Submachine gun
Encyclopedia
Automatic firearm
An automatic firearm is a firearm that loads another round mechanically after the first round has been fired.The term can be used to refer to semi-automatic firearms, which fire one shot per single pull of the trigger , or fully automatic firearms, which will continue to load and fire ammunition...
carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
, designed to fire pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
cartridges
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(1914–1918), but the apex of its use was during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(1939–1945) when millions of the weapon type were manufactured. Today the submachine gun has mostly been replaced by the assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
for military use. (The assault rifle uses an intermediate-power cartridge with more power than a pistol but less than a standard rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
or battle rifle
Battle rifle
A battle rifle is a military service rifle that fires a full power rifle cartridge, such as 7.62x51mm NATO. While the designation of battle rifle is usually given to post-World War II select fire infantry rifles such as the H&K G3, the FN FAL or the M14, this term can also apply to older military...
.)
History
In the early 20th century, experiments were made by converting stockedStock (firearm)
A stock, also known as a buttstock or shoulder stock, is a part of a rifle or other firearm, to which the barrel and firing mechanism are attached, that is held against one's shoulder when firing the gun. Stocks are also found on crossbows though a crossbow stock is more properly referred to as a...
pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s from semi
Semi-automatic firearm
A semi-automatic, or self-loading firearm is a weapon which performs all steps necessary to prepare the weapon to fire again after firing—assuming cartridges remain in the weapon's feed device or magazine...
to fully automatic. Stocked automatic weapons firing pistol rounds were developed around the same time during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, by Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The first dedicated designs were developed in the latter stages of World War I both as improvements on earlier stocked pistols, and to offer an advantage in trench warfare
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
.
They were popularized in the 1920s and 1930s as weapon of choice of American gangster
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
s and police, in the form of the famous Thompson submachine gun
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
, commonly referred to as the "Tommy Gun". Submachine guns rose to prominence as a front line close-quarters combat weapon and commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
firearm during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. They are now widely used by police SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
, military commando, paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
, and counter-terror team members for a variety of situations. Submachine guns are highly effective in close quarters; their lower-powered pistol cartridges make them generally more controllable in fully automatic fire compared to assault rifles, while their small size and light weight grant maneuverability. However, pistol cartridges generally have low effectiveness against targets protected by body armor or cover, and are short-ranged compared to intermediate and rifle cartridges.
19th century to 1920
Blowback (arms)
Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the propellant charge....
designs with the bolt directly behind the barrel. The submachine gun appeared during the later stages of World War I. It first saw action in trench warfare
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
where grenades, pistols, sharpened entrenching tool
Entrenching tool
An entrenching tool or E-tool is a collapsible spade used by military forces for a variety of military purposes. Survivalists, freedivers, campers, hikers and other outdoors groups have found it to be indispensable in field use...
s, improvised clubs, and bayonets were commonly employed.
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
weapon, it also saw some use by infantry as a light machine gun
Light machine gun
A light machine gun is a machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. Light machine guns are often used as squad automatic weapons.-Characteristics:...
. This odd design was eventually modified to become a traditional submachine gun, the OVP 1918 that evolved into the Beretta 1918 after the end of World War I.
However, the Bergmann MP18
MP18
The MP18.1 manufactured by Theodor Bergmann Waffenbau Abteilung was the first practical submachine gun used in combat. It was introduced into service in 1918 by the German Army during World War I as the primary weapon of the Stosstruppen, assault groups specialized in trench combat...
is the first true submachine gun and had been used intensively starting with Operation Michael
Operation Michael
Operation Michael was a First World War German military operation that began the Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France...
in March 1918.
The Thompson submachine gun program began in roughly the same period. The various dates and achievements of the first generation submachine guns create a contentious area for firearms historians, with conclusions much to do with their nationality and interpretations. The only pictures of SMGs used in combat and reports of captured SMGs refer to MP18 captured in France after the German Spring Offensive.
The Beretta 1918 had a traditional wooden stock, a 25-round box magazine, and had a cyclic rate of fire
Rate of fire
Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. It is usually measured in rounds per minute , or per second .-Overview:...
of 900 rounds per minute. The Germans had been using heavier versions of P08
Luger pistol
The Pistole Parabellum 1908 or Parabellum-Pistole , popularly known as the Luger, is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The design was patented by Georg J...
pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s, equipped with larger capacity "snail" drum magazine
Drum magazine
A drum magazine is a type of firearms magazine that is cylindrical in shape, similar to a drum. Instead of rounds being stored flat, as in a more common box magazine, rounds in a drum magazine are stored in a spiral around the center of the magazine, facing the direction of the barrel.There are...
