another excellent video from Ian.

Looks a beautifully made gun, read expensive. Obviously from the pre war era, when they had time+ the money to make such beautifully crafted weapons. Great video, thanks.

Thanks for another excellent video Ian. The replacing the spent brass in the feed strip is a feature I'd not heard of before! Wish the Type 3 HMG did this, especially with Japanese brass prices haha. Owning one of those is on my bucket list.

Very interesting gun. I am a little disappointed that Ian didn't show/explain how and where the bolt is locked into the receiver during firing. In any case, it is still absolutely fascinating how this gun stuff the spent brass back into the strip.

@discerningscoundrel3055

6 ай бұрын

The bolt travels vertically and is cammed in place by the angled surfaces on the bolt and bolt carrier, there'll be a recess in the receiver it locks into. It's a little bit like a tilting bolt system, except the bolt is much shorter and it just slides vertically to lock instead of tilting. The closest analogy I can think of, aside from the related Breda PG, is the British experimental BESAL light machine gun, which was designed that way to simplify machining operations so it could be used as a last ditch gun, which meant it never went into production as Britain didn't need a last ditch LMG in WW2

@stephencolley334

6 ай бұрын

​@@discerningscoundrel3055 Please let Ian do the explaining! You may be correct but we have no rooted respect for your knowledge.

@JamesWallis-mi2xu

6 ай бұрын

@@stephencolley334 I mean, he’s right though. What does respect have to do with it, you can literally go research it

@neutronalchemist3241

6 ай бұрын

Look at 17:50 On the side of the bolt where there is a pin. those large parts on the side of the bolt, and the triangular shaped fin over he bolt, are the locking lugs. When the bolt rises, they enters into corespondent recesses into the receiver.

Breda still makes quality shotguns .

I don't think I've ever seen Ian get out of breath disassembling a weapon before.

Great video as always, I loved the history and description of the inner workings. This is also special because I just got home from a Remembrance Day ceremony.

The concept of having 2 different bullets was ahead of its time.

@abaialsa712

6 ай бұрын

Isn't Italian a holocaust language

@echosr2139

6 ай бұрын

@@abaialsa712what?

@kevinoliver3083

6 ай бұрын

In the 1930s it wasn't an uncommon practice. Several other countries with small bore (6.5mm) rifles adopted a larger caliber for their heavy/medium machine guns: Japan (7.7x58mmSR), The Netherlands (7.92x57mm), and Sweden (8x63mm).

@georgesheffield1580

6 ай бұрын

Cartridges, not bullets ,very different . Correct your understanding of the nomenclature.

@jaytea4093

6 ай бұрын

​@abaialsa712 Is something lost in translation here?

It was a good heavy machine gun but it was expensive to manufacture because required a lot of machining and milling and was quite bulky to carry around despite having a crew! According to Wikipedia it was a so so gun but was very reliable and liked by the troops unlike the Breda 30 that had had a had a provision for oil cooling gumming up in the desert and required continuous cleaning! Good job again....

A cool very thought out but simple mechanism to save the brass. Actually never heard of it. Thanks Ian!

This actually looks like a very well designed HMG.

1 OF THE BEST HEAVY I HAVE SEEN

Never been so early. Great work ian.

Love the self retrieval system for the brass , helps with a large crew for the weapon. 👍

@fabiogalletti8616

6 ай бұрын

there was a crank machine to unload the spent cases and load fresh ones - those crates with the charging device and a whole set of tools were kinda common in the militaria market in the 90s, here in Italy.

@johnking6252

6 ай бұрын

Fascinating, the things we do to advance war and our technology. Thx. 👍

Thanks Ian , Great Video 💯💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

I like how it is, yes, a box with a barrel on it a la the 1919, but with a bit more of that...Italian design flair.

Rambo shmambo, John Basilone did it for real and under fire happy veterans day my brothers

@user-dc1dr9kr8x

6 ай бұрын

Outstanding

I have seen pics of an anti-aircraft gun installation where the feed strips were linked in a long chain. Not sure if it was one of these Breda's or a Hotchkiss or some other strip-fed gun...but if the strips DO link together it would help eliminate congestion around the gun.

