The Lahti L-39 - The "elephant gun"

October 7, 2026

28 mm at 100 meters: these were the penetration capabilities of the Finnish 20 mm 20 Pstkiv/39 Lahti anti-tank rifle! Nicknamed the "elephant gun," this true monster weighing nearly 50 kg could initially take on Soviet light armored vehicles.

However, Moscow deployed increasingly well-protected vehicles, and this "mini" piece of artillery gradually lost its effectiveness in its original role. It then found a new use as a "heavy sniping" weapon, since its accuracy and 20 mm projectile, whose armor-piercing cap alone weighed 152 g, allowed it to target vision slits, turret mechanisms, and bunker embrasures from up to about 600 meters.

Gradually outclassed by more effective anti-tank equipment, the 20 Pstkiv/39 Lahti nevertheless demonstrated exceptional longevity. Thus, converted notably into an anti-helicopter weapon, it was not permanently withdrawn from service until 1986.