, and longer barrel; these were semi-automatic. Bergmann, by 1918 had developed the MP18
MP18
The MP18.1 manufactured by Theodor Bergmann Waffenbau Abteilung was the first practical submachine gun used in combat. It was introduced into service in 1918 by the German Army during World War I as the primary weapon of the Stosstruppen, assault groups specialized in trench combat...
. The MP18 used 9x19mm Parabellum round in a snail-drum magazine. The MP18 was used in significant numbers by the German stormtroopers which, in conjunction with appropriate tactics, achieved some notable successes in the final year of the war. However, they were not enough to prevent Germany's collapse in November 1918.
The Thompson submachine gun
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
s had been in development at approximately the same time as the Bergman and Beretta, but development was put on hold in 1917, when the US and the weapon's designer (Thompson) entered the war. The design was completed afterwards and used a different internal system from the MP18 or Beretta, but it had missed its chance to be the first purpose-designed submachine gun to enter service. It would however go on to serve as the basis for later weapons and have the longest active service life of the three.
1920 to 1950
In the inter-war years the submachine gun became notorious as a gangster weapon; the iconic image of pinstripe-suited James CagneyJames Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
types wielding drum-magazine Thompsons
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
caused some military planners to shun the weapon. It was also used by the police, but many criminals favored the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. The submachine gun was nevertheless gradually accepted by many militaries, with many countries developing their own designs over the period, especially in the 1930s.
Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
manufactured a wide range of high quality submachine guns during the interwar years, most notably the Hafdasa C-4
Hafdasa C-4
The HAFDASA C-4 is a submachine gun of Argentine origin and is chambered in 9mm and .45 calibres. It has an aluminium lower receiver and is fed from a wide box magazine . Its magazine insert has a dust cover that folds open forward to form a grip shrouding the front of the magazines...
and Halcon M-1943
Halcon M-1943
The Halcón M-1943 is a submachine gun of Argentine origin and was chambered in both 9x19mm Parabellum for the Army and .45 ACP for Police Forces. This weapon is comparable in quality and performance with the Thompson submachine gun.-M-1946:...
which were chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum and .45 ACP
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
calibres depending on service. A weapon ahead of its time was the Hafdasa C-2 machine pistol issued to armoured vehicle personnel which would be today classed as a Personal Defense Weapon
Personal defense weapon
A personal defense weapon is a compact semi-automatic or fully automatic firearm similar in most respects to a submachine gun, but firing an armor-piercing rifle round, giving a PDW better range, accuracy and armor-penetrating capability than submachine guns, which fire pistol-caliber cartridges...
.
In the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the PPD34 and PPD34/38
PPD-40
The PPD is a submachine gun originally designed in 1934. The PPD had a conventional wooden stock, fired from an open bolt, and was capable of selective fire....
were developed. In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
the STA 1922 was adopted as MAS 1924 and evolved into MAS-35 later adopted as MAS-38
MAS-38
The MAS-38 was a French submachine gun designed prior to the Second World War and used by French and German forces.It derived from a small arms development program that took place between 1918 and 1922 under the control of the Service Technique de l'Armement. A submachine gun, a light machine gun...
using the 7.65mm Long round of the Pistol PA 35, a cartridge derived from the .30 Pedersen. In Germany some improvements on the MP18
MP18
The MP18.1 manufactured by Theodor Bergmann Waffenbau Abteilung was the first practical submachine gun used in combat. It was introduced into service in 1918 by the German Army during World War I as the primary weapon of the Stosstruppen, assault groups specialized in trench combat...
were employed, namely the MP28/II and the MP34
MP34
The MP34 is a submachine gun that was manufactured by Waffenfabrik Steyr and used by the Austrian police and subsequently by units of the German army, including the Waffen SS, in World War II...
