12.7×108mm

12.7×108mm
A 12.7×108mm cartridge
Type	Heavy machine gun Anti-materiel rifle
Place of origin	USSR
Service history
In service	1935–present
Used by	Soviet Union and successor states
Wars	Winter War World War II Korean War Portuguese Colonial War Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Cambodian–Vietnamese War Six-Day War War of Attrition Yom Kippur War Soviet–Afghan War Iran–Iraq War Gulf War Chechen War Iraq War War in Afghanistan Libyan Civil War Syrian Civil War
Specifications
Bullet diameter	12.98 mm (0.511 in)
Neck diameter	13.95 mm (0.549 in)
Shoulder diameter	18.90 mm (0.744 in)
Base diameter	21.75 mm (0.856 in)
Rim diameter	21.70 mm (0.854 in)
Rim thickness	1.90 mm (0.075 in)
Case length	108 mm (4.3 in)
Overall length	147.50 mm (5.807 in)
Case capacity	22.72 cm3 (350.6 gr H2O)
Maximum pressure	360 MPa (52,000 psi)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 48.3 g (745 gr) API B32 57-BZ-542 820–860 m/s (2,700–2,800 ft/s) 16,240–17,861 J (11,978–13,174 ft⋅lbf) 55.4 g (855 gr) API-HC BS 820 m/s (2,700 ft/s) 18,625 J (13,737 ft⋅lbf) 56.6 g (873 gr) API-HC BS 7-BZ-1 820–825 m/s (2,690–2,710 ft/s) 19,029–19,621 J (14,035–14,472 ft⋅lbf) 59.2 g (914 gr) Sniper SN 7N34 770–785 m/s (2,530–2,580 ft/s) 17,549–18,240 J (12,943–13,453 ft⋅lbf) 44.1 g (681 gr) Tulammo 680gr hunting cartridge 916–923 m/s (3,010–3,030 ft/s) 18,501–18,785 J (13,646–13,855 ft⋅lbf)
Test barrel length: 1000 mm

The 12.7×108mm cartridge is a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun and anti-materiel rifle cartridge used by the former Soviet Union, the former Warsaw Pact, modern Russia, China and other countries. It was invented in 1934 to create a cartridge like the German 13.2mm TuF anti-tank rifle round and the American .50 Browning Machine Gun round (12.7×99mm NATO).

It is used in the same roles as the NATO .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO) cartridge. The two differ in bullet shape and weight, and the casing of the 12.7×108mm is slightly longer, and its larger case capacity allow it to hold slightly more of a different type of powder. The 12.7×108mm can be used to engage a wide variety of targets on the battlefield, and will destroy unarmored vehicles, penetrate lightly armored vehicles and damage external ancillary equipment (i.e.: searchlights, radar, transmitters, vision blocks, engine compartment covers) on heavily armored vehicles such as tanks.^[1] It will also ignite gasoline and—since 2019—diesel fuel.^[2] Armor-piercing ammunition will penetrate around 25 mm of armor. Normal full metal jacket ammunition will only dimple tank armor, causing no damage.

Cartridge dimensions[]

The 12.7×108mm has 22.72 ml (350 grains) H₂O cartridge case capacity.

12.7×108 maximum cartridge dimensions.^{[citation needed]} All sizes in millimetres (mm).

Americans would define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 ≈ 18.16 degrees.

According to guidelines the 12.7×108mm case can handle up to 360 MPa (52,213 psi) piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be proofed at 125% of this maximum CIP pressure to certify for sale to consumers.

Use by other nations[]

•  People's Republic of China: 12.7mm Type 54

Anti-tank and anti-materiel rifles[]

• 6P62 anti-materiel assault rifle
• AMR-2 anti-materiel sniper rifle
• ČZW-127 anti-materiel sniper rifle
• Falcon OP-99 anti-material rifle
• Gepard anti-materiel rifles
• KSVK anti-materiel sniper rifle
• OSV-96 anti-materiel sniper rifle
• PDSHP anti-materiel sniper rifle
• QBU-10 anti-materiel sniper rifle
• Snipex M
• SVN-98 experimental anti-materiel rifle
• V-94 anti-tank/anti-materiel rifle
• Vidhwansak anti-materiel rifle
• Zastava M93 Black Arrow sniper rifle
• Zastava M12 Black Spear anti-materiel sniper rifle
• Zijiang M99 anti-materiel sniper rifle
• Zijiang & Poly M99-I/M99B-I/M06 anti-materiel sniper rifle
• Zijiang LR-2/LR-2A anti-materiel sniper rifle

Heavy machine guns[]

• Afanassijef-12,7 heavy machine gun
• DShK heavy machine gun
• Berezin UB aircraft machine gun
• CS/LM5 Gatling machine gun
• M17G 12.7mm hatch machine gun
• NSV heavy machine gun
• Kord heavy machine gun
• Type 77 heavy machine gun
• W85/QJC88 heavy machine gun
• QJZ-89 heavy machine gun
• Zastava M02 Coyote heavy machine gun
• Yak-B 12.7mm Gatling gun
• Zastava M87 heavy machine gun
• aircraft gun

See also[]

• 20 mm caliber
• 14.5×114mm

References[]

• Koll, Christian (2009). Soviet Cannon - A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7mm to 57mm. Austria: Koll. p. 72. ISBN 978-3-200-01445-9.
• Maxim Popenker, modernfirearms.net
• Cartridge Plant official site
• Tulammo official site
• ASVK Kord 12.7×108 and OSV-96 Youtube

Further reading[]

• Борцов А.Ю. "Пятилинейный", Мастер-ружье issue 110, May 2006, pp. 56–62

External links[]

• 12.7×108 large-caliber cartridges
• Russian Ammunition Page