A submachine gun (SMG) is a firearm that combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol, and is usually between the two in weight and size. A firearm is a Tool that projects either single or multiple Projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion An automatic firearm is a Firearm that automatically extracts and ejects the fired cartridge case and loads a new case usually through the energy of the fired For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. A cartridge (also known as a "round" packages the Bullet, Gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the
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Advantages
Submachine guns, like shotguns, are ideal for close-range combat in enclosed urban environments, where a weapon's range and accuracy are less important than the ability to easily obtain multiple strikes on a target. A shotgun (also known as a scattergun) is a Firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number Pistol rounds are ideal for many law enforcement applications where noncombatants are present, since they are less likely to over-penetrate and hit unintended targets compared to most rifle cartridges.
Disadvantages
Conversely to their advantages, Submachine guns are largely ineffective against body armor, which limits modern military applications. Submachine guns lack long-range power and accuracy compared to higher power rifles, limiting their use in the open. A rifle is a Firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves ("rifling" cut into the barrel walls
History
Submachine guns first experimented with in the form of a stocked pistol being converted from semi to fully automatic in the early 20th century. A stock, also known as a buttstock or shoulder stock, is present in many Firearms and some Crossbows (though a crossbow stock is properly a A semi-automatic, or self-loading Firearm is a gun that requires only a trigger pull for each round that is fired unlike a single-action An automatic firearm is a Firearm that automatically extracts and ejects the fired cartridge case and loads a new case usually through the energy of the fired Stocked automatic weapons firing pistol rounds were developed around the same time during World War I, by Italy, Germany, and the United States. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The first dedicated designs were developed in the latter stages of World War I both as improvement on earlier stocked pistols, and to offer an advantage in trench warfare. Trench warfare is a form of warfare where both combatants have fortified positions and fighting lines are static
They were popularized in the 1920s and '30s as weapon of choice of American gangsters and police, in the form of the famous Thompson submachine gun, commonly referred to as the "Tommy Gun". For other uses see Gangsta. A gangster is a criminal who is or at some point almost invariably becomes a member of a persistent violent The Thompson submachine gun is an American Submachine gun that became infamous during the Prohibition era Submachine guns rose to prominence as a frontline close quarters combat weapon and commando firearm during World War II. In Military science, the term commando can refer to an individual a Military unit, or a raiding style of military operation. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including They are now widely used by police [1] SWAT, military commando, paramilitary, and counter-terror team members for a variety of situations. SWAT ( Special Weapons And Tactics) is an elite special operations tactical unit in American Police departments similar to the Taiwan Thunder Squad A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military force but which are not regarded as having the same status
19th century to 1920
The first automatic weapon to fire a pistol round was a scaled down version of the Maxim machine gun, used for demonstrations in marketing the Maxim in the late 19th century, especially when a full size firing range was not available. The Thompson submachine gun is an American Submachine gun that became infamous during the Prohibition era The Maxim gun was the first self-powered Machine gun, invented by the American-born Briton Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884 First generation submachine guns were characterized by machined metal parts, blowback designs with the bolt directly behind the barrel. The submachine gun (sometimes abbreviated "SMG") appeared during the later stages of World War I. It would have its trial by fire in the brutal world of trench warfare. Trench warfare is a form of warfare where both combatants have fortified positions and fighting lines are static Fighting in the trenches had become a brutal battle involving grenades, pistols, sharpened entrenching tools, improvised clubs, and bayonets.
The Italians were the first to develop a submachine gun type of weapon, the Villar Perosa. The Villar-Perosa aircraft submachine gun was an Italian double barreled Machine gun designed by Bethel Abiel Revelli a Major in the Italian Introduced in 1915, it is usually called the first submachine gun because it fired a pistol round (the 9 mm Glisenti). Originally developed as an aircraft weapon, it also saw some use by infantry, both for close quarters assaults and as a light machine gun. A light machine gun or LMG is a Machine gun that is generally lighter than other machine guns of the same period and is usually designed to be carried This odd design was eventually modified to become a traditional submachine gun, the Beretta 1918. The Beretta Model 1918 was a Submachine gun adopted in 1918 by the Italian army
However, the Bergmann MP18 may be the first true submachine gun by comparing the dates of the early Bergman prototypes with the Beretta date of service entry. The MP181 manufactured by Theodor Bergmann Waffenbau Abteilung was the first practical Submachine gun used in combat While the Beretta 1918 became standard issue a couple of months prior to the Bergmann MP18 in 1918, the Bergman had tested in prototype form as early as 1916- However, this overlooks that the Beretta was in prototype stage in the same period. Further complicating matters is that the first program to start was for the Thompson submachine gun. The various dates and achievements of the first generation submachine guns creates a contentious area for firearms historians, with conclusions much to do with their nationality and interpretations.
