Summary
The significance of the 1-K lies in the fact that it was the first Soviet anti-tank gun. As such, it gave some valuable experience. It also became the base for a series of Soviet 45-mm anti-tank guns.
It was a light and compact gun which could be easily moved by its crew. The drawbacks were a lack of suspension, weak fragmentation shell (because of small caliber) and poor manufacturing quality. RKKA wanted a larger caliber gun that could be used as a battalion gun as well as in an anti-tank role, so the 1-K was quickly replaced in production by its 45-mm descendants.
By 1941 the gun was adequate only against lightly armoured vehicles. Modern tanks could only be penetrated from their side and only at short (less than 300 metres) range. The situation was aggravated by low ammunition quality, which explains smaller penetration figures compared to the PaK 35/36. As noted above, the 1-K could fire German shells, improving its anti-armor performance roughly to the level of early Soviet 45-mm guns, as those also suffered from problems with ammunition quality.
This was due primarily to the use of Gun Powder with a Nitrocelluose primer as propellant in all Soviet small arms, artillery and anti-tank artillery up until well into 1942, when British convoy shipments of Cordite and more advanced propellant technology became available. Also the continued use of obstellete APHE technology ammunition, which most nations had long abandoned for considerably improved penetration performance of solid shot AP, APC and APCBC ammunition technology.
The APHE shell itself was of the 1890's Hotchkiss naval type consisting of a hard nosed forged steel projectile with a base mounted innertial decelleration shock delay fuse with a stable explosive filler, most likely Picric Acid. APHE shells are more effective against battlefield sandbag, earthwork or log improvised fortifications and domestic buildings than equivalent calibre impact detonating HE or fragmentation shells. APHE can be regarded as a useful dual purpose round in many respects.
German Rheinmetall-Borstig evaluation tests on a captured 1-K, during 1941, gave a maximum penetration of up to 42mm. of perpendicular rolled homogenous armour plate at 100 metres with APHE and up to 61mm. of perpendicular hardened carbon steel armour plate at 100 metres with APHE. (Note that all tank building nations had abandoned the use of carburized hardened carbon steel in favour of the increased protection offered by rolled nickel-chromium homogeneous steel armour plate, cast nickel-chromium steel and cast ferro-nickel based armoured alloys by the mid-1920's onwards).
By comparison the German 37mm. PaK 35/36 could penetrate up to 44mm. of perpendicular rolled homogenous armour plate at 100 metres with PzGr.18. APHE, up to 64mm. of perpendicular hardened carbon steel at 100 metres with PzGr.18. APHE, up to 65mm. of perpendicular rolled homogenous armour plate at 100 metres with PzGr.39. APCBC and up to 79mm. of perpendicular rolled homogenous armour plate at 100 metres with PzGr.40. APCR.
The PaK 35/36 used Binatol as a propellant.
Read more about this topic: 37 Mm Anti-tank Gun M1930 (1-K)
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