the British Besa Tank Machine Gun was utilized throughout and after the Second World War. By Staff Writer
The Besa Mk 3 was a tank and armored vehicle-mounted machine gun originally based on a Czechoslovakian vz. 37 (ZB53) tank machine gun design. Often considered quite accurate thanks to a modified recoil system, the Besa Mk 3 was fitted to fire the 7.92mm cartridge. Though most British machine guns were built around their .303 cartridge, the decision was made to stick to the 7.92mm in order to avoid any production delays of the Besa to frontline units in 1938.
The Besa Mk II model appeared in 1940 and featured a selector switch offering low and high rate of fire (450-550 rounds per minute or 750-850 rounds per minute respectively). From there, a simplified version of the weapon system appeared in the Mk III model, which itself was split between the Mk 3 "L" (the "L" standing for low-rate fire) and the Mk 3 "H" (with the "H" standing for high-rate fire). Refurbished Besas appeared after the war in other designations and with improvements to keep the system in production for quite some time longer.
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1938
Designation:Besa Mk 3 Classification Type:Tank Machine Gun Manufacturer:BSA Guns Ltd - UK Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Operators: United Kingdom
Variants
vz. 30 - Original Czech machine gun design on which the vz. 37 model is derived from.
vz. 37 - Original Czech machine gun design on which the British Besa Mk series is based on.
Besa Mk I - Limited production models based highly on the Czech vz. 37 (ZB53) tank machine gun system; retained original 7.92mm cartridge use.
Besa Mk II - Adjustable accelerator implemented to allow for selective firing in low or high-rate modes.
Besa Mk III "H" - High-rate model; limited to only the high rate of fire mode (750-850 rounds per minute).
Besa Mk III "L" - Low-rate model; limited to only the low rate of fire mode (450-550 rounds per minute).
3/2 Version - Modified feed cover system
3/3 Version - Redesigned barrel; larger gas venting and improved gas cylinder.
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