Military interest in a submachine gun was late in Czechoslovakia, but by the late 1930s a development program was put into place. Interestingly, the main use case for an SMG was seen as being a replacement for a rifle-caliber LMG in fortification mounts. The thought process seems to have been that a large volume of fire was the necessary element to keep invaders away from border fortresses, and the ballistic power of the fire was not so important.
The vz38 was designed by František Myška, chambered for the 9x17mm (.380) cartridge used by the vz22/24 pistol then in service. It was tested against the ZB26 light machine gun. It proved reliable and effective, and it’s 96-round drum magazine (copied format he Finnish Suomi) was a particularly nice element. An initial order was placed and the gun was formally adopted into service, but production never began. Instead, German occupation of the country put an end to the project and only 20 preproduction examples were ever made.
Many thanks to the VHU – the Czech Military History Institute – for giving me access to this very rare example to film for you. The Army Museum Žižkov is a part of the Institute, and they have a 3-story museum full of cool exhibits open to the public in Prague. If you have a chance to visit, it’s definitely worth the time! You can find all of their details (including their aviation and armor museums) here:
https://www.vhu.cz/en/english-summary/
“(…)Can remove the barrel. Now, it seems to me this the easily detachable barrel may very well have come from sort of the theory of uh like a light machine gun theory. The idea of using this in a fortification where, you know, you may be shooting very high volumes of ammo and you want to be able to swap the barrel out like you can on a ZB26.(…)”
If it was so, it is untypically ill designed for Czechoslovak origin. You would need dislodge this weapon from mount point (as it does interface via barrel) and I do not see any non-heat transmitting handle, so you would need appropriate glove. Do you accuse František Myška of being at M60 designer level competence?
It want to note that this weapon was, untypically for 1930s sub-machine gun full-auto only, whilst ZB 26 was selective-fire, therefore I conclude they did not press hard for this weapon to be similar to it.
One of effects of arranging barrel this way is that it made whole weapon modular. They might easily add later for example shorter barrel or heavier barrel.
I wonder if the detachable barrel was more a matter of a different alloy of steel than the receiver.
Has Ian ever talked about the different grades and hardness of steel used in different parts of guns: hardened firing pins versus soft dust covers, etc.
A very svelte, little design. As with all designs coming out of Prague in the late 30’s a tad over engineered. However, with a folding stock, I can see this being adopted as a PDW for tank crews, artillery crews, truck drivers, et al.
Though I may be prejudiced, given the choice, I would rather have my hands on an M1 Carbine.
Thanks for bringing another forgotten weapon to light!!!
“(…)tad over engineered(…)”
Where? I would call it rather laconic for 1930s standards. Compare it with sub-machine gun created in one of Czechoslovakia’s neighbor https://www.forgottenweapons.com/submachine-guns/wz-39-mors/
Removable barrel.
I assume that this was imposed by client, not designer. If it so, this system seems simple to make (1 additional nut, some screw threads), so I would say this is example of well done engineering, not overengineering.
Looks like a PPSH 41 and a MP 28 had a baby.
You need to search further. Both have jackets with holes around barrel and this one does not.
it’s interesting to see a tiny bit of bevelling on the drum attachment to make attaching a drum a little easier and less finicky a process.
it’s always amazing to see the amount of expensive and complex machine work that went into an essential very simple gun
Even the tubular receiver and its attachment to the stock and trigger group appear to be machined from solid rather than fabricated from seamless tube and welded together.
same for the trunnion and those drum locating lugs.
Why did we universally switch to bottom mounted magazines? I feel that a side mounted mag facilitates shooting when lying down, or resting the gun on a bag etc?
I think its a trade off compared to say the potential trouble one may have when entering a narrow doorway or taking cover on a corner.
I have never handled a Sterling, Sten or any other side mounted smg so these may be imagined troubles but those were the first things to come to mind.
