14.5 × 114 mm

The 14.5×114mm (.57 calibre) is a heavy machine gun and anti-materiel rifle cartridge used by the Soviet Union, the former Warsaw Pact, modern Russia, and other countries.

14.5×114mm
A 14.5×114 mm cartridge
Type	Anti-tank rifle, anti-materiel rifle, heavy machine gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1941–present
Used by	Soviet Union and successor states
Wars	World War II Soviet–Afghan War War on Terror First Libyan civil war Syrian Civil War and many other conflicts
Production history
Designed	1939
Specifications
Case type	Rimless, bottleneck
Bullet diameter	14.88 mm (0.586 in)
Land diameter	14.50 mm (0.571 in)
Neck diameter	16.5 mm (0.65 in)
Shoulder diameter	25.50 mm (1.004 in)
Base diameter	26.95 mm (1.061 in)
Rim diameter	26.95 mm (1.061 in)
Rim thickness	2.5 mm (0.098 in)
Case length	114 mm (4.5 in)
Overall length	155.80 mm (6.134 in)
Case capacity	42.53 cm3 (656.3 gr H2O)
Rifling twist	455 mm (1 in 17.91 in)
Maximum pressure	360 MPa (52,000 psi)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 59.7 g (921 gr) MDZ HEI 1,000 m/s (3,300 ft/s) 29,850 J (22,020 ft⋅lbf) 60 g (926 gr) ZP Inc.-T 1,000 m/s (3,300 ft/s) 30,000 J (22,000 ft⋅lbf) 64 g (988 gr) B-32 API 1,000 m/s (3,300 ft/s) 32,000 J (24,000 ft⋅lbf) 64.4 g (994 gr) BS AP 1,000 m/s (3,300 ft/s) 32,200 J (23,700 ft⋅lbf) 66.5 g (1,026 gr) KKV 1,000 m/s (3,300 ft/s) 33,250 J (24,520 ft⋅lbf)
Test barrel length: 1350 mm (53 inches) Source(s): Post WWII Ammunition Russian Ammunition Page

It was originally developed for the PTRS and PTRD anti-tank rifles, and was later used as the basis for the KPV heavy machine gun that formed the basis of the ZPU series anti-aircraft guns that is also the main armament of the BTR series of armoured personnel carriers from the BTR-60 to the BTR-80 and for heavy anti-materiel sniper rifles.

Cartridge dimensions

The 14.5 × 114 mm has 42.53 ml (655 grains H₂O) cartridge case capacity. The exterior shape of the case was designed to promote reliable case feeding and extraction in bolt-action rifles, semi-automatic rifles, and heavy machine guns alike, under extreme conditions.

14.5×114 mm maximum cartridge dimensions. All dimensions in millimetres (mm).

Americans define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 = 22.5 degrees. The common rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 455 mm (1 in 17.91 in), 8 grooves, ⌀ lands = 14.50 mm, ⌀ grooves = 14.95 mm.

According to the official guidelines, the 14.5 × 114 mm case can handle up to 360 MPa (52,213 psi) piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be proofed at 125% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to be certified for sale to consumers.

Ammunition types

B-32 API projectile on the left, hardened steel core aside. Tip is black with a thin red band below. On the right, BZT API-T projectile with dark red tip and a wide red band below; hardened steel core and tracer cup on its right. Both jackets and the tracer cup are made from copper-washed steel. Between the cores and the jackets there is a layer of lead.