. Also, Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
adopted the MP38, unique in that it used no wood and a folding metal stock, though it used similar amount of stampings as the MAS. Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
further developed a number of its own designs (see list of Italian submachine guns), with similar attempts at improvements in lower production cost, quality, or weight.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
by Nazi Germany in 1939, the MP38 production was still just starting and only a few thousand were in service, but it proved very popular especially in towns and cities. It was far more practical and effective in those environments than the standard-issue German rifle, the Kar 98K. From it, the nearly identical, but safer and cheaper to make, MP40
MP40
The MP 38 and MP 40 , often called Schmeisser, were submachine guns developed in Nazi Germany and used extensively by paratroopers, tank crews, platoon and squad leaders, and other troops during World War II.-Development:The MP 40 descended from its predecessor, the MP 38, which was in turn based...
was developed; about a million MP40s were made in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The MP40's design used even more stampings, and less strategically important metals such as aluminum, but still managed to be lighter because it avoided some of the heavier machined parts of the MP38.
Britain adopted the Lanchester submachine gun, based on the MP28/II. Britain was also interested in acquiring M/31 Suomis but this project was canceled in 1939 when Finland needed every one for her own defense. However the high cost of manufacture and low rate of production led to the much simpler, cheaper and faster to make Sten
Sten
The STEN was a family of British 9 mm submachine guns used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War...
submachine gun. The Sten gun was so cheap to make that near the end of World War II, Nazi Germany started manufacturing their own copy of the design (the MP 3008
MP 3008
The 9 mm MP 3008 was a German substitute standard submachine gun manufactured toward the end of World War II in early 1945....
). Britain also used many M1928 Thompsons early on (the inter-war period version with a drum magazine), and also many of the improved version M1 (the one seen only with a box magazine). After the war, the Sten would be replaced by the Sterling submachine gun
Sterling submachine gun
The Sterling submachine gun is a British submachine gun which was in service with the British Army from 1944 until 1994, when it was phased out with the introduction of the L85A1 assault rifle.-History:...
.
America and its allies used the Thompson submachine gun, especially the simplified M1 version that was not machined to accept the drum magazine. Because the Thompson was still expensive to produce, the M3 "Grease Gun"
M3 submachine gun
The M3 was an American .45-caliber submachine gun adopted for U.S. Army service on 12 December 1942, as the United States Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M3. The M3 was designed as a more cost-effective alternative to the Thompson, optimized for mass production...
was adopted in 1942, followed by the slightly improved M3A1 in 1944. The M3 was not necessarily more effective, but was made primarily of stamped parts and so could be produced with a fraction of the expense and time of the Thompson. It could be configured to fire either .45 ACP
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
ammunition, which the Thompson and M1911 pistol also fired, or the 9 mm Parabellum, widely used by Allies and Axis. It would be among the longest serving of the submachine guns designed during the war, being produced into the 1960s and serving in US forces officially into the 1980s.
Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
had developed the M/31 Suomi
Suomi M-31 SMG
The Suomi KP/-31 was a submachine gun of Finnish design that was in service during World War II. It was a descendant of the M-22 prototype and the KP/-26 production model, which was revealed to the public in 1925...
before the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
in which it saw much use. The weapon fired 9 mm Parabellum rounds from a drum magazine with the capacity of 70 (although often loaded with up to 74). Although America used box magazines in the Thompson, and Russians carried only a few drum magazines (usually one drum, if any, and remaining ammunition as box magazines), the Suomi was mostly deployed with drums. They were also less prone to jamming than the box or "casket" magazines developed for the weapon. The weapon was used until the end of Lapland war
Lapland War
The Lapland War were the hostilities between Finland and Nazi Germany between September 1944 and April 1945, fought in Finland's northernmost Lapland Province. While the Finns saw this as a separate conflict much like the Continuation War, German forces considered their actions to be part of the...
, and in peacetime service, to the late 1970s.
By the end of World War II, the USSR had fielded the largest number of submachine guns, such as the PPSh-41
PPSh-41
The PPSh-41 was a Soviet submachine gun designed by Georgi Shpagin as an inexpensive, simplified alternative to the PPD-40. Intended for use by minimally-trained conscript soldiers, the PPSh was a magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun using an open-bolt, blowback action...
, with whole infantry battalions being armed with little else. Even in the hands of conscripted soldiers with minimal training, the volume of fire produced by massed submachine guns could be overwhelming in an urban environment. The German forces formed similar troops of their own in response to this. Key realizations made during World War II, notably the fact that most small-arms engagements occurred within 100 yards (90 meters), and that a high rate of fire was generally more effective than the slower but more accurate fire, (such as provided by bolt-action and semi-automatic rifles) were some of the key causes for the development of the assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
.
