MG18 TuF
 

Does anyone have any leads on technical information for the 13.2mm MG18 TuF? I have all the characteristics of the ammunition and the single-shot T-Gewehr, but information on things such as weight, barrel length, and length overall are proving difficult to find for the heavy machine gun. I've seen that a few did see service, but not any details.

Apparently the weight was 133.7 kg according to the following Russian site: -
http://ww1.milua.org/TUF.htm

I think I'm safe in assuming that weight is for the gun as well as the carriage it was mounted on... so, not much help really...

According to this page, muzzle velocity was approx 805m/s and cyclic rate was 300rpm: -
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/MG_18_TuF

According to one of my books, there are two examples in museums, the German military museum in Koblenz and another in an un-named museum somewhere in Russia.
(Book: pg 185, second last paragraph, Machine Gun: The Development of the Machine Gun from the Nineteenth Century to the Present Day, Maxim Popenker and Anthony G. Williams ISBN 978-1-84797-030-5).
Your best chance might be contacting the German museum which I believe is the Defence Technology Museum (Die Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung).
This website has contact details for the museum: -
https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attra...alatinate.html

Apparently, there's technical data in Yury Natzvalade's Trophies of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, according to this thread that unfortunately has had all of the photo links killed by Photobucket. That thread also suggest the Russian one is at the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps in St. Petersburg. I'll need to see if I can find a copy of that book. The thread suggests the MG18's barrel is slightly shorter than the T-Gewehr's, in discussing muzzle velocity,

Rude weapons in any age. Try to avoid being downrange.

Note that the MG's recoil already includes using the tripod.

Uncle Ted

That would match what I have for data; same round fired from a T-Gewhr is about 100 m/s faster.

Uncle Ted

@unkated
Out of curiosity, do you have the technical specs of the MC18 TuF? I've become somewhat interested in the weapon and would like to see the specs. My only options so far seem to be find the book Trophies of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 or email one of the two museums and hope to get someone who understands English.

No, I don't have any information beyond what is listed here. I had not heard of the weapon three days ago.

I recall reading from multiple sources that the US developed the .50 cal MG based on the anti-tank properties of the 13.2mm TuF cartridge used in the 1918 T-Gewehr, the first anti-tank rifle (and the reason that the US did not develop an anti-tank rifle during the interwar period). I find this weapon, which the allies discovered at the end of WW1, lends some more credence to that possibility.

Uncle Ted

Damn :(
Ah well, thank you anyway.

In regards to the .50 BMG round, I too had read that it was originally developed as an anti-tank round but it's only with The Dark's question about the MG18 TuF that I'd seen any reference to outside influences on its creation.
I sometimes find that all these little bits of information about the creation, deployment, usage, problems, good points etc. etc. are more interesting to me than the actual weapon itself, (hence my curiosity in regard to the original post).

Just an update that someone has posted technical specs at Wikipedia that look plausible based on the information scrounged together in this thread. When I plug that information into FF&S, I get the following:

MG 18 TuF
ROF 5
Dam 9
Pen 2-3-4
Bulk 11
Mag 75B or 50
SS 5 (1 on tripod)
Brst 11 (3 on tripod)
Rng 210 (not including tripod, which doubles base range in FF&S)