The plans were to acquire an order of 50 pieces and later to produce the weapon in the US.

Although less powerful, the Solothurn was also less bulky and complicated and was found more suitable for Army use. In spring 1941 the Solothurn was tested against the. The weapon was standardized for limited procurement as 20mm automatic gun T3. In 1940–1941 the US Army considered adopting the Solothurn S-18/1000. If you’d like the opportunity to handle and fire an L-39, take a look at Solothurn firearms company was owned by the German firm Rheinmetall, who used the Swiss company to manufacture arms which were prohibited for manufacture by any German firm under arms limitations imposed at the end of the First World War. What makes it unique? Not only can you see and touch historical small arms, armored vehicles and anti-tank guns, but you can actually shoot many of them, like this incredible 20mm Anti-Tank Rifle. We were filming on location in Uvalde, Texas at which is an exceptional living history museum. I had the chance to fire the Lahti L-39 seen here while filming the 2018 season of Guns&AmmoTV. While attention getting, due to the blast, it’s actually a fun rifle to shoot. Recoil though, is not nearly as bad as one would think. The gun is big, the cartridges are big, the magazine is big, and the charging handle is big. Muzzle velocity of the 20x138mmB cartridge is approximately 2,600 fps.Įverything about the L-39 is big. One interesting feature is the wooden barrel jacket, which allows a member of the gun crew to grab onto it when moving the gun after the barrel has grown hot from firing. The iron sights are offset to the left side of the rifle and a large muzzle brake is fitted to reduce recoil.

Feed is from a huge top mounted magazine which holds ten of the large 20x138mmB cartridges.

A gas operated semi-automatic design it features a piston beneath the barrel. Developed as a tank buster, it first saw combat during the Winter War of 1940. Developed by the famous Finnish designer Aimo Lahti in 1939, this over-sized rifle soon earned the nickname the “Elephant Gun”.

The Lahti L-39 is a wonderfully interesting 20mm Anti-Tank Rifle (ATR).

Modern 20mm anti tank rifle