This 20 mm Carl Gustaf pvg model 1942 rifle was the world’s first shoulder-fired recoilless weapon. The designation “pvg” is an abbreviation of the Swedish word pansarvärnsgevär, meaning anti-tank rifle. It was the first recoilless rifle produced by Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori, a Swedish firearms manufacturer based in Eskilstuna, Sweden.
The rifle was developed between 1940 and 1942 and had a penetration of just over 4 cm RHA with its standard solid shot armour piercing projectile. When its production started in 1942, this proved to be inadequate for the modern generation of tanks on the battlefield. Despite this around a thousand of these rifles were produced at the end of World War Two.
Specifications
The 20 mm Carl Gustaf pvg m/42 recoilless rifle in the pictures is on display at the Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung in Koblenz.
- Manufacturer
AB Bofors, Ordnance Division - Year of manufacture
Around 1941 - Caliber
20 mm, 14 grooves, right-hand twist - Cartridge
20 x 180 mm R (Bofors) - Muzzle velocity (v₀)
775 to 950 m/s - Penetration at 90°
35 to 40 mm at 200 m - Total length
1403 mm - Barrel length
1255 mm - Weight
12 kg - Year of manufacture
Around 1941
Above a detail of the rifle’s nozzle principle. The breech swivels out to the right when unlocking the release lever.
