NAME – Villar Perosa Model 1915

NAME (NATIVE) – Pistola Mitragliatrice Revelli Modelo 1915

COMMON NAMES – Villar Perosa

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – Italy

DATE OF MANUFACTURE – 1915-1918

CALIBER – 9x19mm Glisenti M910

OVERALL LENGTH – 53.3 cm (21 in)

BARREL LENGTH – 31.8 cm (12.5 in)

RIFLING (TYPE & TWIST) – 6 groove, Right hand twist

BULLET DIAMETER – 9.02 mm (0.355 in)

BULLET WEIGHT – 8 g (123 gr)

MUZZLE VELOCITY – 326 m/s (1070 fps)

MUZZLE ENERGY – 424 j (313 ft/lbs)

WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 6.52 kg (14 lbs 6 oz) Dual guns with single pintle (post) mount

WEIGHT (LOADED) – 7.36 kg (16 lb 3.7 oz) with two magazines (50 rds)

SIGHTS – None

EFFECTIVE RANGE – 200 m (220 yds)

OPERATION – Delayed blowback, fires from open bolt

TYPE OF FIRE – Full automatic

RATE OF FIRE – 200 rpm

CYCLIC ROF – 1,200 to 1,500 rpm per barrel (2,400 to 3,000 rpm if both barrels fired)

FEED DEVICE 25 round box magazine (x2) double column, double feed

FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 0.14 kg (5 oz)

FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (LOADED) – 0.42 kg (14.8 oz)

BASIC AMMUNITION LOAD – 44 magazines (1,100 rds)

LOAD WEIGHT – 18.57 kg (40 lbs 15 oz)

MANUFACTURER – Officine di Villar Perosa, Pinerola, Italy

STATUS – Obsolete

SERVICE – Italian Mountain Troops, some Italian Army use, adoption in limited numbers by Austria

    Though considered to be the first submachinegun, this is due primarily for the weapon firing a pistol-caliber cartridge and being capable of full automatic fire by a single person. If cannot be hand held or shoulder fired as it has no real stock, simply vertical rear grips. There were both a bipod, mounted at the muzzles, available for the weapon as well as a tripod. For personal use on the assault, a tray held to the waist with a support sling going around the operator’s neck. The weapon would be mounted to the tray by the bipod or a central pintle and fired by one man while a second carried additional magazines. Effectively, it was a crew-served weapon

     The Villar Perosa was designed by Abiel B. Revelli to be the lightest practice automatic weapon available so that it could be used to arm the very light aircraft of the day (1914-15). The basic design of the Villar Perosa is of two complete firing mechanisms and barrels secured side-by-side to be a single weapon. The back of the weapon has spade grips for control and each firing mechanism has its own trigger (dual triggers). The mechanisms also have their own cocking handle as well as a feed system consisting of a vertical box magazine.

  The design had very light (10 oz) bolts with a very short (1 3/4 in) travel giving it the very high rate of fire, useful for aircraft but wasteful for ground use. A small rotary movement of the bolts when they are in the forward position acts as a retarding agent. A lug on the bolt must move through the camming slot before blowback can drive the mechanism rearward. The bolts are locked to the rear and released forward to fire the weapon when the trigger lever, at the rear between the grips, is pressed down. Ejection is out the bottom of the receiver.

   The Villar Perosa was never successful as a piece of aircraft armament. Though the high rate of fire would allow the design to engage rapidly moving targets, that magazine gave barely a second’s worth of fire. Most of the time, the operator of a Villar Perosa spent more time changing magazines than engaging targets. The short range of the pistol cartridge, combined with its limited impact on the target, prevented the Villar Perosa from being used on many aircraft. Rifle-caliber machineguns and stronger aircraft eliminated its airborne use.

   The Villar Perosa ended up in the hands of the Bersaglieri, the Italian Mountain Troops, as it was a very light weapon that fit their needs. The Bersaglieri applied the Villar Perosa more as a light machinegun than a classic one-man submachinegun. The Austrian military saw fit to copy captured weapons in late 1917. Their Sturmpistole M.18 was chambered for the 9x23mm Steyr Model 1912 cartridge and was otherwise a very close copy of the original Italian weapon.

