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14,5x114 KPV heavy machine gun cartridges, Russia

pzgr40

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Cutaway models and two drill cartridges for the 14,5x114mm KPU heavy machinegun.
The 14,5x114mm cartridge is a derivate of the 14,5mm PTRD and PTRS anti tank rifles. Late in WW2 this cartridge was used for the KPV heavy machinegun that was designed for use in armoured personel carriers. The KPV is a gas operated, belt fed, air cooled weapon with a firing rate of 550-600 rounds per minute.
The KPV heavy machine gun is used against ground and air targets from armoured vehicles, in single mountings, double gun mountings (ZPU-2) and quadriple mountings (ZPU-4). A naval mounting called MTPU is available for usage on ships.

Shellcases are brown either green laquered steel or brass made and have a percussion primer. The shellcase is 114mm long.
Vo of the projectiles is 1000 mtrs/sec

Several types of cartridges are available;
From right to left:

-Blank, type CHOLOSTOJ : Meant for simulating live fire during exercises. The shellcase is a brown laquered steel shellcase, rounded at the case mouth to ease loading into the chamber of the weapon. The shellcase is closed with a rounded green cartboard cap

-Drill cartridge, type UCh. This dummy cartridge is equal in size and shape to a normal 14,5x114 cartridge, has no propelling charge and a fired primer in the shellcase, and no pyrotechnic charge(s) in the projectile.
To make the drill cartridge easily recognizable from ball cartridges it has three longitudal slots pressed into the shellcase at 120 degrees each.

-Drill cartridge of East German manufacture; the lower part of the drill cartridge consists of a machined steel piece in the shape of a shellcase base, the rest is made of black plastic. A steel strengthening pin runs through the largest part of the dummy cartridge.

-Ball; A brass plated steel jacket containing a mild steel core. An inert filling is placed above the steel core.
The Ball cartridge projectile has no nose colour.

-Ballistic reference; a Ball either an API projectile with an exactly measured powder charge to enshure the correct ballistic trajectory. Used for zeroing the sights of weapons
The projectile has a white nose up to half the projectile length protruding from the shellcase.

-API (Armour Piercing Incendiary) type B-32. A brass plated steel jacket containing a hardened steel core. An incendiary charge (thermite) is placed above the steel core. Bullet weight : 64 grams.
Penetration : 20mm @20 degrees at 300 mtrs.
The projectile nose colour is black with a red band below it

-API-T (Armour Piercing Incendiary – Tracer) type BZT. A brass plated steel jacket containing a hardened steel core. An incendiary charge (thermite) is placed above the steel core. A tracer element is placed below the core. The tracer element causes the hardened steel core to be shorter. Bullet weight : 59,6 grams.
Penetration : 20mm @20 degrees at 100 mtrs.
The nose colour is violet with a red band below it.

-Incendiary tracer, type ZP. A brass plated steel jacket containing an incendiary filling in top, ignited by an internaly placed inertia activated firing pin. A tracer lement is place din the base of the bullet. Bullet weight : 60,0 grams.
The nose colour of the projectile is red

-HEI (High Explosive Incendiary) type MDZ. A brass plated steel jacket containing a steel cup with explosives inside. On top, an internal air pressure activated fuze is placed. Upon impact, the nose is crused and the air inside the nose is compressed with high speed, and so becomes extremely hot. This ignites the heat senstive mixture in the detonator, exploding the bullet. Upon explosion, fragmentation and incendiary effects (2500-3000 Degrees celcius) defeat the target.
The MDZ cartridge is meant for use against aircraft and helikopters, as well as unarmoured targets.
The entire nose, protruding above the shellcase is painted red.

Regards, DJH
 

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I have a Drill cartridge (new condition) and the case is steel, headstamped only with two numbers, "41" and "74". It has "powder" inside as you can hear it when shaked. Russian or Chinese?
 

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I can only find the code 74 in the book "Sowjet cannon "from Christian Koll.
74= AO Izmash , Prospekt Deryabini 3, Izhevsk 426006.
This is a plant for small arms and small arms ammo.

@ kiwieod
I use bamboo skewers ø2,5mm dia. I bundle them with tape around the bunch and than saw 2,5 to3mm length bundles.

Regards, DJH
 
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Super nice job on the cutaways. I have been interested in the 14.5 cartridge for years since I picked up a PTRS-41 and PTRD-41.. I just recently was able to obtain some WW2 dated (1942) cases. I am now trying to locate 5 ball rounds to put in the cases for display....
 
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