The very "Kiraly" and his worthy heirs
Submachine gun: yesterday, today, tomorrow.
How did the Kirali submachine guns differ from all the others? Now that we have sufficiently met history this species weapons and its features, let's take a small “step to the side” and look at that “Kiraly”, well, how can it be without it ... Because this sample of the creative thought of its creator is to a certain extent a trend, and a very significant one.
Interestingly, the history of this submachine gun, like many others, we note this, began in the 1931 year, but not in Hungary, but in Switzerland. The fact is that at this time the commander of the Swiss Guard of the Vatican addressed the Swiss company Schweizerishe Industrie-Gesellshaft with an order for the development of a submachine gun, which this guard would have to arm. Three years of work, and in 1934, the SIG MKMS submachine gun appeared, and immediately there was a problem how to recoup the costs of its development and fabrication. After all, the Vatican Guard needed all 200 copies of a new weapon, whereas in order to recoup it, it was necessary to sell no less than 1000. However, the vaunted Swiss quality has done its job. Something was sold to the Finns, but the largest party, just over a thousand pp, was bought from the company by the army of the puppet state of Menjiang - created by the Japanese for their own convenience in Inner Mongolia.
And so it was to his majesty the occasion that among those who worked on the new submachine gun was also the engineer from Hungary, Pal Kiraly. In 1937, he returned home, conjured a little over the drawings of the well-known ZIG, and eventually received a submachine gun, which he offered to the Danubia plant in Budapest.
It should be noted here that since the guard of the Vatican was not large, its fighters did not have sense to arm themselves with a rifle and a submachine gun. They simply did not have those auxiliary units that, according to the tradition of that time, would be armed with them. They needed something one thing, and quite a long-range, rapid-fire, multiply charged, and also easier rifles. That is, a weapon suitable "for all occasions" just for them - the papal guardsmen. That is, there was a specific order for a specific military unit, and it quite specifically embodied in the metal. And that is why a long barrel (50 cm) and a magazine for 40 cartridges were installed at SIG. However, the long barrel immediately demanded automation, providing a sufficient time delay for the bullet to fly from the barrel, that is, having a semi-free gate. Long barrel - it is also the size. Therefore, in order to reduce them in the stowed position, the Swiss made the receiver of the store so that it was folded forward. This allowed machine gunners not to stand out on the battlefield from the total mass of infantry with rifles and at the same time facilitated the transportation of this PP.
First, they began to produce the MKMS serial sample, then the shorter “police” model MKPS. But the high price frightened off buyers. Therefore, modifications of MKMO and MKPO, which had free valves, were made soon. However, before 1941, all four samples were sold in quantities of all 1200 pieces.
Anyway, but from the point of view of the “machine” technology, the Swiss really turned out to be very curious. As is often the case, its semi-free shutter consisted of two parts - the front and the back, and the front (gate larva) has the shape of the letter "P" with a very stretched upper crossbar. The back of the bolt enters the front only when the back of the “P” is skewed up. Shooting is conducted from an open shutter. When the bolt group in its movement comes to the front position, the bevel on the back of the gate presses against the front bevel or the gate larva, and it rises, falls into the groove of the receiver and so locking occurs. The back of the bolt continues to move and its striker pins the cartridge primer in the chamber. After the shot, both parts of the bolt move back a very short distance, while they are unhooked, the rear part of the gate larvae is reduced, and now both parts of the bolt move backward by inertia. Thus, the weapon is recharged and the whole cycle is repeated again. A groove and a special dust-proof lid were provided for the folding magazine in the forearm under the barrel, which covered the hole under it in the receiver. The stock was wooden, made of quality wood, and marked on firing from 100 to 1000 meters. The bayonet on such a long submachine gun, which was SIG MKMS, was also not a problem to install.
Shutter action SIG MKMS on patent 1936 of the year:
Fig.1 - both parts of the bolt are in the "before the shot" in the rear of the receiver and are one; FIG. 2 - the shutter is released by pressing the trigger, moves forward, the oblique protrusion of the posterior part presses on the oblique posterior surface of the larva and lifts it upwards. Once in the slot of the receiver, it can no longer move back and so it locks. Nevertheless, between the larva and the receiver there is a free space 23-24. The back with a striker strikes the primer through the hole in the larva; FIG. 3 - shot made. The larva has moved back until it stops, while the rear part of the shutter moves back by inertia. Now the larva goes down and can move back along with the back of the shutter.
As for Hungary, it was not for nothing that it was said - “his example is a different science”. The fact that this development went to the Vatican greatly inspired the Hungarian military and they ... adopted the "Kiraly submachine gun" under the designation 39M. Like his immediate ancestor or predecessor, he looked very much like a carbine, and with the shop in the forend this similarity increased even more. After all, its length was equal to 105 cm, and the length of the German Mauser carbine 98k - 111 cm, the difference, which is completely irrelevant at a distance. More important was the fact that it used the most powerful for that time pistol Mauzer cartridge 9 × 25 mm.
