Machine Guns - Forgotten Weapons

MGD PM9 Rotary-Action Submachine Gun

May 23, 2017 Ian McCollum 39

The PM9 was an interesting an unique submachine gun designed by Louis Debuit for the French firm Merlin and Gerin (hence the MGD name – Merlin, Gerin, Debuit) in the late 1940s and early 50s. […]

SIG KE7 Light Machine Gun

May 19, 2017 Ian McCollum 33

The KE-7 was the product of two Swiss designers, Pal Kiraly and Gotthard End, and was introduced in 1929 by the Swiss manufacturer SIG. It was a recoil operated design and fired from an open […]

Kiraly 43M: Hungary’s Overpowered Submachine Gun

May 12, 2017 Ian McCollum 37

The 43M submachine gun was developed by Pal Kiraly, based on the MKMO and MKPS series of submachine guns he had worked on for SIG in Switzerland before returning to Hungary (we would go on […]

Suppressed OSS M3 Grease Gun and Bushmaster Booby Trap Trigger

May 9, 2017 Ian McCollum 15

Today, we have a chance to take a look at a suppressed M3 “Grease Gun”, as purchased and issued by the Office of Strategic Services (the OSS; predecessor to the CIA). Thanks to its readily […]

The MAS-38 was France’s first officially adopted submachine gun, rushed into service in 1940. It was basically too late to help with the defense of France, with less than a thousand delivered by June 1940. […]

The Yugoslav M56 Submachine Gun: Perhaps Too Simple?

April 29, 2017 Ian McCollum 48

The M-56 is a Yugoslav take on the MP-40 design, produced starting in 1956 to replace its previously issued M49 submachine gun (which was a copy of the Soviet PPSh-41). The M56 is simpler than […]

The Star Z-63 Submachine Gun: Better Than You Think

April 28, 2017 Ian McCollum 32

The Star Z-63 is a 9x19mm version of the Star Z-62, which was made in both 9×19 and 9×23. Together, these represent the company’s effort to produce a more modern submachine gun than their Z-45, […]

The Brazilian Uru SMG: A Study in Simplicity

April 26, 2017 Ian McCollum 39

The Uru, named for a tropical bird, is a Brazilian 9mm submachine gun made from 1977 until 1985 and used by Brazilian military and police forces. What makes it interesting is the designer’s focus on […]

The Beretta PM-12S Submachine Gun

April 22, 2017 Ian McCollum 43

For several decades, the Beretta company’s handguns and submachine guns were nearly all designed by the very talented Tulio Marengoni…but nothing can last forever. After World War 2, Beretta engineer Domenico Salza began working on […]

M3 and M3A1 Grease Guns

April 14, 2017 Ian McCollum 68

The US began looking for a cost-effective replacement for the Thompson submachine gun in 1942, and the “Grease Gun” was the result. Designed by George Hyde (a noted firearms designer at the time) and Frederick […]