Villar-Perosa M15

Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (FIAT) · Machine Gun · Discontinued · 1915

Also known as: Villar-Perosa, FIAT Mod. 1915, Pistola Mitragliatrice Villar-Perosa, VP M15

Overview

The Villar-Perosa M15 is an Italian twin-barrelled machine gun introduced in 1915 and widely regarded as the first weapon to fire a pistol cartridge in fully automatic fire, making it a forerunner of the submachine gun. Designed by Bethel Abiel Revelli and chambered in 9mm Glisenti, it paired two side-by-side delayed-blowback barrels fed by twin 25-round box magazines and fired by dual thumb triggers, producing a combined cyclic rate of up to 3,000 rounds per minute. Originally intended as a light aircraft and Alpine support weapon, its extreme rate of fire and limited magazine capacity led to it being rebuilt into the single-barrel, shoulder-fired OVP 1918 and inspiring the Beretta M1918.

Specifications

Weight (empty)	6520 g (230.0 oz)
Overall Length	533 mm (20.98")
Barrel Length	320 mm (12.60")
Action Type	Blowback
Firing Mechanism	Hammer Fired
Trigger Type	Thumb Triggers
Magazine Capacity	25 rounds
Magazine Type	Detachable Box
Muzzle Velocity	366 m/s (1201 fps)
Effective Range	100 m (109 yd)
Rate of Fire	3000 rpm
Barrel Rifling	Right Hand
Frame Material	Steel
Barrel Material	Steel
Finish	Blued

Calibers

9mm Glisenti · primary — also known as 9x19mm Glisenti, 9mm Glisenti M1910

Features

Firing modes: Full Automatic
Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
Features: Twin Barrels, Dual Thumb Triggers, Delayed Blowback, Spade Grips

Variants

OVP 1918 — Shoulder Fired Conversion

Service history

Operators

Royal Italian Army · adopted 1915 · as Pistola Mitragliatrice Villar-Perosa M15
Austro-Hungarian Army · as captured examples
German Empire · as captured examples

Conflicts

World War I (1915-1918)

Production

Estimated total produced: 15,000 · Production years: 1915-1918

Approximately 14,000-15,000 units produced before many were converted to the single-barrel OVP 1918 configuration.

Origin

Country of origin: Italy

Designer: Bethel Abiel Revelli

Discontinued: 1918

Notes

Each of the two barrels had its own bolt and 25-round magazine and was fired by a separate thumb trigger; the cyclic rate is often cited as 1,200-1,500 rpm per barrel. The weapon was typically mounted on a bipod, tripod, gun shield, or even a bicycle-borne carriage rather than fired from the shoulder.

Background

Often credited as the first true submachine gun, the Villar-Perosa was conceived as an aircraft and mountain-warfare weapon. Its insatiable appetite for ammunition at up to 3,000 rounds per minute proved impractical, but splitting it into two single-barrel shoulder weapons gave rise to the OVP 1918 and Beretta M1918, the first hand-held submachine guns.