39M in the hands of a Hungarian soldier.
However, we can not say that Kiraly copied everything from the Swiss sample. No, on the contrary, he made a very important change to the design: he invented a new bolt for his submachine gun ... which was then named after him; "Kiraly shutter".
As well as the SIG MKMS shutter, the shutter, designed by Kiraly, consists of two parts interconnected by means of a complex accelerator lever. It interacts with a special protrusion in the bolt box in such a way that the front part of the bolt moves back faster than the rear. Then the lever comes out of the clutch with the receiver, and both parts of the bolt are moving back already as one piece. But as long as both parts of the bolt interacted in such an ingenious way, the bullet had already left the barrel, and the gas pressure in it dropped to a safe level. So the sleeve from the chamber was removed without fear that it would tear or inflate.
It would seem that both the long barrel and such a complex bolt should have significantly increased the initial velocity of the bullet, and thereby increased the fighting properties of the 39M. However, it was precisely this that, despite all the tricks, Kiraly did not succeed. It also happened this way, more than once. A person thinks that it will be this and that, but all his efforts are in vain for a number of reasons completely independent of him, which he simply could not foresee. The same happened in this case. Since the shooting of the Kiralee submachine gun took place from an open bolt, the long barrel placed on it did not give him any advantage in shooting accuracy. In addition, the long barrel overheated, there was a curvature and ... the bullets flew in the wrong place. And although the scope had a notch up to 600 meters, it was impossible to hit targets at such a distance.
The initial speed could not be increased either. At the Mauser pistol it was equal to 420 m / s, and at the Kiraly submachine gun 480 m / s. But at the same time, the length of the trunk of the "Mauser" was 140 mm, but the 39M - 500 mm! And the whole thing is part of the powder used cartridge, which burned so quickly that the long barrel did not give much.
The rest of the device of this PP was quite traditional for that time. The trigger mechanism allowed both single and automatic fire. The interpreter of the fire at the same time served as a fuse. The store had a double row of cartridges with a double row of their output. This was done to facilitate the equipment store, although the filing of ammunition from the store with a single-row output safer.
In 1944, the 44M version appeared under the standard Parabellum cartridge. At the same time, the barrel on it was shortened to 250 mm, which, however, practically did not affect the usability and its other characteristics.
After the war, Kiraly left for the Dominican Republic, and there, based on 39M, he constructed the Cristobal M2 - the original carbine chambered for the .30 Carbine, which again turned out to be something average between a submachine gun and a machine gun.
Well, in the Hungarian People’s Republic, based on the TT pistol cartridge, designer Jozef Kucher, a former assistant to Kiraly, created his own submachine gun, which was designated K1. It was all the same 44M, only with a rozhkovy magazine because of the taper of the sleeve of our cartridge, and simplified well, just to the limit. In 1953, K1 adopted the Hungarian People’s Army under the designation 53M, but for a long time he could not resist the service.
Well, now about the trend, that is, the direction of development that was set by this, in general, not very successful sample. It turned out, far from immediately, that such well-equipped fighters of various terrorist groups are increasingly involved in fighting against the forces of law and order, and their equipment provides them with good protection against the fire of the same submachine guns with which counterterrorism units are armed. In addition, they often go into battle with drugs and painkillers, so that they, even after being fatally wounded, continue to fight.
That is, it took a compact and powerful weapon, capable of bulletproof vests and punching, and ... with one hit immobilize any potential enemy.
In Russia, such a weapon was the 12,7-mm assault rifle, ShA-12, about which the Military Review repeatedly posted materials, for example, 23 August 2012, 29 November 2018 and 12 December 2018. Recall that it was designed by scheme bullpup and with the widespread use of plastic and aluminum alloys. The weight, however, he turned out to be significant - 5,2 kg, well, after all, this is one of the most powerful and deadly weapons. And to some extent, this is by no means a rifle, but a real large-caliber submachine gun, since its firing range is only 100 m. And the customer believes that this is quite enough!
So, another direction for the development of submachine guns of the future may well be ... either large-caliber or submachine guns under especially powerful cartridges of standard calibers. Or maybe they will be created and under completely unusual for today ammunition? But ... we will tell you about this next time.
To be continued ...
How did the Kirali submachine guns differ from all the others? Now that we have sufficiently met history this species weapons and its features, let's take a small “step to the side” and look at that “Kiraly”, well, how can it be without it ... Because this sample of the creative thought of its creator is to a certain extent a trend, and a very significant one.
