Perino Model 1908
Italian State Arsenals (Terni / Brescia / Torino) · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1908
Also known as: Mitragliatrice Perino, Perino Machine Gun
Overview
The Perino Model 1908 was the first machine gun of fully Italian design, created by army officer Giuseppe Perino, who patented the concept in 1901. A water-cooled, recoil-operated weapon, it used an unusual feed system of 20-round articulated metal strips loaded into a box-shaped hopper holding up to five strips, allowing an assistant gunner to keep it topped up for sustained fire. Uniquely, its mechanism re-inserted spent cases back into the feed strips rather than ejecting them. Although it tested successfully against the Maxim in 1908, the Italian government classified it as secret and never mass-produced it, eventually adopting the simpler Fiat-Revelli M1914 instead.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 27000 g (952.4 oz) |
| Action Type | Recoil Operated |
| Magazine Capacity | 20 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Stripper Clip |
| Muzzle Velocity | 700 m/s (2297 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2560 J (1888 ft·lbf) |
| Rate of Fire | 450 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
Calibers
- 6.5x52mm Carcano · primary — also known as 6.5mm Mannlicher-Carcano, 6.5x52mm Mannlicher-Carcano
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Articulated Metal Feed Strips
- Features: Water Cooled, Articulated Feed Strips, Five Strip Hopper, Spent Case Recovery, Cartridge Oiler
Variants
- Perino Model 1910 — Lightened
Service history
Operators
- Royal Italian Army · adopted 1908 · as Mitragliatrice Perino Mod. 1908
Conflicts
- Italo-Turkish War (1911-1912)
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Production years: 1908-1918
Very limited production; classified as a secret weapon and never mass-produced
Origin
Country of origin: Italy
Designer: Giuseppe Perino
Notes
Original 1908 weapon weighed around 27 kg; a lightened 1910 variant reduced this to roughly 15 kg. Overall length, barrel length and exact production numbers are unconfirmed by accessible sources. Production deliberately restricted under government secrecy.
Background
Fearing rival nations would copy Perino's ingenious feed-and-case-recovery mechanism, the Italian government classified the gun top secret, and that secrecy backfired: barely refined or produced, it was passed over for the simpler Fiat-Revelli M1914 and faded into obscurity. The action actually stuffed spent cartridge cases back into the feed strip as it cycled, keeping the battlefield clear of loose brass.