The Schwarzlose M.07/12 is an early 20th-century machine gun designed by Austrian engineer Andreas Schwarzlose. It was adopted by the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1907, with improvements leading to the M.07/12 version introduced in 1912. Here are some key details:
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Design: The M.07/12 is a water-cooled, belt-fed, recoil-operated heavy machine gun. It is known for its unique delayed blowback system, which uses a wedge-shaped lock to delay the opening of the bolt, allowing chamber pressures to drop before extraction.
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Caliber: Typically chambered for the 8×50mmR Mannlicher cartridge, the standard Austro-Hungarian military round of the time.
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Rate of Fire: It has a relatively slow rate of fire compared to other contemporary machine guns, around 400-580 rounds per minute, due to its delayed blowback system. This was seen as an advantage in conserving ammunition and maintaining barrel life during prolonged firefights.
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Water-Cooled: The gun has a water jacket around the barrel to prevent overheating during sustained fire, a common feature in machine guns of that era.
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Service: It saw extensive use during World War I by the Austro-Hungarian military, as well as by several other nations after the war. The Schwarzlose was also used in modified forms by various countries during the interwar period and into World War II.
The Schwarzlose M.07/12 was appreciated for its simplicity and durability, though its relatively low rate of fire and weight were drawbacks compared to later machine guns.
