Skoda M1909
Skoda Works · Machine Gun · Discontinued · 1909
Also known as: Skoda Model 1909, Skoda M.09
Overview
The Skoda M1909 is an Austro-Hungarian water-cooled, belt-fed medium machine gun chambered in 8x50mmR Mannlicher. The last and most extensively reworked member of the Skoda automatic-weapon line, it descends from the Salvator-Dormus M1893 and its M1902 successor, with engineers simplifying the design and removing the earlier pendulum-lever delay so it could compete with the Schwarzlose. It retains a delayed-blowback action in which a rolling block serving as the bolt is held back by friction against the return spring, fed from a 250-round fabric belt entering the left of the receiver, and uses a cartridge oiler that helped raise its cyclic rate to about 425 rounds per minute. Built by the Skoda Works in Plzen and tripod-mounted, it could not match the reliability of the rival Schwarzlose MG M.07/12 and was issued mainly to reserve and home-guard battalions during World War I.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 20000 g (705.5 oz) |
| Overall Length | 945 mm (37.20") |
| Barrel Length | 530 mm (20.87") |
| Action Type | Delayed Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Magazine Capacity | 250 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Belt |
| Muzzle Velocity | 575 m/s (1886 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2611 J (1926 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 3500 m (3828 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 425 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right-Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 8x50mmR Mannlicher · primary — also known as 8mm Mannlicher, 8x50R Austrian, 8x50R M93
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: 250-Round Fabric Belt, 30-Round Detachable Box Magazine (Early Skoda Series)
- Features: Water-Cooled Barrel Jacket, Belt Feed, Delayed-Blowback Rolling-Block Bolt, Tripod Mounted
Production
Production years: 1909-1918
Production remained extremely limited; the type lost the Austro-Hungarian trials to the Schwarzlose MG M.07/12, which became the standard service machine gun, so the M1909 was relegated to reserve and home-guard use. No reliable total-production figure is documented.
Origin
Country of origin: Austria
Designer: Archduke Karl Salvator and Georg Ritter von Dormus (Skoda Works)
Discontinued: 1918
Notes
The M1909 was a belt-fed derivative of the Salvator-Dormus design and competed unsuccessfully against the Schwarzlose MG M.07/12, which became the standard Austro-Hungarian machine gun.
Background
Born from the pioneering Salvator-Dormus machine gun designed by Archduke Karl Salvator and Georg Ritter von Dormus, the Skoda M1909 represented the Skoda Works' final attempt to keep its automatic-weapon line in Austro-Hungarian service before the Schwarzlose displaced it entirely.