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6.5×45mm MASSOR
Type	Rifle
Place of origin	Valduvia
Service history
In service	1955–present
Used by	MASSOR
Wars	Burland conflict
Production history
Designer	Mareks Dukurs
Designed	1951–1953
Produced	1954–present
Specifications
Bullet diameter	6.70 mm (0.264 in)
Neck diameter	7.50 mm (0.295 in)
Shoulder diameter	10.90 mm (0.429 in)
Base diameter	11.30 mm (0.445 in)
Rim diameter	11.30 mm (0.445 in)
Rim thickness	1.50 mm (0.059 in)
Case length	45.00 mm (1.772 in)
Overall length	65.80 mm (2.591 in)
Case capacity	2.79 cm3 (43.1 gr H2O)
Rifling twist	200 mm
Primer type	Large rifle
Maximum pressure	430 MPa (62,000 psi)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 8.0 g (123 gr) 840 m/s (2,800 ft/s) 2,935 J (2,165 ft⋅lbf)
Test barrel length: 610 mm

The 6.5×45mm MASSOR, also known as 6.5×45mm Valduvian or simply 6.5×45mm, is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate rifle cartridge developed in Valduvia during the 1950s. It has been the standard service rifle chambering for the Valduvian Workers' Army since 1955, and was originally developed for use in the Lielstraupe TŠ-54 assault rifle. The cartridge was adopted as the standard for MASSOR in 2001, and now enjoys widespread use among the armed forces of its member states.

History

Development

The 6.5×45mm cartridge was developed in response to the experience of Valduvian infantrymen during the Valduvian-Weranian War. Although the armed forces as a whole performed well, the Valduvian Land Component's aging Kusava Š-31 straight-pull bolt-action rifles proved vastly inferior to the Gewehr 43 and StG 44 rifles fielded by the Bundesheer. Valduvian military officials were particularly impressed by the selective fire StG 44 and its 7.92×33mm intermediate rifle cartridge. The light weight of the cartridge allowed Weranian soldiers to carry more ammunition than their Valduvian counterparts, and its low recoil made the weapon controllable under fully automatic fire while still remaining effective out to 300 meters.

In September 1951, the Valduvian Workers' Army began development on an indigenous assault rifle to replace the Š-31. Taking design cues from the StG 44, the military laid out requirements for a selective fire rifle capable of accepting a detachable magazine of at least 20 rounds. The new rifle would require a lighter and less powerful chambering to replace the Š-31's full-powered 7.5×55mm, allowing each soldier to carry more ammunition and maintain control over the weapon in full automatic. However, the military also required that the new cartridge be able to make effective shots out to 800 meters, allowing it to also be used in sniper rifles and general-purpose machine guns.

Mareks Dukurs, the chief weapons designer at the Lielstraupe Mechanical Factory, was assigned to lead the development of the new weapon and cartridge. For the new chambering, Dukurs took inspiration from the Blostlandic 6.5×55mm round, which was known for its excellent ballistics at long ranges. The 6.5mm bullet was smaller and lighter than the 7.5mm bullet utilized by the Valduvian military, which Dukurs believed would allow it to retain greater velocity in an intermediate package. Development took place between November 1951 and July 1953, when the final design was summited to the Directorate of the Workers' Defense. After eight months of testing, Dukurs's new cartridge and rifle were accepted by the Valduvian Workers' Army in March 1954. The 6.5×45mm cartridge and its accompanying service rifle, designated the Lielstraupe TŠ-54, began full scale production later that year, and entered service with the Valduvian Workers' Army in the spring of 1955.

Service history

The 6.5×45mm cartridge almost immediately saw combat with Valduvian security forces during the Burland conflict. Initial reviews were highly positive, with soldiers finding its lighter recoil to be more pleasant than the 7.5×55mm rounds to which they were accustomed.  Additionally, the more manageable 6.5 cartridge allowed soldiers to shoot more accurately. The average rifle qualification score increased to 28/40 with the new cartridge, compared to 25/30 with the 7.5×55mm round. The success of the 6.5×45mm round led to the development of the Lielstraupe VLM-58 light machine gun, which quickly replaced the older Kusava VLM-25 as the Land Component's standard squad automatic weapon.

The round was exported to several other socialist states and movements beginning in the 1960s, and was notably used by X forces during the X War. Beginning in 1981, the smaller caliber 4.85×49mm cartridge partially replaced 6.5×45mm as the standard Valduvian service rifle chambering, although the latter continued in use with reserve units and as a light machine gun and sniper rifle cartridge. The cartridge also remained popular in the Valduvian special operations community, who favored its versatility to engage targets at longer ranges. Additionally, the 6.5 cartridge remained significantly more popular outside of Valduvia. The Valduvian military adopted the Lielstraupe TŠ-90 as its new service rifle in 1990, with variants chambered in both 4.85 and 6.5. In 2001, the 6.5×45mm was chosen over the 4.85×49mm to serve as MASSOR's standard service rifle cartridge due to its greater versatility and logistical advantages, and the Valduvian military returned the cartridge to frontline use.

Variants

• ŠP-53: 7.0 gram 6.5×45mm ball cartridge. The original cartridge developed by Mareks Dukurs using a 7.0 gram bullet.
• ŠP-54: 8.0 gram 6.5×45mm ball cartridge. An modified loading of Dukurs's original design, utilizing a heavier 8.0 gram bullet. The P-54 was the standard cartridge of the Valduvian Workers' Army between 1955 and 1981.
• ŠP-54M: 8.0 gram 6.5×45mm tracer cartridge.
• ŠP-81: 8.0 gram 6.5×45mm MASSOR ball cartridge with a steel penetrator tip. The P-81 has been the standard 6.5×45mm round in the Valduvian Workers' Army since 1981, and was adopted as the MASSOR standard in 2001.

Use

• Lielstraupe TŠ-54
• Lielstraupe VLM-58
• Lielstraupe TŠ-90