The British Boys anti-tank rifle was designed in 1937 and was used in the early stages of World War II for rudimentary anti-tank protection of infantry fighting groups. It had a caliber of 14 mm. and was fed from a 5-cartridge magazine.
The weapon had a weight of 16 kg, a length of 1,575 m and under ideal conditions achieved a rate of fire of 10 b.p.m. (shots per minute). The Mk I had an initial muzzle velocity of 747 meters per second and could penetrate 23.2 mm armor. at a distance of 90 m or 18.8 mm. at a distance of 500 m. Its performance was decent for the time, given that the armor of the first Panzers was light.
The Greek Army ordered 1,786 Boys for direct infantry anti-tank protection at platoon-company level, but by 28 October 1940 the British had delivered only 22 of them. During the war they delivered another 100. The Greek soldiers called it "peanut gun"...