Thursday 24 September 2015

PzB 39 Evaluation


"To the Chair of the State Committee of Defense, comrade I. Stalin

Trials of the German PzB 39 7.92 mm rifle by the Red Army Small Arms Scientific Research Proving Grounds showed the following results:
  1. Muzzle velocity: 1189 m/s
  2. Mass: 12.12 kg
  3. Bullet mass: 14.8 grams
  4. Chamber volume: 17.06 cm^3
The rifle penetrates a 20 mm surface hardened plate at a 20 degree angle from 500 meters and a 30 mm surface hardened plate at a 20 degree angle from 300 meters. Further trials were not performed as only 7 rounds were available for testing.

The PzB 39 7.92 mm rifle can be considered an effective weapon against 20 mm armour at 500 meters and 30 mm armour at 300 meters. Considering the army's need of anti-tank rifles, we consider it necessary to produce at least 30,000 rifles similar to the German one annually. As it is not possible to solve this problem using the resources of the People's Commissariat of Armament without reducing production of other weapons, we ask that the "Avtotraktordetal" factory in Saratov be transferred to the NKV.

People's Commissar of Armament, D. Ustinov."

4 comments:

  1. How'd they think it stood up against the PTRD/S, or the Boys? (if they received any, not sure)

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    1. The PTRS is much more effective, I don't have any data on the Boys. http://sovietguns.blogspot.ca/2015/09/ptrs-penetration.html

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    2. The boys is 22mm @ 100meters according to its manual its one of the weaker ATRS.

      The PTRD/S isn't that far off the Pzb39 30mm @ 300m @ 20 deg
      vs PTRD/S 35mm @ 300m at 90 ( with APCR) its even closer with the AP.
      Its interesting the Germans were pulling their ATRs while the soviets were just introducing theirs.
      The Pzb-39 was pulled and rebuilt into the Gzb-39 starting in late 1941 which was a Grenade launcher that fired a far more effective HEAT round. Sort of a pre-panzerfaust.

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    3. Amendment Boys ATR = 23.2mm @ 100 @ 90
      link: http://imgur.com/Cs68Mgg

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