The Beretta 1918 had a traditional wooden stock, a 25-round box magazine, and had a cyclic rate of fire of 900 rounds per minute. Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific Weapon can fire or launch its projectiles The Germans had been using heavier versions of P08 pistols, equipped with larger capacity snail magazine, and longer barrel; these were semi-automatic. The Parabellum-Pistole ( Pistol Parabellum) popularly (but incorrectly known as the Luger, is a toggle locked recoil operated, Semi-automatic A stocked purposed designed automatic pistol was worked on by Bergmann, which by 1918 had developed the MP18. The MP181 manufactured by Theodor Bergmann Waffenbau Abteilung was the first practical Submachine gun used in combat The MP18 used 9 mm Parabellum round in a snail-magazine. The MP18 was used in significant numbers by the German World War I stormtroopers which, in conjunction with appropriate tactics, achieved some notable successes in the final year of the war. The Stormtroopers (in German Stoßtruppen, shock troops) were specialist military troops which were formed in the last years of World War I as the German However, they were not enough to prevent Germany's collapse in November 1918.
The Thompson submachine guns 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 Cagney types wielding drum-magazine Thompsons caused some military planners to shun the weapon. James Francis Cagney Jr ( July 17, 1899 &ndash March 30, 1986) was an Academy Award -winning American Film The Thompson submachine gun is an American Submachine gun that became infamous during the Prohibition era It was also used by the police, but many criminals favored the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. The BAR (short for Browning Automatic Rifle is a family of American 7 The submachine gun was nevertheless gradually accepted by many militaries, with many countries developing their own designs over the period, especially in the 1930s.
In the USSR, the PPD34 and PPD34/38 were developed. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The PPD ( P istolet- P ulemyot D egtyaryova, Russian Пистолет-пулемёт Дегтярёва) is a Submachine gun In France the MAS-35 was developed into the MAS-38. The MAS-38 was a French Submachine gun designed prior to the Second World War and used by French and German forces In Germany some improvements on the MP18 were employed, namely the MP28/II and the MP34. The MP181 manufactured by Theodor Bergmann Waffenbau Abteilung was the first practical Submachine gun used in combat Also, Nazi Germany 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. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The MP40 ( Maschinenpistole 40, literally "Machine Pistol 40" is a Submachine gun developed in Germany and used extensively by Paratroopers Italy 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. The Villar Perosa is often technically regarded as the first submachine gun
During the invasion of Poland 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. From it, the nearly identical, but safer and cheaper to make, MP40 was developed; about a million MP40s were made in World War II. The MP40 ( Maschinenpistole 40, literally "Machine Pistol 40" is a Submachine gun developed in Germany and used extensively by Paratroopers The MP40's design used even more stampings, and less 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. The Lanchester was a Submachine gun used by the British during World War II. However the high cost of manufacture and low rate of production led to the much simpler, cheaper and faster to make Sten submachine gun. The Sten (or Sten gun) was a family of British 9 mm Submachine guns used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout 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). The 9 mm MP 3008 ( Maschinenpistole 3008, literally "machine pistol 3008" was a Nazi German substitute standard Submachine gun 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 stick magazine). After the war, the Sten would be replaced by the Sterling submachine gun. The Sterling submachine gun is a British Submachine gun which was in service with the British Army from 1953 until 1988 when it was phased out with the
America and its allies used the Thompson submachine gun, especially the simplified M1 version that did away with the Tommy's drum magazine and some of the machined parts. The Thompson submachine gun is an American Submachine gun that became infamous during the Prohibition era Because it was still expensive to produce, the M3 "Grease Gun" was adopted in 1942, followed by the slightly improved M3A1 in 1944. The M3 is an American.45 caliber Submachine gun that uses the. The M3 was not necessarily more effective, but was made with cheap stamped metal, making it much more affordable. It could be configured to fire either .45 ACP ammunition, which the Thompson and M1911 pistol also fired, or the 9 mm Parabellum, widely used by Allies and Axis. The M1911 is a single-action, Semi-automatic pistol ( Handgun) chambered for the. The 9x19mm Parabellum is a pistol cartridge introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM for their 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 had developed the M/31 Suomi before the Winter War in which it saw much use. The Suomi-konepistooli KP-31 ( Submachine Gun Finland KP-31) was a Submachine gun of Finnish manufacture that was in service during World War II. The Winter War (Talvisota Советско-финляндская война - official Зимняя война - unofficial Vinterkriget began when the 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 stick magazines in the Thompson, and Russians carried only a few drum magazines (usually one drum, if any, and the rest ammo as stick magazines), the Suomi was mostly deployed with drums. They were also less prone to jamming than the stick or "casket" magazines developed for the weapon. The weapon was used until the end of Lapland war, and in peacetime service, to the early 1990s.
