MG 151 aircraft machineguns
Official wording
German, 15/20mm MG 151 Aircraft Machineguns (all variations).
What this entry requires
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1940–1945.
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 83 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “MG 151 cannon” ↗, maker: 'produced by Waffenfabrik Mauser during World War II' (infobox manufacturer Waffenfabrik Mauser AG)
- 2. Wikipedia, “MG 151 cannon” ↗, years: infobox production date 1940-1941 (MG 151/15), 1941-1945 (MG 151/20); 'Production of the MG 151 in its original 15 mm calibre format began in 1940'
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- None
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “MG151 and MG151-20 variants from German Manual, 1942.jpg” by Неизвестны. Руководство издано Техническим офисом Министра авиации и главкома люфтваффе в 1942 г. Der reichsminister der luftfahrt und oberbefehlshaber luftwaffe. - Technisches Amt. Берлин, 1942 г., Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “MG 151 cannon”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The Maschinengewehr (MG) 151 is a belt-fed autocannon for aircraft use, developed in Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1940 and produced by Waffenfabrik Mauser during World War II. It was originally produced in 15.1 mm caliber from 1940, with a 15×96mm cartridge, but due to demand for higher effect against aircraft, especially with the introduction of mine shells for the 20 mm MG-FF/M aircraft cannon, the design was rechambered to 20 mm caliber in 1941, using a newly developed 20×82mm cartridge which traded muzzle velocity for explosive power. The initial 15 mm variant then became known as the MG 151/15, with the new 20 mm variant becoming the MG 151/20.