CODE 03-040-938
NAME – PzB 38
NAME (NATIVE) –Panzerbüchse 38 [Antitank rifle 38]
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – Germany
DATE OF MANUFACTURE – 1938
CALIBER – 7.92x94mm
OVERALL LENGTH – 129.3 cm (50.91 in) Stock folded, 161.5 cm (63.58 in) Stock open.
BARREL LENGTH – 108.5 cm (42.72 in)
RIFLING (TYPE & TWIST) – 4-Groove, Right hand twist
LOAD – Full metal jacketed armor piercing
BULLET DIAMETER – 8.20 mm (0.323 in)
BULLET WEIGHT –14.5 g (223.8 grains)
MUZZLE VELOCITY – 1210 m/s (3970 fps)
MUZZLE ENERGY – 10,621 j (7834 ft/lb)
WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 15.20 kg (33 lb 8.2 oz) w/Sling
WEIGHT (EMPTY) BARREL – 6.14 kg (13 lb 8.6 oz)
WEIGHT (MOUNTED) – 16.2 kg (35 lb 11.4 oz) With Bipod, Sling
WEIGHT (LOADED AND MOUNTED) – 16.29 kg (35 lb 14.6 oz) With Bipod, Sling, Loaded with single round P 318
WEIGHT (LOADED AND MOUNTED) – 18.51 kg (40 lb 12.9 oz) With Bipod, Sling, Loaded with single round P 318 and with two full ammunition carriers – total 21 rounds
TYPE OF MOUNT – Folding bipod (from MG 34)
WEIGHT OF MOUNT – 1 kg (2 lb 3.3 oz)
SIGHTS – Open, Iron, non-adjustable – Front sight – Hooded post, Rear sight – Square-notch set for 400 meters (438 yards)
EFFECTIVE RANGE – 300 m (328 yards)
OPERATION – Long-recoil, automatic ejection, manual loading
TYPE OF FIRE – Single shot
RATE OF FIRE – 10 to 15 rpm
FEED DEVICE – Single round. Extra ammunition was carried on the rifle in two 10-round ammunition carriers that clipped, one to either side of the receiver
FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 0.25 kg (8.82 oz) 10-round ammunition carrier, empty
FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (LOADED) – 0.086 kg (3.03 oz) Single Round, 1.11 kg (2 lb 7.2 oz) full 10-round ammunition carrier
BASIC AMMUNITION LOAD – Four 10-round ammunition carriers (40 rounds)
LOAD WEIGHT – 4.44 kg (9 lb 1 oz)
MANUFACTURER – Gustloff – Werke Waffenfabrik, Suhl. Rheinmetall-Borsig AG, Düsseldorf, Germany
STATUS – Obsolete
SERVICE – German military
Only slightly over 1400 of these complicated rifles were produced before Germany switched to the much simpler PzB 39.
