The 12.7x108mm cartridge is a Soviet-origin heavy machine-gun and anti-materiel cartridge family. Current producer and export references list ball, armor-piercing, armor-piercing incendiary, tracer, API-T, sniper, and blank loads, with documented compatibility across DShK, DShKM, NSV/NSVT, Kord, and several other 12.7 mm heavy machine guns.
Producer sheets describe the cartridge family by projectile effect and national designation. Romarm groups the 12.7x108 mm line into ball, armor-piercing, armor-piercing tracer, tracer, armor-piercing incendiary, armor-piercing incendiary tracer, and blank loads, while Igman and Yugoimport publish B-32 API and BZT-44 API-T performance data.
B-32 / 57-BZ-542 is the armor-piercing incendiary branch documented by Igman, Yugoimport, and Rosoboronexport.
BZT-44 and BZT-44M cover tracer-equipped armor-piercing incendiary loads; Yugoimport lists a 43.2-44.8 g projectile for BZT-44.
Rosoboronexport lists 7N34 as a 12.7 mm sniper cartridge within the same 12.7x108 mm catalogue grouping.
Producer sheets and export catalogues describe the family through projectile function and national designation systems rather than a single fixed load list.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ball / B106 | Ball load | Romarm lists a Ball B106 12.7x108 mm load with a 48 g bullet and 147 mm round length; Yugoimport separately lists a B106 ball PDF in its heavy machinegun ammunition catalogue. Sources: Romarm 12.7x108mm ammunition datasheet, Yugoimport heavy machinegun ammunition catalog |
| B-32 / 57-BZ-542 | Armor-piercing incendiary load | Igman lists B 32 API among its 12.7x108 mm loads, Yugoimport gives PZZ-B32 API technical data, Rosoboronexport identifies 57-BZ-542 as a B-32 armor-piercing incendiary cartridge, and the U.S. Army WEG lists API (B-32) in NSV/NSVT/KORD ammunition context. Sources: Igman 12.7x108mm ammunition PDF, Yugoimport DShK ammunition PDF, Rosoboronexport 12.7x108mm ammunition catalog, Worldwide Equipment Guide 2015 |
| AP | Armor-piercing load | Igman and Romarm both list AP 12.7x108 mm loads; Romarm gives a 48 g projectile, 147 mm round length, and 810-825 m/s V25 velocity. Sources: Igman 12.7x108mm ammunition PDF, Romarm 12.7x108mm ammunition datasheet |
| BZT-44 | Armor-piercing incendiary tracer load | Igman and Yugoimport list BZT-44 API-T 12.7x108 mm loads with 810-825 m/s muzzle velocity and tracer visibility data; the U.S. Army WEG also lists API-T (BZT-44) in NSV/NSVT/KORD ammunition context. Sources: Igman 12.7x108mm ammunition PDF, Yugoimport BZT-44 ammunition PDF, Worldwide Equipment Guide 2015 |
| APT | Armor-piercing tracer load | Romarm lists an APT 12.7x108 mm load with a 44 g projectile, 147 mm round length, and 810-825 m/s V25 velocity. |
| BZT-44M / 57-BZT-542M | Modernized API-T load | Rosoboronexport lists 57-BZT-542M as a modernized BZT-44M armor-piercing incendiary tracer cartridge in the 12.7x108 mm family. |
| 7N34 | Sniper cartridge | Rosoboronexport lists 7N34 as a 12.7 mm sniper cartridge within its 12.7x108 mm ammunition catalogue. |
| Tracer | Tracer load | Igman and Romarm list tracer loads; Romarm gives a 44 g projectile, 147 mm round length, and 810-825 m/s V25 velocity. Sources: Igman 12.7x108mm ammunition PDF, Romarm 12.7x108mm ammunition datasheet |
| HEI / Type ZP | High-explosive incendiary load | The DIA identification guide lists an HEI Type ZP among 12.7x108 mm cartridge types, and the U.S. Army WEG lists HEI in NSV/NSVT/KORD ammunition context. Sources: Small-Caliber Ammunition Identification Guide, Worldwide Equipment Guide 2015 |
| Blank | Training or blank-fire load | Romarm lists a blank 12.7x108 mm cartridge with 110 mm round length alongside ball, AP, APT, tracer, API, and APIT load types. |
This cartridge family is documented as a match for vehicles and weapon systems equipped with the 12.7 mm DShKM pattern.
| Compatible item | Item type | Compatibility evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Armored personnel carrier with DShKM option | WeaponSystems notes that some BTR-152 vehicles were fitted with a 12.7 mm DShKM heavy machine gun, and Romarm lists 12.7x108 mm ammunition for DShKM and other 12.7x108 mm machine guns. |
Manufacturer and specialist references document this cartridge family across Soviet, Russian, Serbian, and Chinese 12.7 mm heavy machine guns.
| Firing weapon | Weapon type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 12.7 mm heavy machine gun | Yugoimport's 12.7 mm x 108 DShK ammunition sheet lists DShK among compatible systems for this cartridge family. Sources: Yugoimport DShK ammunition PDF |
| 12.7 mm heavy machine gun | Yugoimport lists DShKM as a compatible system for its 12.7 mm x 108 DShK ammunition line, and Romarm separately lists DShKM among 12.7x108 mm machine guns. Sources: Yugoimport DShK ammunition PDF, Romarm 12.7x108mm ammunition datasheet |
 | 12.7 mm heavy machine gun family | Romarm lists NSV for 12.7x108 mm ammunition, while Yugoimport lists the NSVT vehicle-mounted NSV configuration among compatible systems. Sources: Romarm 12.7x108mm ammunition datasheet, Yugoimport DShK ammunition PDF, Differential Identification of NSV and Kord Heavy Machine Guns |
 | 12.7 mm heavy machine gun | Rosoboronexport lists the KORD heavy machine gun with a 12.7x108 mm cartridge, and Romarm lists KORD among 12.7x108 mm machine guns. Sources: KORD 12.7mm HMG, Romarm 12.7x108mm ammunition datasheet |
 | 12.7 mm heavy machine gun | Zastava Arms lists the M02 Coyote heavy machine gun in a 12.7 x 108 mm configuration with 60-round belt feed. Sources: Machine gun M02 Coyote |
 | 12.7 mm heavy machine gun family | WeaponSystems.net identifies the Type 77 and Type 85 family as firing the 12.7x108 mm Soviet round from belts. Sources: Type 77 |
 | 12.7 mm heavy machine gun | Modern Firearms lists the W-85 heavy machine gun with 12.7x108 caliber and belt feed. Sources: W-85 HMG |
Armament Research Services documented a box of 2015-produced Igman BZT-44 API-T 12.7x108 mm ammunition offered for sale in north-western Syria in April 2021. That report is useful circulation context, but this cartridge record remains relationship-only because the available source does not by itself document the cartridge being fired or fielded in a specific conflict row.
