Sweden - Forgotten Weapons

Aimpoint’s First Tube Optics: 2000, 3000, & 5000

February 23, 2026 Ian McCollum 2

https://youtu.be/I786pgkby_I Aimpoint introduced its first tubular red dot sight in 1985, the Aimpoint 2000. They were still making direct rail-mounted optics like the Aimpoint Electronic, but recognized the customer demand for a sight that could […]

The First Red Dot Sights: Aimpoint Electronic, MkIII, and Aimpoint 1000

January 17, 2026 Ian McCollum 6

Today we are looking at the first commercial red dot optic, and its successors. In 1975, Aimpoint released the Aimpoint Electronic, a collimating optic using an LED as a light source. It was intended for […]

Between SMG and PDW: Sweden’s CBJ-MS

December 20, 2025 Ian McCollum 10

The CBJ-MS is a submachine gun designed by Swedish arms developed Carl Bertil Johansson, perhaps better known for his remarkable armor-piercing 6.5x25mm CBJ cartridge. He developed the gun at about the same time as the […]

Hovea M44: Husqvarna Makes a Submachine Gun

September 22, 2025 Ian McCollum 7

The Hovea M44 was tested by the Danish and Swedish militaries in 1945, competing agains the Carl Gustaf M45. It was designed and produced by Husqvarna (yes, the chainsaw company) and just 10 of them […]

Interdynamic MP-9 SMG: Origin of the TEC-9

August 13, 2025 Ian McCollum 28

The story of the Tec-9 begins with a Swedish company called Interdynamic AB and their designer Göran Lars Magnus Kjellgren designing a cheap and simple submachine gun for military use. It found no interested clients, […]

Swedish Paratrooper Prototype: AK Fm/57

July 30, 2025 Ian McCollum 2

Check out Headstamp Publishing’s extensive catalog of excellent books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten As Sweden was looking to adopt a new self-loading infantry rifle in the 1950s, one of the contenders was a modernized version of the Ljungman. […]

AK fm/54: Prototype Swedish Paratrooper Rifle

July 9, 2025 Ian McCollum 15

Check out Headstamp Publishing’s extensive catalog of excellent books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten As Sweden experimented with updating the AG42 Ljungman in the 1950s, one of the intermediate patterns was the fm/54. This took the 7.62mm NATO short […]

Swedish Kulspruta m/36 Double Browning MGs

June 18, 2025 Ian McCollum 17

Despite being a neutral power during World War Two, Sweden had a variety of very interesting small arms – like their dual-mount Browning m/36 machine guns. These were originally adopted because the Swedes wanted a […]

AK4: Sweden’s Beefed-Up Take on the G3

May 19, 2025 Ian McCollum 13

Order your copy of Small Arms of the Cold War: Battle Rifles of NATO today: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/cold-war-battle Or if you are in Europe, please order through our European site: https://www.headstampbook.com/cold-war-battle When Sweden decided to replace its […]

Experimental AG-42B Conversion to 7.62mm NATO

April 14, 2025 Ian McCollum 10

Circa 1954, Sweden was starting to look for a new self-loading rifle to adopt for its infantry. The 6.5x55mm cartridge was a good round, but the idea of having ammunition compatibility with its neighbors was […]