Panzerbüchse PzB 40 M / Model 41 anti-tank rifle
Model 41 PTR (PzB 40 M)
At the beginning of World War II, the Wehrmacht used anti-tank rifles (ATR) PzB 38 and PzB 39 as anti-tank weapons for infantry units, which penetrated armor up to 30 mm thick.
Therefore, back in 1940, large competitive trials of new German anti-tank rifles were held, which were intended to replace the single-shot PzB 38 and PzB 39. At that time, German designers proposed a number of experimental self-loading anti-tank rifles with increased combat and operational characteristics, designed to use the Patrone 318 cartridge (metric designation 7.92x94). The tactical and technical characteristics of the presented prototypes of the anti-tank gun, despite the strong variation in the designs, were very similar, which was explained by the very strict conditions of the task. Anti-tank rifles of models 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 were presented for testing.
The Model 41 anti-tank rifle, indexed “PzB 40 M”, was created by Mauser Werke in Oberndorf am Neckar.
The automation of this gun worked on the principle of removing powder gases from the barrel bore. Locking was carried out by turning the bolt.
Caliber, mm 7.92x94
(Patrone 318)
Length, mm 1670
Barrel length, mm 1085
Weight without cartridges, kg 12.5
Magazine, number of cartridges 8
Speed of fire, rounds/min 32
The firing mechanism allowed only single firing with a practical rate of fire of 32 rounds/min.
The weapon was fed with ammunition from a sector-type box magazine with a capacity of 8 rounds, inserted into the receiver on the left side of the receiver.
The barrel, tapering towards the muzzle, was fixed on the stock of the weapon without moving. To reduce recoil when firing, a powerful muzzle brake was attached to the barrel.
Rack-mount open sight. The front sight was protected by a ring fence.
To stabilize when firing and reduce the size of the gun in the stowed position, a two-legged folding bipod was fixed on the barrel.
To carry the weapon, a side-folding handle mounted on top of the barrel served as a sideways.
To reduce recoil, the shoulder rest was equipped with a rubber butt plate.
In the manufacture of individual parts of this semi-automatic shotgun, the stamping method was used.
In October of 1940, thorough trials of the PzB 40 M anti-tank rifle took place, but it was not accepted for service, as well as models from other companies that participated in the competition.