Most of it is down to the fact that you’re carrying a weapon 99% of the time, and only using it in combat maybe 1%. As such, the bias is towards “convenience of carry” instead of “how well does this work in combat?”.
Given how I felt about my buttons stopping me from getting down lower when under fire, I’d really like an assault rifle that fed from the side. Nobody has ever shared that feeling, soooooo… Yeah. I think the bias towards top or bottom feed is a bit strange, but as I said… Most of the designers don’t “get” the need to get down low and out of the line of fire.
Consider the blindness towards the advantages of periscopic sight on machineguns as another example of this craptastic fact of life. Left up to me, I’d be making design choices biased towards keeping the shooter alive; instead, it’s all about looks and convenience to the designer/procurement specialist.
Honestly? As a soldier, getting shot at? I’d prefer the ability to maintain the lowest possible profile on the battlefield, which ain’t something having a bloody great magazine hanging off the side really affords one.
That’s one consideration; I’d have to do some careful thought were I to start actually worrying about this, because I can kinda/sorta see some issues with doing reload drills and immediate action. If, God forbid, you were reduced to single-handed loading? And, it was the wrong hand? You might be in a lot of trouble. Top or bottom fed, you have about equal access to the important bits…
[sigh] I long for the day when Ian implements the ability to edit a post after you put it up…
Fourth paragraph? Rant is meant to refer to a “bloody great magazine hanging off the bottom…” not “side”.
Anyway Czechoslovakia has fix for that, namely CZ 247 https://modernfirearms.net/en/submachine-guns/czech-republic-submachine-guns/cz-247-eng/ One peculiar feature of the CZ 247 is that magazine housing is able to rotate and put magazine either below the gun or to the left of the gun, and CZ 247 submachine gun could be fired when magazine is in either position. This feature apparently was added to provide better cover when firing from prone position (with magazine located horizontally to the left), and more comfortable carry and firing from standing or kneeling positions (with magazine turned down).
So you can set magazine sticking direction to your liking.
Actually that’s one of those mistakes where the reader can guess what the writer must’ve meant
oooh, it’s so good…
oooh… Doesn’t it look well made, compared to modern things; might just be me. But “oooh.” Doesn’t it look well made. Might be a good (base) for a drone a gun, modern stuff… Given they can now fly in forests via fibre optic cables, could try to make this basically… As a gun with it’s weight mostly being the mag, advanced primer ignition in conjunction with gas delay… I think, via a sort of “equilibrium” action, to reduce weight in this instance; aye my previous waffled about trellis thing. Big silencer. And nobody will ever be able to sleep soundly in some woods again.
Progress eh, humanity continues to make the world their only world a better place he he… Mind you someone stuck us here eh, so I suppose that must have been in the original design… What do you think God? “Meh, they’ll crack on” Wheres my tea, ooooh space lampreys my favorite, a surfeit of.
Hybrid loitering muntion, a wee blimp/with detachable drone like a bi plane…
If it carries on like this, ye olde Roman shields will be due a comeback; modern balistic ones, carry it at all times, you’ll need a poop like a bear.
“They’ve designed good modern blimps already; just shrink, that.”
Actually it could, detect heat off guns and activate that way… 96rnd silenced in your nuts, you could calibrate the laser sights thus – You know to defeat body armour, via not aiming at it. I’d fill them with hydrogen and then it can
explode also, and kill an enemy squirel the… Rotter. Take that Hindenburg, nut stashing… Mofo.
Make the new .380rnds with the base for Api, schnell. They get 96rnds silenced in the nuts soon as someone fires a gun, good value – Unless they carry ye olde shields – As some hope of a defense, sounds like it could be a bad day that in the woods.
Doing that would shrink this gun to be no bigger than from the muzzle to it’s forestock; but the stuff above… It’s good, bbbbbbbbb’ang. Recoil’less’ish for lightweight flying, things. Not an A10 eh.
https://youtu.be/rXmF6h3Yd_A?si=kvRtGZEFCh2N6ZjF