Thread: WW2 Training Charts

I saw these in a museum awhile back and thought they were interesting. I've always been as interested in the use and history of firearms as much as the tools themselves.







If the Lewis gun jacket was so effective, why wasn't it used on other weapons? I guess with the invention of the quick change barrel it wasn't needed.

There's a guy on trademe selling copies of these.

Originally Posted by NZShoota

There's a guy on trademe selling copies of these.

Thats cool, I'll have to check them out.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketpl...ing/3202414013

Check his listing for other sizes.

Originally Posted by Sh00ter

I saw these in a museum awhile back and thought they were interesting. I've always been as interested in the use and history of firearms as much as the tools themselves.

If the Lewis gun jacket was so effective, why wasn't it used on other weapons? I guess with the invention of the quick change barrel it wasn't needed.

The shroud allowed the gun to fire at 10 rounds per second, or 600 rpm. But would it be sufficient to cope with 1200 rpm like on the MG42? Maybe, as the higher rate of fire would have pulled more air through the shroud. Using non-Cordite .303 ammunition might have been additionally helpful for cooling as Cordite burns very hot.

The shroud likely increased manufacturing cost both because of complexity and through use of precious aluminium for its internal cooling fins. We take aluminium for granted nowadays, but it's actually very energy-intensive to extract. In terms of lack of simplicity, compare with the simplicity of the Rheinmetall MG42 -- a stamped metal wonder of simplification and reduction of operating costs compared to the MG38, or the Bren.

But when the Lewis Gun came out its comparator was the heavy, water-cooled Maxim MG with similar rate of fire. The Maxim took three men to operate and move about, whereas the Lewis could both be operated and carried by one man (though in practice, I believe, usually by two men).

Interestingly, the Russians have delved into the past and resurrected the cooling sleeve in their PKP Pescheneg machine gun.

It's a heavy barrel GPMG with heavy, non-changeable barrel. It can apparently rapid-fire 600 rounds of 7.62x54R at 6-800rpm without damage to the barrel. In heavy fighting it can fire 10,000 rounds an hour without degrading barrel life more than what would be expected from slower firing.

I find that an interesting window into the Lewis gun of old, right down to the use of rimmed cartridges! (-: The Wipedia article mentions a special forces titanium variant -- speaking of the use of expensive metals.



Interesting, from the carry handle, you can see where the balance of gravity is. Heavy barrel, yes.

AND ... the PKP Pesheneg (Polyemet Lewisky???) comes in a badass bullpup variant, must be the one with the titanium. Must feel good to have a couple guys in your platoon backing up with those. Note also the non-disintegrating belt which goes right back to what the Russians call "the Machinegun of Maxim". Like Maori, they put the descriptor second.