Fucile Mitragliatore Breda Modello 30
Type	Light machine gun
Place of origin	Kingdom of Italy
Service history
In service	1930 to 1945
Used by	Italy
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designed	1930
Manufacturer	Breda Meccanica Bresciana
Produced	1930 to 1945
Number built	?
Variants	Breda M37 (cal. 7.65 mm)
Specifications
Weight	10.6 kg
Length	1230 mm
Barrel length	450 mm
Cartridge	6.5x52mm Mannlicher-Carcano
Action	blowback
Rate of fire	~ 500 round/min
Muzzle velocity	630 m/s
Effective range	800 m
Maximum range	3000 m
Feed system	4 stripper cilps of 5 round stripper clip = 20 rounds

The Fucile Mitragliatore Breda modello 30 was the standard light machine gun of the Italian army during World War II. The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, one of the most popular modern 5. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... Anthem Marcia Reale dOrdinanza (Royal March of Ordinance)¹ The Kingdom of Italy at the height of its power in 1940. ... Breda Meccanica Bresciana, widely known simply as Breda, is a large Italian manufacturer of small arms and ammunition. ... The Breda Modello 37 was an Italian heavy machine gun () adopted in 1937. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In firearms terminology, an action is the system of operation that the firearm employs to seal the breech (in a breech-loading firearm), and to load consecutive rounds. ... Blowback is a system in which automatic or semi-automatic firearms operate through the energy created by combustion in the chamber and bore acting directly on the bolt face through the cartridge. ... (for paintball markers also)Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. ... A guns muzzle velocity is the speed at which the projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun. ... The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, one of the most popular modern 5. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The Breda 30 is widely regarded as a poor weapon. It had fragile clips, a slow rate of fire, used the underpowered 6.5x52mm cartridge and was prone to jamming.

It was magazine fed from the right side. The magazine was attached to the gun, and was loaded using brass or steel 20 round stripper clips.

This weapon is interesting in that it fired from a closed bolt, and had a small lubricating device that sprayed oil on each cartridge as it entered the chamber. This system allowed the chamber and barrel to heat rapidly, which caused rounds to "cook off" (fire) before they were fully in the chamber. The oil from the lubrication also quickly picked up dust and debris, making the weapon highly prone to jamming during the North African Campaign. Cooking off is when ammunition is set off prematurely due to heat in the surrounding environment. ... During World War II, the North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, took place in the North African desert from September 13, 1940 to May 13, 1943. ...

Some Bredas were retooled as the M37 to take the 7.35 mm cartridge the Italians were attempting to adopt, but that was short-lived as production never allowed full adoption of the new calibre. The Breda Modello 37 was an Italian heavy machine gun () adopted in 1937. ...

The Breda 30 was also mounted in a number of Italian armored fighting vehicles. An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a military vehicle, equipped with protection against hostile attacks and often mounted weapons. ...

Firing from a closed bolt causes the round to cook off once sitting in the chamber, not during loading. Any MG can have an out of battery fire (firing before fully loaded) due to overheat, though open bolt guns do generally cool a little better.

This is a clear problem because when the round cook off the crew may be relocating (normal after extremely heavy firing), and there is a chance the barrel may be pointed in an unsafe direction(regardless of training and common sense).

External links

• Comando Supremo
• SPWAW article
• Breda Model 38 Variant