12.7 × 108 mm

12.7×108mm
A 12.7 × 108 mm cartridge
Type	Heavy machine gun Anti-materiel rifle
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1935–present
Used by	Soviet Union and successor states
Wars	Winter War World War II Korean War Portuguese Colonial War Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Cambodian–Vietnamese War Six-Day War War of Attrition The Troubles Yom Kippur War Soviet–Afghan War Iran–Iraq War Gulf War Chechen War Iraq War War in Afghanistan Libyan Civil War Syrian Civil War Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Russo-Ukrainian War Israel-Hamas War
Specifications
Case type	Rimless, bottleneck
Bullet diameter	12.98 mm (0.511 in)
Neck diameter	13.95 mm (0.549 in)
Shoulder diameter	18.90 mm (0.744 in)
Base diameter	21.75 mm (0.856 in)
Rim diameter	21.70 mm (0.854 in)
Rim thickness	1.90 mm (0.075 in)
Case length	108 mm (4.3 in)
Overall length	147.50 mm (5.807 in)
Case capacity	22.72 cm3 (350.6 gr H2O)
Primer type	Berdan
Maximum pressure	360 MPa (52,000 psi)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 48.3 g (745 gr) API B32 57-BZ-542 820–860 m/s (2,700–2,800 ft/s) 16,240–17,861 J (11,978–13,174 ft⋅lbf) 55.4 g (855 gr) API-HC BS 820 m/s (2,700 ft/s) 18,625 J (13,737 ft⋅lbf) 56.6 g (873 gr) API-HC BS 7-BZ-1 820–825 m/s (2,690–2,710 ft/s) 19,029–19,621 J (14,035–14,472 ft⋅lbf) 59.2 g (914 gr) Sniper SN 7N34 770–785 m/s (2,530–2,580 ft/s) 17,549–18,240 J (12,943–13,453 ft⋅lbf) 44.1 g (681 gr) Tulammo 680 gr hunting cartridge 916–923 m/s (3,010–3,030 ft/s) 18,501–18,785 J (13,646–13,855 ft⋅lbf)
Test barrel length: 1000 mm

The 12.7×108mm cartridge is a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun and anti-materiel rifle cartridge used by the former Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries, including Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and many others. It was invented in 1934 to create a cartridge like the German 13.2mm TuF anti-tank rifle round and the American .50 Browning Machine Gun round (12.7×99mm NATO).

It is used in the same roles as the NATO .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO) cartridge. The two differ in bullet shape and weight, and the casing of the 12.7 × 108 mm is slightly longer, and its larger case capacity allows it to hold slightly more of a different type of powder. The 12.7 × 108 mm can be used to engage a wide variety of targets on the battlefield, and will destroy unarmored vehicles, penetrate lightly armored vehicles and damage external ancillary equipment (i.e.: searchlights, radar, transmitters, vision blocks, engine compartment covers) on heavily armored vehicles such as tanks.^[1] It will also ignite gasoline and—since 2019—diesel fuel (experimental "Avers" AP/I round).^[2][3]

The 12.7 × 108 mm has 22.72 ml (350 grains) H₂O cartridge case capacity.

12.7 × 108 mm maximum cartridge dimensions.^{[citation needed]} All sizes in millimeters (mm).

Americans define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 ≈ 18.16 degrees.

According to guidelines the 12.7 × 108 mm case can handle up to 360 MPa (52,213 psi) piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be proofed at 125% of this maximum CIP pressure to certify for sale to consumers.

Б-30 (B-30)

First version of 1930. Armor-piercing (бронебойная) bullet weighing 49 g (1.7 oz) and 64 mm (2.5 in) long with hardened steel core.^[4] Replaced by B-32.

БЗТ (BZT)

Pre-WW2 armor-piercing incendiary (бронебойно-зажигательная) tracer.^[4] Replaced by BZT-44.

Б-32 (B-32) (GRAU# 57-BZ-542, 7-BZ-2)

Steel-cored API bullet. Main type in use.^[4] Penetrates 20 mm (0.79 in) NATO medium-hard RHA from 500 m (1,600 ft) at 0° when fired out of DShKM. Penetrates 20 mm (0.79 in) 2P steel from 100 m (330 ft) at 0° when fired out of NSV-12.7. First produced 1936; named after the B-32 7.62×54mmR ammunition of 1932.