 

A left-side view of the Villar Perosa sitting on its central pedestal. The pedestal could be attached to a number of mounts including a small ground tripod, a carrying tray, and a bicycle. The twin vertical magazines are loaded into place and their individual magazine catches are the small bent rod in front of the magazine. Just behind and to the right of each magazine is the cocking lever for that individual firing mechanism. The large rectangular buttons at the rear of the weapon, between the vertical spade grips, are the trigger for each firing mechanism. The long lever underneath the weapon is the linkage from the left-hand trigger to the sear. PHOTO CREDIT: US Army
A left-side view of the Villar Perosa sitting on its central pedestal. The pedestal could be attached to a number of mounts including a small ground tripod, a carrying tray, and a bicycle. The twin vertical magazines are loaded into place and their individual magazine catches are the small bent rod in front of the magazine. Just behind and to the right of each magazine is the cocking lever for that individual firing mechanism. The large rectangular buttons at the rear of the weapon, between the vertical spade grips, are the trigger for each firing mechanism. The long lever underneath the weapon is the linkage from the left-hand trigger to the sear. PHOTO CREDIT: US Army
The standard Villar Perosa twin gun on a central pedestal mount. The large case is the transport box for both the Villar Perosa as well as its ammunition and maintenance materials. In each of the two rows on the side of the case are 22 of the 44 magazines that were issued with the weapon. An assistant gunner would carry the case when the weapon was being employed and supply the gunner with reloads. Each magazine held 25 rounds. It can be seen by this photograph, that the Villar Perosa was intended to be employed as a very light crew served machinegun in combat. It is the pistol caliber and automatic fire capability that makes it arguably the first submachinegun, though it took some modifications to properly fit the design into that role. PHOTO CREDIT: US Army
The standard Villar Perosa twin gun on a central pedestal mount. The large case is the transport box for both the Villar Perosa as well as its ammunition and maintenance materials. In each of the two rows on the side of the case are 22 of the 44 magazines that were issued with the weapon. An assistant gunner would carry the case when the weapon was being employed and supply the gunner with reloads. Each magazine held 25 rounds. It can be seen by this photograph, that the Villar Perosa was intended to be employed as a very light crew served machinegun in combat. It is the pistol caliber and automatic fire capability that makes it arguably the first submachinegun, though it took some modifications to properly fit the design into that role. PHOTO CREDIT: US Army
This is illustration was taken from the original Italian military manual for the use and maintenance of the Villar Perosa. The top view is the right side of a cutaway drawing of the internal mechanism. The bolt is in the forward position with a cartridge in the chamber. This would be the position of the parts just as the round was being fired. The remaining rounds can be seen in the vertical stack within the magazine body. The central view in the illustration is a rear view of the weapon, as would be seen by the operator. The two knurled pads are the individual triggers for each firing mechanism. The small lever between the triggers is the safety switch for both triggers. The safety is to the left in the “Off” or “Fire” position. The rear of the magazines are open slightly so that the remaining ammunition could be seen as in this illustration. The top view looking down at the Villar Perosa. The small levers behind each vertical magazine are the magazine releases. PHOTO CREDIT: Italian Military.
This is illustration was taken from the original Italian military manual for the use and maintenance of the Villar Perosa. The top view is the right side of a cutaway drawing of the internal mechanism. The bolt is in the forward position with a cartridge in the chamber. This would be the position of the parts just as the round was being fired. The remaining rounds can be seen in the vertical stack within the magazine body. The central view in the illustration is a rear view of the weapon, as would be seen by the operator. The two knurled pads are the individual triggers for each firing mechanism. The small lever between the triggers is the safety switch for both triggers. The safety is to the left in the “Off” or “Fire” position. The rear of the magazines are open slightly so that the remaining ammunition could be seen as in this illustration. The top view looking down at the Villar Perosa. The small levers behind each vertical magazine are the magazine releases. PHOTO CREDIT: Italian Military.