The MG 131 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 131, or "Machine gun 131") was a German 13mm caliber machine gun developed in 1938 by Rheinmetall-Borsig and produced from 1940 to 1945. The MG 131 was designed for use at fixed or flexible, single or twin mountings in Luftwaffe aircraft during World War II.

It was installed in the Messerschmitt Bf 109, Me 410 Hornisse, Fw 190, Ju 88, Junkers Ju 388, He 177 Greif bomber, and many other aircraft.

The MG 131 fired electrically primed ammunition in order to sustain a high rate of fire when shooting through the propeller disc of a single-engined fighter. A pair of MG 131 machine guns was used as cowl armament on later models of the Bf 109G (which originally required one blister or Beule on each side of the fuselage, flanking the upper rear end of the engine, to house the larger breech of the new gun) and the Fw 190.

[edit] Technical data

• Weight : 16.6 kg
• Length : 1.17 m
• Muzzle velocity : ~ 750 m/s
• Rate of fire : ~ 900 rounds per minute

• 13 mm APT 710 m/s, projectile mass 38.5 g, muzzle energy 9700 joules
• 13 mm API 710 m/s, projectile mass 38 g, muzzle energy 9580 joules
• 13 mm HEI-t with 1.4 g PETN + 0.3 g thermite 750 m/s, projectile mass 34 g, muzzle energy 9560 joules

[edit] See also

• List of firearms
• List of common WW2 weapons

[edit] External links

• Image
• http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Waffen/Bilderseiten/bordwaffen-R.htm
• http://prodocs.netfirms.com/
• http://library.thinkquest.org/C006001/armament/mg131.html
• http://www.geocities.com/Augusta/8172/panzerfaust5.htm#mg131