Master GM-72-006 British QF 6-pdr (57mm) - version Mk.V L/50 (long) + Besa MG tips - for Crusader Mk.III, Churchill Mk.III/IV, Valentine Mk.VIII/IX

BESA is a British 7.92 mm machine gun from the interwar period and World War II. The weapon was developed in 1936 and entered production shortly before the outbreak of World War II. The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited (BSA) plants were responsible for its development and production. In total, about 40,000 of these weapons of all versions were produced. The total weight of the unloaded rifle is 21 kilograms, and its length is 1.1 meters, with the barrel length being 0.74 meters. The maximum rate of fire was up to 750-850 rounds per minute, and the initial velocity of the bullet fired from this rifle was about 820 m / s. The rifle was fed with a cartridge belt of 225 rounds. The weapon on display is a British modification of the Czechoslovak ZB-53 machine gun manufactured by Zbrojovka Brno. The rifle, despite its drawbacks (for example, it was prone to jamming due to a dirty weapon), entered production and was produced throughout World War II. The rifle was mounted as a secondary weapon on many British armored vehicles, such as the Matilda II, Valentine and A-34 Comet tanks.