1950 to present
Submachine guns lend themselves to moderation with suppressorSuppressor
A suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm which reduces the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon....
s, particularly so in cases where the weapon is loaded with subsonic
Speed of sound
The speed of sound is the distance travelled during a unit of time by a sound wave propagating through an elastic medium. In dry air at , the speed of sound is . This is , or about one kilometer in three seconds or approximately one mile in five seconds....
ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
. Variants of the Sten and modern-day Heckler & Koch MP5 have been manufactured with integral suppressors, and such weapons are on occasion used by special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
and police units. After the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, the role of submachine guns in military applications was gradually diminished. Both submachine guns and battle rifle
Battle rifle
A battle rifle is a military service rifle that fires a full power rifle cartridge, such as 7.62x51mm NATO. While the designation of battle rifle is usually given to post-World War II select fire infantry rifles such as the H&K G3, the FN FAL or the M14, this term can also apply to older military...
s were supplanted by the new assault rifles, such as the CAR-15
CAR-15
The Colt Automatic Rifle-15 Military Weapons System or CAR-15 was a family of AR-15 and M16 rifle–based firearms marketed by Colt in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Due to their compact size, the short-barreled Colt Commando and XM177 versions of this family continued to be issued to the U.S...
and Heckler & Koch HK53.
Submachine guns are used by special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
and counter-terrorist
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
units operating in urban environments or cramped interior areas, and as defense weapons for air crews, combat vehicle
Combat vehicle
A combat vehicle, also known as a ground combat vehicle, is a self-propelled, weaponized military vehicle used for combat operations. Combat vehicles can be wheeled or tracked.- Automation :...
crews, and naval personnel
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
. Though submachine guns still have a strong hold on niche users, due to their advantage in compact size, they are facing competition from carbines and shortened assault rifles. The dominance of submachine guns in law enforcement tactical operations has been diminished by new developments since the 1990s. Factors such as the wide availability of assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
s and carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
s and the increasing use of body armor have combined to limit the appeal of submachine guns to government agencies. Assault rifles and carbines have been supplementing submachine guns in some roles. However, assault rifles are not a complete replacement, since they are generally heavier, have greater muzzle blast, more recoil, and may be likely to overpenetrate due to their use of rifle rounds.
During the Apartheid era, the Rhodesian and South African governments supplied some citizens with modified submachine guns which were known as Land Defence Pistols (LDP) such as the Kommando LDP
Kommando LDP
The Kommando LDP , also known as the Lacoste LDP is a submachine gun of Rhodesian origin manufactured by Kommando Arms and Lacoste Engineering during the Rhodesian Bush War as a 'Land Defence Pistol' for white Rhodesian farmers...
or Sanna 77
Sanna 77
The Sanna-77 is the end of a line of submachine guns which can trace their existence and lineage to the days of Rhodesia and their Unilateral Declaration of Independence in the early 1960s.-History:...
, loosely based on the Czech CZ Model 25
CZ Model 25
The CZ Model 25 was perhaps the best known of a series of Czechoslovak designed submachine guns introduced in 1948. There were four generally very similar submachine guns in this series: the Sa 23, Sa 24, Sa 25, and Sa 26...
. LDPs sold to civilians were basically submachine guns capable of semi-automatic fire only, similar to assault pistols.
Also touted as a further evolution of the submachine gun is the personal defense weapon
Personal defense weapon
A personal defense weapon is a compact semi-automatic or fully automatic firearm similar in most respects to a submachine gun, but firing an armor-piercing rifle round, giving a PDW better range, accuracy and armor-penetrating capability than submachine guns, which fire pistol-caliber cartridges...
(PDW), a machine pistol
Machine pistol
A machine pistol is a handgun-style, often magazine-fed and self-loading firearm, capable of fully automatic or burst fire, and normally chambered for pistol cartridges. The term is a literal translation of Maschinenpistole, the German term for a hand-held automatic weapon...
-like weapon which fires armor-piercing pistol cartridges. The PDW is similar in operation to submachine guns and is often considered as such. However, the PDW's specialized ammunition is incompatible with common pistol and rifle rounds, and it is less effective than rifle rounds against unarmored targets. The trend in modern submachine guns had been toward lighter, smaller weapons utilizing plastics to a greater degree.
