Carl Gustav pvg m/42 recoilless anti-tank rifle (Sweden)

Carl Gustav Pvg fm/42 recoilless anti-tank rifle.

Type / action	single shot, recoilless
Caliber	20x180R
Weight unloaded	11 kg
Length	1450 mm
Barrel length	mm
Magazine capacity	-
Armor penetration (Range / Angle / Penetration)	100 m / 90o / 40 mm

Carl Gustav m/42 recoilless anti-tank rifle (Swedish designation Pansarvärnsgevär fm/42, or Pvg fm/42 in short) was developed in Sweden between 1940 and 1942. It was the world's first shoulder-fired recoil-less weapon, and its main achievement is that this weapon served as an important step in development of the famous 84mm Carl Gustav recoilles rifle, which is now being used by many countries around the world. Only about 1000 of the Carl Gustav Pvg fm/42 recoilless anti-tank rifles were delivered to Swedish army before it was found that the concept of relatively small-bore solid steel penetrator is obsolete for an shoulder-fired antitank weapon, and focus of development was moved toward the weapons of greater caliber, firing HEAT warheads at lower veocities. Despite that fact, the Carl Gustav m/42 recoilless anti-tank rifle is one of the lightest 20mm anti-tank weapons (it is even lighter than some rifle-caliber weapons of same class), yet it delivered significant armor penetration (again, for its class). The cost of these achievements were relatively big size and weight of ammunition, and significant backblast when firing the gun. Standard ammunition types included AP and HE loadings.

The Carl Gustav m/42 recoilless anti-tank rifle is breech-loading single shot weapon built to use Davis recoil-less principle. Its barrel is open at the rear and fitted with swing-out breechblock / venturi nozle, which allows some powder gases to escape to the rear and counter the recoil of the discharge. Specially designed cartridges have 'blown-out' bases that allows the hot gases to escape both ways - to the front, pushing out the projectile, and to the rear and out of the funneled breechblock / nozzle, to provide reactive force and countering recoil. Unlicke most other anti-tank rifles, Carl Gustav m/42 recoilless anti-tank rifle is designed to be be fired from the shoulder. It is provided with shoulder rest, located below the barrel and near the point of balance, and a pistol grip with trigger. It also can be fitted with light bipod to be fired from prone position. Standard iron sights are calibrated to 300 meters range, and an optional telescope sight was available for this gun.