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MG 131 Round

RogerKP

Well-Known Member
MG131.jpgMG1312.jpg This cartridge is 1941 - the primer is not electric, as I thought they all were. It has no tracer and a darker green band under the fuse. I understand this means it's self destruct. I know that some rounds are linked to the tracer burnout for self destruct - so if this has no tracer, how does it self destruct? Or does the band under the fuse denote something else?
Thanks
 
It is not a green but a blue ring under the fuse.This is an explosive incendiary projectile (HEI).
With 13mm ammunition the self destruction is always initiated by the tracers.
And this cartridge is not mechanical primed....ist is a electric primer.
 
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Thanks Rigby - that’s a great help. Obviously the blue has virtually become black over the years!
I have other electrically charged rounds and they all have an extra “ring” around the primer, whereas the mechanical ones have 3 or 4 indentations. This one has 4 indentations and no ring which made me think it was mechanical. What makes you think it’s electric? Did the 131 ever come with a mechanical primer?
Sorry for all the questions!!!
 
Early and late electric-primed plus a percussion primed variant. All examples are MG 131/13. Hope this helps.
IMG_4519 (2).jpg
 
This manufacturer (avu) has the primers with segment crimps attached not with a ring crimp.
 

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Here is another one with percussion ignition from 1941........ but this is a rare spanish one.
 

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I'm probably stating what everyone knows, but just in case, for information: the Japanese Navy adopted a percussion-primed version of the MG 131 as the 13 mm Type 2. It was used on naval aircraft, in flexible mountings. They chose percussion because they were concerned about the marine environment affecting reliability, and they didn't need the precise timing required for synchronised mountings (which is what the MG 131 was designed for).
 
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