SIA Mod. 1918
Societa Italiana Aviazione (SIA) · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1918
Also known as: Mitragliatrice Leggera SIA Modello 1918, SIA Model 1918, SIA M1918
Overview
The SIA Mod. 1918 was an Italian light machine gun produced by Societa Italiana Aviazione, a FIAT subsidiary, originally conceived as an aircraft gun and then repurposed for infantry use. It fired the 6.5x52mm Carcano cartridge from a top-mounted 30-round detachable box magazine via a friction-retarded (delayed) blowback action operating in full-automatic only. Its chrome-nickel steel barrel was cooled by a distinctive radiator of 52 circular aluminum discs. Rushed into service late in WWI, it suffered chronic extraction and reliability problems, and was withdrawn by the mid-1920s.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 10200 g (359.8 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1113 mm (43.82") |
| Barrel Length | 635 mm (25.00") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 680 m/s (2231 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2415 J (1781 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 800 m (875 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 3000 m (3281 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 500 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: Detachable Box Magazine
- Features: Retarded Blowback, Air Cooled, Aluminum Disc Radiator, Top Mounted Magazine, Spade Grips, Conical Flash Hider, Fluted Chamber
Service history
Operators
- Royal Italian Army · adopted 1918 · as Mitragliatrice Leggera SIA Mod. 1918
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Production years: 1918-1923
Planned target of ~18,000 units; actual output limited and not exported
Origin
Country of origin: Italy
Designer: Giovanni Agnelli
Discontinued: 1923
Notes
Caliber is rimless (some references mislabel it rimmed). Capacity of 30 rounds is confirmed; weight of ~10.2 kg is the cited spec, though one source gives ~16 kg. Muzzle energy derived from standard 6.5x52mm data. A fluted chamber was added to ease extraction problems.
Background
The SIA Mod. 1918's retarded blowback action closed too quickly on the bottlenecked Carcano case, causing persistent extraction failures and case ruptures, while its open skeletal magazine let dirt straight into the action. A 1922 Italian army report concluded the gun did not take long to manifest the defects of its hasty design, and the aluminum-disc radiator was essentially a band-aid to keep the overheating barrel from fracturing.