Fiat-Revelli Modello 1935
Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (FIAT) · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1935
Also known as: Fiat-Revelli M1935, Mitragliatrice Fiat Mod. 35, Revelli M35, Fiat Mod. 1935
Overview
The Fiat-Revelli Modello 1935 was an Italian medium machine gun developed by rebuilding and modernising the earlier water-cooled Modello 1914. The M1935 dispensed with the unusual fixed magazine of its predecessor in favour of a 50-round belt feed and switched from water cooling to a heavy air-cooled barrel. Chambered for the new 8x59mm RB Breda cartridge, it served the Italian Army through the Second World War, though it retained the original design's reliance on oiled cartridges, which left it prone to stoppages and fouling in dusty or muddy conditions.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 17800 g (627.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1265 mm (49.80") |
| Barrel Length | 650 mm (25.59") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Magazine Capacity | 50 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Belt |
| Muzzle Velocity | 750 m/s (2461 fps) |
| Effective Range | 1000 m (1094 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 5200 m (5687 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 600 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
Calibers
- 8x59mm RB Breda · primary — also known as 8mm Breda, 8x59mm Breda
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Belt
- Features: Air Cooled, Belt Fed, Blowback Action, Oiled Cartridges, Tripod Mounted
Service history
Operators
- Royal Italian Army · adopted 1935 · as Mitragliatrice Fiat Mod. 35
Conflicts
- Second Italo-Ethiopian War (1935-1937)
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Production years: 1935-1943
Total production unknown
Origin
Country of origin: Italy
Designer: Bethel Abiel Revelli
Discontinued: 1945
Notes
A rebuilt modernisation of the Fiat-Revelli M1914 already in the database, but a distinct weapon: new 8mm Breda chambering, belt feed and air cooling. The oiled-cartridge feed system was a notorious reliability weakness. Tripod adds roughly 23 kg to the gun's own ~17.8 kg.
Background
Despite being a 1935 modernisation, the gun kept the Fiat-Revelli lineage's troublesome oiled-cartridge system; in the dust of North Africa the oil film attracted grit and the weapon earned a reputation among Italian troops for jamming when it was needed most.