Not Hungarian at all, but Swiss!
Interestingly, the history of this submachine gun, like many others, we note this, began in the 1931 year, but not in Hungary, but in Switzerland. The fact is that at this time the commander of the Swiss Guard of the Vatican addressed the Swiss company Schweizerishe Industrie-Gesellshaft with an order for the development of a submachine gun, which this guard would have to arm. Three years of work, and in 1934, the SIG MKMS submachine gun appeared, and immediately there was a problem how to recoup the costs of its development and fabrication. After all, the Vatican Guard needed all 200 copies of a new weapon, whereas in order to recoup it, it was necessary to sell no less than 1000. However, the vaunted Swiss quality has done its job. Something was sold to the Finns, but the largest party, just over a thousand pp, was bought from the company by the army of the puppet state of Menjiang - created by the Japanese for their own convenience in Inner Mongolia.
Submachine gun Kiraly "Danuviya" 39M.
And so it was to his majesty the occasion that among those who worked on the new submachine gun was also the engineer from Hungary, Pal Kiraly. In 1937, he returned home, conjured a little over the drawings of the well-known ZIG, and eventually received a submachine gun, which he offered to the Danubia plant in Budapest.
The main thing - increased fire power!
It should be noted here that since the guard of the Vatican was not large, its fighters did not have sense to arm themselves with a rifle and a submachine gun. They simply did not have those auxiliary units that, according to the tradition of that time, would be armed with them. They needed something one thing, and quite a long-range, rapid-fire, multiply charged, and also easier rifles. That is, a weapon suitable "for all occasions" just for them - the papal guardsmen. That is, there was a specific order for a specific military unit, and it quite specifically embodied in the metal. And that is why a long barrel (50 cm) and a magazine for 40 cartridges were installed at SIG. However, the long barrel immediately demanded automation, providing a sufficient time delay for the bullet to fly from the barrel, that is, having a semi-free gate. Long barrel - it is also the size. Therefore, in order to reduce them in the stowed position, the Swiss made the receiver of the store so that it was folded forward. This allowed machine gunners not to stand out on the battlefield from the total mass of infantry with rifles and at the same time facilitated the transportation of this PP.
First, they began to produce the MKMS serial sample, then the shorter “police” model MKPS. But the high price frightened off buyers. Therefore, modifications of MKMO and MKPO, which had free valves, were made soon. However, before 1941, all four samples were sold in quantities of all 1200 pieces.
SIG MKMS with folded magazine.
SIG MKMS and shop to it.
It's hard to do - very easy!
Anyway, but from the point of view of the “machine” technology, the Swiss really turned out to be very curious. As is often the case, its semi-free shutter consisted of two parts - the front and the back, and the front (gate larva) has the shape of the letter "P" with a very stretched upper crossbar. The back of the bolt enters the front only when the back of the “P” is skewed up. Shooting is conducted from an open shutter. When the bolt group in its movement comes to the front position, the bevel on the back of the gate presses against the front bevel or the gate larva, and it rises, falls into the groove of the receiver and so locking occurs. The back of the bolt continues to move and its striker pins the cartridge primer in the chamber. After the shot, both parts of the bolt move back a very short distance, while they are unhooked, the rear part of the gate larvae is reduced, and now both parts of the bolt move backward by inertia. Thus, the weapon is recharged and the whole cycle is repeated again. A groove and a special dust-proof lid were provided for the folding magazine in the forearm under the barrel, which covered the hole under it in the receiver. The stock was wooden, made of quality wood, and marked on firing from 100 to 1000 meters. The bayonet on such a long submachine gun, which was SIG MKMS, was also not a problem to install.
Shutter action SIG MKMS on patent 1936 of the year:
Fig.1 - both parts of the bolt are in the "before the shot" in the rear of the receiver and are one; FIG. 2 - the shutter is released by pressing the trigger, moves forward, the oblique protrusion of the posterior part presses on the oblique posterior surface of the larva and lifts it upwards. Once in the slot of the receiver, it can no longer move back and so it locks. Nevertheless, between the larva and the receiver there is a free space 23-24. The back with a striker strikes the primer through the hole in the larva; FIG. 3 - shot made. The larva has moved back until it stops, while the rear part of the shutter moves back by inertia. Now the larva goes down and can move back along with the back of the shutter.
"I want all my own!"
As for Hungary, it was not for nothing that it was said - “his example is a different science”. The fact that this development went to the Vatican greatly inspired the Hungarian military and they ... adopted the "Kiraly submachine gun" under the designation 39M. Like his immediate ancestor or predecessor, he looked very much like a carbine, and with the shop in the forend this similarity increased even more. After all, its length was equal to 105 cm, and the length of the German Mauser carbine 98k - 111 cm, the difference, which is completely irrelevant at a distance. More important was the fact that it used the most powerful for that time pistol Mauzer cartridge 9 × 25 mm.