Dummy round

14.5 × 114 round with a 1$ dollar bill for reference

Seven rounds of 14.5 × 114 made in 1981, with a 1$ dollar bill for reference

14.5 × 114 Russian ammunition base, made in 1981

• BS: Armour-piercing incendiary original anti-tank round. The projectile weighs 64.4 g (2.27 oz) and is 51 mm (2.0 in) long with a 38.7 g (1.37 oz) core of tungsten carbide with 1.8 g (0.063 oz) of incendiary material in the tip. The overall round weighs approximately 200 g (7.1 oz) and is 155 mm (6.1 in) long. The projectile has a muzzle velocity of approximately 1,006 m/s (3,300 ft/s) and can penetrate 30–32 mm (1.2–1.3 in) of RHA steel at an incidence of 0 degrees at a range of 500 m (1,600 ft), or 40 mm (1.6 in) at a range of 100 m (330 ft).
• B-32: Armour-piercing incendiary full-metal-jacket round with a hardened steel core. Projectile weight is 64 g (2.3 oz) and muzzle velocity is 1,006 m/s (3,300 ft/s). Armour penetration at 500 m (1,600 ft) is 32 mm (1.3 in) of RHA at 90 degrees.
• BZT: Armour-piercing incendiary tracer full-metal-jacket round with a steel core. Projectile weight is 59.56 g (2.101 oz) and muzzle velocity is 1,006 m/s (3,300 ft/s). Tracer burns to at least 2,000 m (6,600 ft).
• MDZ: High-explosive incendiary bullet of instant action. Projectile weight is 59.6 g (2.10 oz).
• ZP: Incendiary tracer round

Cartridges use lacquered steel cases and percussion primers. Some countries also use brass cartridge cases. The propellant consists of 28.8 g (1.02 oz) smokeless powder with seven tubes, designated as "5/7NA powder". Two different versions of bullet series are known, the earlier has a conventional bullet jacket with a boat-tail. These have a long engraving portion that causes considerable barrel wear. The newer bullet types have a smaller engraving portion with a rounder boat-tail and were used from about 1957 onward.

The cartridge has been manufactured in Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Hungary, Iraq, North Korea, Poland, Romania, Russia, and the former Czechoslovakia. There are new Chinese armour-piercing types:

• DGJ02: APIDS-T cartridges use 45 g (1.6 oz) tungsten penetrators, wrapped in discarding sabots (similar to the US military SLAP cartridges) with dual colour tracers to aid ranging. The sabot splits and leaves the penetrator between 150 m (490 ft) and 200 m (660 ft) from the muzzle. It has a muzzle velocity of 1,250 m/s (4,100 ft/s) and is quoted as being able to penetrate 20 mm (0.79 in) of armour plate set at an angle of 60° at 1,000 m (3,300 ft).
• DGE02: APHEI cartridges weigh between 175 g (6.2 oz) and 188 g (6.6 oz). At 1,000 m (3,300 ft) it is quoted as having a 90 percent chance of being able to penetrate 15 mm (0.59 in) of armour plate set at 30°. At 300 m (980 ft) after penetrating a 2 mm (0.079 in) soft steel plate (representing an aircraft skin) it can further penetrate a 1.2 mm (0.047 in) thick steel plate producing 20 fragments. Upon explosion between 75 and 95 incendiary pieces are formed which have an 80% chance of igniting aviation fuel.

Chambered weapons

Anti-materiel rifles

• Anzio rifle
• Cadex CDX-X145
• Denel NTW-20
• Gepard M-3
• Istiglal IST-14.5
• Mambi-1 AMR
• PDSHP
• PTRS-41 (anti-tank rifle)
• PTRD-41 (anti-tank rifle)
• Shaher
• Snipex T-Rex
• Snipex Alligator
• Truvelo 14.5×114mm
• Vidhwansak
• Şer rifle (home made anti-materiel rifle)

Machine guns

• Slostin machine gun (heavy variant)
• KPV heavy machine gun
  • Chinese Type 56 (KPV) and Type 58 (KPVT) heavy machine guns
• Type 02/QJG-02 heavy machine gun

Other

• ZPU anti-aircraft guns
• 2Kh35 inserted unified self-loading gun

In addition, the Ukrainian "Horizon's Lord" sniper rifle fires a 12.7 × 114 HL round made by necking down a 14.5 × 114 mm cartridge case to accept a 12.7 mm / .50 BMG bullet.

See also

• 12.7 × 108 mm
• .50 BMG
• 20 mm caliber
• 23 mm caliber
• 25 mm caliber
• 30 mm caliber

Further reading

• Koll, Christian (2009). Soviet Cannon: A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7mm to 57mm. Austria: Koll. p. 91. ISBN 978-3-200-01445-9. Archived from the original on 19 October 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2009.

External links

• 14,5x114 large-caliber cartridges