Schwarzlose machine gun 1912

The Schwarzlose machine gun was used by the Austro-Hungarian armies during WWI. To avoid Hiram Maxim’s multiple patents on machine gun mechanisms, the Schwarzlose uses a delayed-blowback mechanism. The breech is not locked to the barrel when the cartridge is fired, and so the breech and cartridge are blown to the rear as the bullet accelerates out of the barrel. To restrict the rearward movement of the breech until the bullet has exited to barrel, the Schwarzlose uses a series of levers arranged so that a small movement of the breech causes a much larger movement compressing the mainspring. The breech and levers are relatively heavy, so increasing the inertia to initial movement. However, as the cartridge has to start moving while there is still pressure in the barrel, a small amount of oil is squirted on each cartridge during loading. The version shown in the animation uses the 8x50mm Mannlicher cartridge, and reaches a maximum of 480 rounds per minute.