@luigiduca

6 ай бұрын

Yes they do

I have a high opinion of this gun (unlike the Breda M30). My only experience with it is coming up against it in a computer game, Combat Mission: Fortress Italy. So the validity of my opinion is entirely contingent on how well it was modeled in that game. But the Combat Mission series tends to model things pretty accurately. This gun has consistently posed a serious challenge to my infantry. You either learn to respect it, or you suffer casualties.

I absolutely adore the solidity and the engineering of this gun. It seems, to me, reminiscent of something like an old Nordenfeld with the internal track and cam arrangement for the feed, despite being a gas-operated rather than hand-actuated weapon.

Very elegantly built gun. Pretty cool.

TOP GUN. THANKS FELLA GOOD REVIEW 🎯

It puts the brass back in feed strip. Cool!

Very underrated machine gun

I remember watching forgotten weapons for many years when I was really into battlefield 4. Learned a lot.

WW2 weapons are absolutely incredible. Fascinating to no end. That's a sweeeeeeeeeet heavy MG. And it being in 8mm Mauser 😍

You’re right. Never heard of it and the FN GPMG was my PW for six years

Italy’s firearms are a lot like it’s auto manufacturing. Very quality over quantity, tendency to be over engineered, but they sure are slick when they get it right

Really cool MG; a pity that no production data is available.

British and Commonwealth used Bredas in WWII. Possibly random fact: Breda is also a town in the Netherlands.

Please a vid on the Fiat 35 too

8:00 as a soldier that feature is amazing and would save hours on range days

I don't understand. If the fin you point to did strip a cartridge, how does the bolt face end up behind the cartridge before that same fin strikes the firing pin?

Some people forgot WW1 was a war of attrition and brass is strategic matérial

Really interesting, I'm surprised I've never really learned about this absolute chunk of an MG before.

I think the Vehicle mounted version had a bag hanging off the side to catch all the brass that would normally go flying all over the inside. So that still fits the reuse of spent cases ideology as well. always liked this gun and its too bad for the Italian troops it wasn't more prevalent but I suppose good for the allied troops it wasn't

This looks like a very well designed gun for the purpose it was intended

Breda made perfectly good belt fed guns too.

Called “la pesante” (the heavy) to distinguish it from Breda 30 light machine gun. In Russian Campaign gunners used to put a helmet filled with embers under it, to keep oil fluid

What a very simply engineered gun. Delightful!

@ironicdivinemandatestan4262

6 ай бұрын

Unlike a certain other Breda machine gun used by Italy during WW2.

@capt.bart.roberts4975

6 ай бұрын

My father fought in Italy, he was tasked with clearing battlefields up. Him and his guys collected some weird bits of kit.@@ironicdivinemandatestan4262

Hey Ian, I struggle to understand how the cartridge can be feed by a lugg placed behind the bolt face? would not the bolt face then move up into a partially feed cartrige and jam the intire gun? Is ther som extra part not mentioned, I am confused

@janegilf1451

6 ай бұрын

is it inertia that competes the feeding?

@neillawrence6649

6 ай бұрын

Ian is a little bit wrong in this regard. The lug is actually the striker for the firing pin. As the bolt carrier travels forward, the bolt face is lifted in time to push the case from the feed strip into the receiver .

@janegilf1451

6 ай бұрын

@@neillawrence6649 Thank you

You can hear the quality

British, Australian, South African, and New Zealand soldiers would mount these on their universal carriers and their armored cars when they could capture both the weapon and an adequate amount of ammunition at the same time.

Really an amazing design.

I have never heard of this, I did know about the Breda 30 (7.35×51mm) because of some WW2 games.

Back then, machine guns were regarded and employed as a form of light artillery. The general purpose designs put that to rest.

@TheZinmo

6 ай бұрын

Not absolutely. See Ukraine, but even before that all the MGs who are mounted on relatively ligth vehicles. You want a heavy gun in that role.

@neutronalchemist3241

6 ай бұрын

Not really. It doesn't exist a real GPMG. The FN MAG, like this, is a fixed position MG. It has the volume of fire, but not the mobility. The PKM is a LMG. It has the mobility, but not the volume of fire.