By the end of World War II, the USSR had fielded the largest number of submachine guns, such as the PPSh-41, with whole infantry battalions being armed with little else. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The PPSh-41 ( P istolet- P ulemyot Sh pagina; Пистолет-пулемёт Шпагина; Shpagin Machine Pistol; nicknamed Even in the hands of conscripted soldiers just out of basic training, the volume of fire produced by massed submachine guns could be overwhelming. The German forces formed similar troops of their own in response to this. The discovery made during World War II that a high rate of fire was more effective than the slower but more accurate fire (such as provided by bolt-action and semi-automatic rifles) was one of the main causes for the development of the assault rifle. An assault rifle is a Selective fire Rifle or Carbine (not to be confused with a semi-automatic only replica firing Ammunition with muzzle
1950 to present
Submachine guns lend themselves to moderation with suppressors, particularly so in cases where the weapon is loaded with subsonic ammunition. A suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer is a device either attached to or part of the barrel of a Firearm to reduce the amount of Variants of the Sten and modern-day Heckler & Koch MP5 have been manufactured with integral silencers, and such weapons are on occasion used by special forces and police units. The MP5 is a 9 mm Submachine gun of German design developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the West German arms manufacturer In most countries special forces (SF is a generic term for highly-trained Military teams/units that conduct specialized operations such as Reconnaissance After the Korean War, the role of submachine guns in military applications was gradually diminished. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the Both submachine guns and battle rifles were supplanted by the new assault rifles, such as the CAR-15 and Heckler & Koch HK53. A Battle Rifle or Main Battle Rifle is a full-size Rifle designed for military use that fires a high-power rifle cartridge such as the U An assault rifle is a Selective fire Rifle or Carbine (not to be confused with a semi-automatic only replica firing Ammunition with muzzle 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 The HK33 is a 556 mm Assault rifle developed in the 1960s by West German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K primarily for
Submachine guns are still used by special forces and counter-terrorist units operating in urban environments or cramped interior areas, and as defense weapons for air crews, armored vehicle crews, and naval personnel. In most countries special forces (SF is a generic term for highly-trained Military teams/units that conduct specialized operations such as Reconnaissance Counter-terrorism or counterterrorism refers to the practices tactics, techniques and strategies that Governments militaries, Police departments An armoured fighting vehicle ( AFV) is a military Vehicle, protected by armour and armed with Weapons Most AFVs are equipped for driving in rugged Though submachine guns still have a strong hold on niche users, due to their advantage in compact size, they are facing competition from carbines, cut-down assault rifles. A carbine is a Firearm similar to a Rifle or Musket, but generally shorter and of lesser power 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 rifles and carbines and the increasing use of body armor have combined to limit the appeal of submachine guns to government agencies. An assault rifle is a Selective fire Rifle or Carbine (not to be confused with a semi-automatic only replica firing Ammunition with muzzle A carbine is a Firearm similar to a Rifle or Musket, but generally shorter and of lesser power A ballistic vest is an item of protective clothing that absorbs the impact from gun-fired Projectiles and shrapnel fragments from explosion 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.
Also touted as a successor to the submachine gun is the personal defense weapon (PDW), a machine pistol-like weapon which fires armor-piercing pistol cartridges. A personal defense weapon (often abbreviated PDW) is a compact semi-automatic or fully-automatic Firearm similar in most respects to a Submachine gun A machine pistol is a Handgun -style magazine -fed and self-loading Firearm, capable of fully automatic or burst fire and normally chambered 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.
Legality
In the United States, submachine guns are regulated under the National Firearms Act of 1934 as amended by Title II of the Gun Control Act of 1968 and Firearms Owners' Protection Act of 1986. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The National Firearms Act (" NFA " 73rd Congress, Sess The Gun Control Act of 1968, Pub L No 90-618 82 Stat 1213 (also known as GCA or GCA68, and codified as Chapter 44 of Title 18 United States Code The Firearm Owners' Protection Act (FOPA, Pub L No 99-308 100 Stat The manufacture of machine guns for civilian ownership has been illegal since this law passed. Machine guns in circulation previous to 1986 were grandfathered allowing them to be owned by civilians legally only if they were properly registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. A grandfather clause is a term used in US English for an exception that allows an old rule to continue to apply to some existing situations when a new rule will apply to all future situations The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (abbreviated ATF) is a specialized federal law enforcement and regulatory organization within the United For more information on the subject see the NFA link above.
Switzerland allows the private ownership of semi-automatic versions of submachine guns as sporting firearms. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Fully automatic submachine guns may only be owned by collectors and may not be fired in fully automatic mode. Many other countries such as Germany, Austria and Italy authorize the private ownership of semi-automatic versions of submachine guns as sporting firearms, in some cases with modifications. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Italy requires the magazine capacity to be permanently reduced to 5 or 10 rounds depending on the case, and requires a permanently fixed stock. The fully-automatic submachine guns remain forbidden for civilian use.
Czech Republic allows the ownership of all kinds of automatic weapons up to . The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, 50 caliber for collectors who obtain a license from the Ministry of the Interior. In the United Kingdom, however they are prohibited except for use by the police and military. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The exception is relatively hard to obtain and depends largely on the discretion of the local police department. Finland and Sweden allows ownership of submachine guns and other automatic weapons, though subject to licensing. Private ownership of submachine guns and indeed all automatic weapons (except weapons disabled and forming part of a collection) are banned in all Australian states though they are used by the various states' police services (mainly if not exclusively by specialist counter-terrorist or SWAT units) and the Australian military.
References
External links
See also
- List of submachine guns
- Blowback
- Firearm action
- Semi-automatic pistol
- Personal defense weapon
- Sputter Gun
- Submachine gun competition
Dictionary
submachine gun
-noun
- A type of short range machine gun that is carried as a personal weapon and uses pistol ammunition.
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