# 12.7 × 108 mm

The 12.7×108mm cartridge is a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun and anti-materiel rifle cartridge used by the former Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries, including Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and many others. It was invented in 1934 to create a cartridge like the German 13.2mm TuF anti-tank rifle round and the American .50 Browning Machine Gun round (12.7×99mm NATO).
It is used in the same roles as the NATO .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO) cartridge. The two differ in bullet shape and weight, and the casing of the 12.7 × 108 mm is slightly longer, and its larger case capacity allows it to hold slightly more of a different type of powder. The 12.7 × 108 mm can be used to engage a wide variety of targets on the battlefield, and will destroy unarmored vehicles, penetrate lightly armored vehicles and damage external ancillary equipment (i.e.: searchlights, radar, transmitters, vision blocks, engine compartment covers) on heavily armored vehicles such as tanks. It will also ignite gasoline and—since 2019—diesel fuel (experimental "Avers" AP/I round).

## Cartridge dimensions

The 12.7 × 10800 mm has 22.72 ml (350 grains) H$_2$O cartridge case capacity.
12.7 × 108 mm maximum cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm).
Americans define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 ≈ 18.16 degrees.
According to guidelines the 12.7 × 108 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 CIP pressure to certify for sale to consumers.

## Cartridge types
### Soviet and Russian 12.7 × 108 mm types
#### Б-30 (B-30)

    First version of 1930. Armor-piercing (бронебойная) bullet weighing 49 g (1.7 oz) and 64 mm (2.5 in) long with hardened steel core. Replaced by B-32.

#### БЗТ (BZT)

    Pre-WW2 armor-piercing incendiary (бронебойно-зажигательная) tracer. Replaced by BZT-44.

#### Б-32 (B-32) (GRAU# 57-BZ-542, 7-BZ-2)

    Steel-cored API bullet. Main type in use. Penetrates 20 mm (0.79 in) NATO medium-hard RHA from 500 m (1,600 ft) at 0° when fired out of DShKM. Penetrates 20 mm (0.79 in) 2P steel from 100 m (330 ft) at 0° when fired out of NSV-12.7. First produced 1936; named after the B-32 7.62×54mmR ammunition of 1932.

#### БС-41 (BS-41)

    API bullet weighing 55.4 g (1.95 oz) and 51 mm (2.0 in) long with a cemented carbide (Re8 WC-Co) core. Produced in small quantities at the beginning of WWII for the 12.7 mm Sholokhov anti-tank rifles (PTRSh-41).

#### БЗТ-44 (BZT-44) (GRAU# 57-BZT-542)

    APIT with brighter tracer, usually used with B-32. Complemented by BZT-44M (GRAU# 57-BZT-542M) of 2002 with subdued tracer.

#### БЗФ-46 (BZF-46)

    API bullet with (white) phosphorus (фосфорная). Aircraft MG round.

#### БС (BS) (GRAU# 7-BZ-1)

    API bullet with cemented carbide (VK8 WC-Co, commonly called a "cermet" in Russian) core, developed in 1972. Ballistics also similar to B-32.

#### МДЗ / MDZ (GRAU# 7-3-2)

    Immediate-action incendiary. Used in belt with B-32 and BZT-44(M).

#### 12,7 1СЛ (12.7 1SL) (GRAU# 9-A-4012)
#### 12,7 1СЛТ (12.7 1SLT) (GRAU# 9-A-4427)

    Tandem / duplex cartridge with two bullets inside, in normal and tracer versions. Developed 1985 for use by helicopter against soft targets.

#### 12,7СН (12.7SN) (GRAU# 7N34)

    Sniper cartridge (FMJ; AP). Bullet weighs 59.2 g (2.09 oz) and travels at ~800 m/s (2,600 ft/s). Bullet consists of hardened tool steel tip and lead body. Able to defeat lightly-armored vehicles at 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and 10 mm (0.39 in) RHA at 800 m (2,600 ft). Entered production in the 2000s.

#### 12.7 Blank (GRAU# 7H1)
#### 12.7 UCH Dummy (GRAU# 7H2)

Note that some WW2 bullets share designations with ones for 14.5×114mm.

## Use
### Anti-tank and anti-materiel rifles

* AMR-2 anti-materiel sniper rifle
* ČZW-127 anti-materiel sniper rifle
* Falcon OP96 anti-material rifle
* Gepard anti-materiel rifles
* Golan S-01 anti-materiel sniper rifle
* KSVK anti-materiel sniper rifle
* OSV-96 anti-materiel sniper rifle
* PDSHP anti-materiel sniper rifle
* QBU-10 anti-materiel sniper rifle
* QBU-201
* Snipex M
* SVN-98 experimental anti-materiel rifle
* V-94 anti-tank/anti-materiel rifle
* Vidhwansak anti-materiel rifle
* Zastava M93 Black Arrow anti-materiel sniper rifle
* Zastava M12 Black Spear anti-materiel sniper rifle
* Zijiang M99 anti-materiel sniper rifle
** Zijiang & Poly M99-I/M99B-I/M06 anti-materiel sniper rifle
* Zijiang LR-2/LR-2A anti-materiel sniper rifle

### Heavy machine guns

* 6P62 handheld machine gun
* Afanasev A-12.7 heavy machine gun
* DShK heavy machine gun
* Berezin UB aircraft machine gun
* CS/LM5 Gatling machine gun
* M17G 12.7mm hatch machine gun
* NSV heavy machine gun
* Kord heavy machine gun
* Type 77 heavy machine gun
* QJC-88 heavy machine gun
* QJZ-89 heavy machine gun
* QJZ-171 heavy machine gun
* Zastava M02 Coyote heavy machine gun
* Yak-B 12.7mm Gatling gun
* Zastava M87 heavy machine gun
* Yu-12.7 aircraft gun