БС-41 (BS-41)

API bullet weighing 55.4 g (1.95 oz) and 51 mm (2.0 in) long with a cemented carbide (Re8 WC-Co) core. Produced in small quantities at the beginning of WWII for the 12.7 mm Sholokhov anti-tank rifles (PTRSh-41).

БЗТ-44 (BZT-44) (GRAU# 57-BZT-542)

APIT with brighter tracer, usually used with B-32. Complemented by BZT-44M (GRAU# 57-BZT-542M) of 2002 with subdued tracer.

БЗФ-46 (BZF-46)

API bullet with (white) phosphorus (фосфорная). Aircraft MG round.

БС (BS) (GRAU# 7-BZ-1)^[5]

API bullet with cemented carbide (VK8 WC-Co, commonly called a "cermet" in Russian) core, developed in 1972. Ballistics also similar to B-32.

МДЗ / MDZ (GRAU# 7-3-2)

Immediate-action incendiary. Used in belt with B-32 and BZT-44(M).^[6]

12,7 1СЛ (12.7 1SL) (GRAU# 9-A-4012)

12,7 1СЛТ (12.7 1SLT) (GRAU# 9-A-4427)

Tandem / duplex cartridge with two bullets inside, in normal and tracer versions. Developed 1985 for use by helicopter against soft targets.^[7]

12,7СН (12.7SN) (GRAU# 7N34)

Sniper cartridge (FMJ; AP). Bullet weighs 59.2 g (2.09 oz) and travels at ~800 m/s (2,600 ft/s). Bullet consists of hardened tool steel tip and lead body. Able to defeat lightly-armored vehicles at 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and 10 mm (0.39 in) RHA at 800 m (2,600 ft).^[8] Entered production in the 2000s.^[9]

12.7 Blank (GRAU# 7H1)

12.7 UCH Dummy (GRAU# 7H2)

Note that some WW2 bullets share designations with ones for 14.5×114mm.

• AMR-2 anti-materiel sniper rifle
• ČZW-127 anti-materiel sniper rifle
• Falcon OP96 anti-material rifle
• Gepard anti-materiel rifles
• Golan S-01 anti-materiel sniper rifle
• KSVK anti-materiel sniper rifle
• OSV-96 anti-materiel sniper rifle
• PDSHP anti-materiel sniper rifle
• QBU-10 anti-materiel sniper rifle
• QBU-201
• Snipex M
• SVN-98 experimental anti-materiel rifle
• V-94 anti-tank/anti-materiel rifle
• Vidhwansak anti-materiel rifle
• Zastava M93 Black Arrow anti-materiel sniper rifle
• Zastava M12 Black Spear anti-materiel sniper rifle
• Zijiang M99 anti-materiel sniper rifle
  • Zijiang & Poly M99-I/M99B-I/M06 anti-materiel sniper rifle
• Zijiang LR-2/LR-2A anti-materiel sniper rifle

• 6P62 handheld machine gun
• Afanasev A-12.7 heavy machine gun
• DShK heavy machine gun
• Berezin UB aircraft machine gun
• CS/LM5 Gatling machine gun
• M17G 12.7mm hatch machine gun
• NSV heavy machine gun
• Kord heavy machine gun
• Type 77 heavy machine gun
• QJC-88 heavy machine gun
• QJZ-89 heavy machine gun
• QJZ-171 heavy machine gun
• Zastava M02 Coyote heavy machine gun
• Yak-B 12.7mm Gatling gun
• Zastava M87 heavy machine gun
• Yu-12.7 aircraft gun

• .50 BMG (American equivalent)
• 14.5 × 114 mm
• 20 mm caliber

• Koll, Christian (2009). Soviet Cannon - A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7mm to 57mm. Austria: Koll. p. 72. ISBN 978-3-200-01445-9.
• Maxim Popenker, modernfirearms.net
• Cartridge Plant official site
• Tulammo official site
• ASVK Kord 12.7×108 and OSV-96 Youtube

• Борцов А.Ю. "Пятилинейный", Мастер-ружье issue 110, May 2006, pp. 56–62

• 12.7×108 large-caliber cartridges
• 12.7 mm cartridges for more types
• Russian Ammunition Page