Breda Mod. 5C

Breda Mod.5C
Breda Mod. 5 version C
Type	Medium Machine gun
Place of origin	Italy
Service history
Used by	Royal Italian Army
Wars	Second Italo-Ethiopian War World War II
Production history
Manufacturer	Breda Meccanica Bresciana
No. built	2,000
Variants	Breda Mod.5G
Specifications
Mass	Gun: 9.22 kg (20.33 lb) Tripod: 28.6 kg (63.05 lb)
Length	940 mm (37.01 in)
Barrel  length	450 mm (17.72 in)
Cartridge	6.5×52mm Carcano
Caliber	6.5 mm
Rate of fire	Cyclic: 450-500 rounds/min Practice: 150-180 rounds/min
Effective firing range	400 m (440 yd)
Feed system	20-round non detachable magazine (fed with 20-round stripper clips)

The Breda 5C was an Italian medium machine gun, which was adopted by the Royal Italian Army and used in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and in World War II.

History

Breda 5C, together with Fiat Mod. 26, was designed by the Italian Society Ernesto Breda Costruzioni Meccaniche to replace the machine gun SIA Mod. 1918. Despite the unsatisfactory results of both arms during the tests, however, they were adopted by the Royal Italian Army to address the critical shortage of automatic weapons. Assigned to the troops of Tripoli, a few dozen unit were used by meharists during World War II. It also armed the armored cars Fiat 611. ^{[1] [ failed verification ]}

Description

Light machine gun Breda Mod.5G

The weapon displayed multiple features that would go on to be used in the Breda Mod. 30. The weapon sported a quick-change barrel which separated from the carrier sleeve with a half-turn. Operation was via recoil, firing from a closed bolt. The weapon was fed by a side-mounted, non-detachable twenty-round box magazine, which was opened on a hinge, filled via a twenty-round charger, then closed, in a similar manner to the Modello 30. The 5C also sported range-adjustable ironsights and a heavy tripod that doubled as a transportation saddle for the weapon. ^[2]

Other versions

Breda 5G

This version is essentially the same weapon, with the same operation, but adapted to light machine gun size. The knobs are replaced by a stock with a lower removable tip and a wooden grips and a trigger. The tripod is eliminated and replaced by a bipod attached to the barrel holder sleeve.

Bibliography

• Mitragliatrice Breda Mod 5C e 5G, Società Ernesto Breda Costruzioni Meccaniche, 1930.
• Nicola Pignato, Armi della fanteria italiana nella seconda guerra mondiale, Ermanno Albertelli Editore, 1979.

Note

1. Pignato, Nicola (1979). Armi della fanteria italiana nella seconda guerra mondiale. Ermanno Albertelli Editore.
2. "Official Manual of the weapon". scribd.com.

See also

• Breda Mod. 30
• SIA Mod. 1918