Legal ownership by civilians
Private ownership of submachine guns is illegal in most nations, but there are a few notable exceptions, including the following:Czech Republic
Civilian ownership of submachine guns is regulated by the Ministry of the Interior, which classifies fully automatic submachine guns as Category A (Restricted Firearms and Accessories) under the provisions of Act 119 of 2002. In addition to a valid gun licence, the prospective civilian owner must obtain a Category A Exemption from a local police agency and demonstrate the reason for owning a submachine gun, e.g. a legitimate firearms collection. However semi-automatic submachine guns are classified as Category B firearms which do not require special exception (e.g. Scorpion Evo 3 S1 is semi-automatic version of fully automatic Scorpion Evo 3 A1 submachine gun).Finland
The Firearms Act of 1998 (amended in 2001) outlawed possession of submachine guns by the general public, although licenced collectors in good standing can obtain permits for older submachine guns from the Gaming and Weapons Administration. Police must verify that the collector is able to store the gun securely to discourage theft. Deactivated and replica submachine guns are legal for historical re-enactment and plays.Pakistan
Civilian gun licenses in Pakistan vary considerably in terms of region and class of firearm. Provincial authorities issue licenses for handguns, shotguns and hunting rifles (bolt action only) that are only legal in the province in which they are issued. The Federal Government, through its Interior Ministry, issues licenses similar to those issued by the provincial government but licenses issued by the Federal Government are valid across provincial boundaries and can be carried throughout the country. The Prime Minister has the authority to allow individuals to purchase and possess automatic weapons.Switzerland
Submachine guns may only be owned by licenced collectors, but cannot be fired in full-automatic mode. Civilians may purchase semi-automatic versions of such firearms and bullets.United States
Civilian ownership of submachine guns is regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives under the provisions of the National Firearms ActNational Firearms Act
The National Firearms Act , 73rd Congress, Sess. 2, ch. 757, , enacted on June 26, 1934, currently codified as amended as , is an Act of Congress that, in general, imposes a statutory excise tax on the manufacture and transfer of certain firearms and mandates the registration of those firearms. The...
of 1934 as amended by Title II of the Gun Control Act of 1968. In addition, the Firearms Owners' Protection Act
Firearm Owners Protection Act
The Firearm Owners' Protection Act , , codified at et seq., is a United States federal law that revised many statutes in the Gun Control Act of 1968.-Federal Firearms License regulatory reform:...
of 1986 outlawed the manufacture of submachine guns for the civilian market and currently limits legal ownership to units produced and properly registered with the BATFE before May 1986. Some states enforce their own laws regulating or forbidding civilian possession of submachine guns. Civilians may purchase semi-automatic versions of such firearms without requiring NFA clearance, although some states (including California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
) enforce their own restrictions on such weapons.
See also
- List of submachine guns
- Firearm actionFirearm actionIn firearms terminology, an action is the physical mechanism that manipulates cartridges and/or seals the breech. The term is also used to describe the method in which cartridges are loaded, locked, and extracted from the mechanism. Actions are generally categorized by the type of mechanism used...
- Machine pistolMachine pistolA machine pistol is a handgun-style, often magazine-fed and self-loading firearm, capable of fully automatic or burst fire, and normally chambered for pistol cartridges. The term is a literal translation of Maschinenpistole, the German term for a hand-held automatic weapon...
- Personal defense weaponPersonal defense weaponA personal defense weapon is a compact semi-automatic or fully automatic firearm similar in most respects to a submachine gun, but firing an armor-piercing rifle round, giving a PDW better range, accuracy and armor-penetrating capability than submachine guns, which fire pistol-caliber cartridges...
- Semi-automatic pistol
- Sputter GunSputter GunThe Sputter Gun was a modification of the British Sten Submachine Gun, designed to circumvent then-existing U.S. laws defining a machine gun. The Sputter Gun, lacking a trigger, was designed to fire multiple rounds upon release of the bolt, until all ammunition was expended...
- Submachine gun competitionSubmachine gun competitionSubmachine gun and belt-fed machine gun shooting competitions take place across the United States every month in many states where firearms which fall under the National Firearms Act are legal...
External links
- Submachine guns a brief introduction at guns.ru
- Submachine Gun at Encyclopædia BritannicaEncyclopædia BritannicaThe Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...