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Ordnance Notes -- by Bob Stoner GMCM(SW) Ret.
Karl Gustav M45 Series 9mm Submachine Guns
Overhead view of the M45 with stock extended. (More photos at
bottom of page)
The M45 submachine gun is a native
Swedish design first fielded in 1945. The gun is all metal, except for the wooden
grips. It has a folding stock that pivots to the right. The barrel is shrouded
with the front sight mounted to the shroud. The M45 can take either a magazine
of 71 rounds or a double-column box magazine of 36 or 50 rounds. The M45B and
subsequent does away with the magazine well adapter of the first model and can
only use the box magazine. The M45D has a selector switch: SEMI-AUTOMATIC and
AUTOMATIC; all other guns use trigger control to achieve single shots. The safety
is the cocking handle which can be pushed into a cutout in the receiver to lock
the bolt in either the forward or rear position. A detachable ejection port
cover is provided to keep dirt and debris out of the gun. The M45-series guns
fire from and open bolt and are straight blowback in operation (that is, the
bolt is not locked at firing -- it is held by the driving spring).
Sometimes called the "Swedish
K", the K stands for "Kulsprutepistole" which roughly translates
as "bullet quirting pistol." The cyclic rate of the M45 is 550 to
600 rounds/minute. The M45 was routinely provided with a sling, magazine filler,
and blank firing adapter for training. The gun was manufactured under license
by Egypt as the "Port Said." Model variations include:
* M45 which has the detachable magazine well adapter for the drum magazine.
* M45B is redesigned and strengthened and eliminates the magazine adapter.
* M45C adds a bayonet lug for mounting the standard Swedish Mauser bayonet.
* M45D which adds a selector switch for semi-auto and full-auto fire.
The M45-series guns were used in
the 1960s by various U.S. special operations forces in Viet Nam. Some operators
fitted the gun with a very effective silencer made by Sionics in Alpharetta,
GA for special missions.
Unlike the guns in the photos which are Parkerized (manganese phosphate coated),
the Viet Nam guns used a peculiar blue-green (near turquoise) finish over their
Parkerizing. At some time in the mid-1960s the Swedish government cutoff export
of the M45 to the Americans to protest our involvement in Viet Nam. As a result
Smith and Wesson developed a similar design called the Model 76 to replace the
Swedish K. Some of these guns may still be in the armories of U.S. special operations
forces, but the design has been superseded by the ubiquitous Heckler and Koch
MP-5 series of 9mm submachine guns.
Specifications:
Caliber: 9mm NATO (9x19mm)
Length (stock extended) -- 31.8 inches, (stock folded) -- 21.7 inches.
Barrel -- 8.4 inches
Weight (empty) -- 8.6 lbs.
Painted barrel jacket from an M45C with bayonet attached (and
its scabbard
and attachments).
M45B with leather sling, empty case catcher, ammunition, and
magazine loader.
M45B with stock folded and web sling.
M45B with stock extended.
R-1
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© 2002 Bob Stoner
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