CODE – 04-132-931

NAME – Colt MG 38BT

NAME (NATIVE) – Colt Automatic Tank Machine Gun – Rifle Caliber MG 38BT

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – USA

DATE OF MANUFACTURE – 1931

CALIBER – 7.62x63mm (30-06) *

OVERALL LENGTH – 87.6 cm (34.5 in)

BARREL LENGTH – 45.7 cm (18 in)

RIFLING (TYPE & TWIST) – 4 Grooves, Right-hand twist, 1 turn in 25.4 cm (10 in)

LOAD – M1 Full jacketed Pointed Spitzer

BULLET DIAMETER – 7.82 mm (0.308 in)

BULLET WEIGHT – 11.34 g (175 grains)

MUZZLE VELOCITY – 770 m/s (2527 fps)

MUZZLE ENERGY – 3365 j (2482 m/s)

WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 12.70 kg (28 lb)

WEIGHT (LOADED) –14.3 kg (31 lb 8 oz) loaded with 50 rounds on fabric belt

WEIGHT (LOADED) – 18 kg (39 lb 11 oz) with feed spool bracket, cartridge feed-in chute, loaded with 125-round belt on feed spool

WEIGHT OF SPARE BARREL – 2.15 kg (4 lb 12 oz)

WEIGHT OF FEED SPOOL BRACKET – 0.51 kg (1 lb 2 oz)

WEIGHT OF CARTRIDGE FEED-IN CHUTE – 0.11 kg (4 oz)

SIGHTS – None

EFFECTIVE RANGE – 549 m (600 yards)

OPERATION – Recoil with gas booster, fires from closed bolt

TYPE OF FIRE – Full automatic

RATE OF FIRE – 100 rpm

CYCLIC ROF – 500 to 650 rpm

FEED DEVICE – 50 or 125 round fabric (canvas) belt

FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 50-rd Fabric belt – 0.042 kg (1.5 oz), 125-rd Fabric belt – 0.11 kg (4 oz)

Wooden Ammunition Box (EMPTY) – 3.40 kg (7 lb 8 oz)

Ammunition Feed Spool (EMPTY) – 0.68 kg (1 lb 8 oz)

FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (LOADED) – 50-rd Fabric belt – 1.60 kg (3 lb 8 oz), 125-rd Fabric belt – 4 (8 lb 13 oz)

Wooden Ammunition Box (LOADED) – Four – 50-rd fabric belt in Ammunition box – 9.8 kg (21 lb 10 oz)

Wooden Ammunition Box (LOADED) – Two – 125-round fabric belt in Ammunition box – 11.40 kg (25 lb 2 oz)

Ammunition Spool (LOADED) – 4.68 kg (10 lb 5 oz) loaded with 125-rd fabric belt

BASIC AMMUNITION LOAD – Four 125 rd belts (500 rounds)

LOAD WEIGHT – Fabric belts in boxes – 19.40 kg (42 lb 12 oz)

MANUFACTURER – Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, Hartford, Connecticut

STATUS – Obsolete

SERVICE – Commercial sales

*For specification ballistics. Weapon was available commercially in many calibers.