39M in the hands of a Hungarian soldier.
However, we can not say that Kiraly copied everything from the Swiss sample. No, on the contrary, he made a very important change to the design: he invented a new bolt for his submachine gun ... which was then named after him; "Kiraly shutter".
The main part - the lever!
As well as the SIG MKMS shutter, the shutter, designed by Kiraly, consists of two parts interconnected by means of a complex accelerator lever. It interacts with a special protrusion in the bolt box in such a way that the front part of the bolt moves back faster than the rear. Then the lever comes out of the clutch with the receiver, and both parts of the bolt are moving back already as one piece. But as long as both parts of the bolt interacted in such an ingenious way, the bullet had already left the barrel, and the gas pressure in it dropped to a safe level. So the sleeve from the chamber was removed without fear that it would tear or inflate.
39M shutter device - Kiraly patent. The accelerator lever is No.16.
When all efforts are in vain ...
It would seem that both the long barrel and such a complex bolt should have significantly increased the initial velocity of the bullet, and thereby increased the fighting properties of the 39M. However, it was precisely this that, despite all the tricks, Kiraly did not succeed. It also happened this way, more than once. A person thinks that it will be this and that, but all his efforts are in vain for a number of reasons completely independent of him, which he simply could not foresee. The same happened in this case. Since the shooting of the Kiralee submachine gun took place from an open bolt, the long barrel placed on it did not give him any advantage in shooting accuracy. In addition, the long barrel overheated, there was a curvature and ... the bullets flew in the wrong place. And although the scope had a notch up to 600 meters, it was impossible to hit targets at such a distance.
The initial speed could not be increased either. At the Mauser pistol it was equal to 420 m / s, and at the Kiraly submachine gun 480 m / s. But at the same time, the length of the trunk of the "Mauser" was 140 mm, but the 39M - 500 mm! And the whole thing is part of the powder used cartridge, which burned so quickly that the long barrel did not give much.
Bayonet to the submachine gun 39M.
The rest of the device of this PP was quite traditional for that time. The trigger mechanism allowed both single and automatic fire. The interpreter of the fire at the same time served as a fuse. The store had a double row of cartridges with a double row of their output. This was done to facilitate the equipment store, although the filing of ammunition from the store with a single-row output safer.
In 1944, the 44M version appeared under the standard Parabellum cartridge. At the same time, the barrel on it was shortened to 250 mm, which, however, practically did not affect the usability and its other characteristics.
Submachine gun Jozef Kucher K1.
After the war, Kiraly left for the Dominican Republic, and there, based on 39M, he constructed the Cristobal M2 - the original carbine chambered for the .30 Carbine, which again turned out to be something average between a submachine gun and a machine gun.
Well, in the Hungarian People’s Republic, based on the TT pistol cartridge, designer Jozef Kucher, a former assistant to Kiraly, created his own submachine gun, which was designated K1. It was all the same 44M, only with a rozhkovy magazine because of the taper of the sleeve of our cartridge, and simplified well, just to the limit. In 1953, K1 adopted the Hungarian People’s Army under the designation 53M, but for a long time he could not resist the service.
Well, now about the trend, that is, the direction of development that was set by this, in general, not very successful sample. It turned out, far from immediately, that such well-equipped fighters of various terrorist groups are increasingly involved in fighting against the forces of law and order, and their equipment provides them with good protection against the fire of the same submachine guns with which counterterrorism units are armed. In addition, they often go into battle with drugs and painkillers, so that they, even after being fatally wounded, continue to fight.
Automatic ShA-12.
That is, it took a compact and powerful weapon, capable of bulletproof vests and punching, and ... with one hit immobilize any potential enemy.
Automatic machine-12 with a silencer.
Submachine guns under ... powerful cartridges
In Russia, such a weapon was the 12,7-mm assault rifle, ShA-12, about which the Military Review repeatedly posted materials, for example, 23 August 2012, 29 November 2018 and 12 December 2018. Recall that it was designed by scheme bullpup and with the widespread use of plastic and aluminum alloys. The weight, however, he turned out to be significant - 5,2 kg, well, after all, this is one of the most powerful and deadly weapons. And to some extent, this is by no means a rifle, but a real large-caliber submachine gun, since its firing range is only 100 m. And the customer believes that this is quite enough!
Submachine gun "Heather" chambered for 9 × 21 mm.
So, another direction for the development of submachine guns of the future may well be ... either large-caliber or submachine guns under especially powerful cartridges of standard calibers. Or maybe they will be created and under completely unusual for today ammunition? But ... we will tell you about this next time.
To be continued ...
Information