L-35: Finnish Luger
Finnish soldiers train in shooting with an L-35 pistol
So send me a man
who knows how to make items of gold,
and of silver, and of copper, and of iron.
2nd Chronicles (Chronicle) 2: 7
who knows how to make items of gold,
and of silver, and of copper, and of iron.
2nd Chronicles (Chronicle) 2: 7
History firearms weapons. It has always been and will be that someone, having something done in front of their eyes, as well as skillful hands and head on their shoulders, wants to do the same, but better! Here is the pistol designed by Aimo Lahti L-35, too, from among similar developments.
A very interesting model, but the biography of this designer is no less entertaining. He was born in 1896, in the village of Viyala (today the city of Akaa), and he was the eldest of five sons. After the 6th grade, he left school and began to work at a glass factory. And then he earned five marks and with them he bought not boots, not an accordion, but Berdan's rifle - apparently, it was the “call of the heart”.
After serving in the army in 1918-1919, he married and began working in railway workshops. But the craving for arms overcame, and Lahti again went to the army as a gunsmith.
Aimo Lahti
At first, he was engaged in the repair and maintenance of army weapons and, as they say, "got his hand on this."
And in 1922, having carefully studied the German MP-18 submachine gun, Lahti tried to make his own - a simpler and cheaper model of this promising weapon. Over the next eight years, the experienced Lahti Model 1922, Lahti Model 1924, Lahti Model 1926 were developed. And only in 1931, the well-known Suomi-konepistooli M / 31 was finally created.
An experimental batch of 200 units was made, which the military shot, and they liked it.
Lahti's talent was so obvious that the army ordered him other types of weapons and ... He completed the task: in collaboration with Captain Saloranta, he designed and launched into production the M-26 light machine gun and the M-27 rifle (based on the Mosin rifle).
L-35. Left view. Photo Alain Daubresse www.littlegun.be
In 1932, the Finnish Ministry of Defense, fearing that he would leave to pursue a career in the United States, entered into an unprecedented agreement with him, according to which he received a percentage of each pistol, machine gun or rifle supplied abroad or manufactured under license. And since his weapons were made in Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and the Finns themselves supplied him even to China, he quickly became a millionaire. But ... he continued to do what he loved!
L-35. Disassembly. Photo Alain Daubresse www.littlegun.be
His collection now lacked only a pistol, and he decided to create one. Moreover, as before, on the basis of something already available. But ... the quality is better, and the price is cheaper. The assignment to him was not given. It was purely his personal initiative. He began working on the pistol in the fall of 1929.
L-35. Right view. Photo Alain Daubresse www.littlegun.be
The requirements for a pistol in those years in the Finnish army were simple: reliable operation in northern conditions; simplicity of design; the ability to pierce a German steel helmet from a distance of 50 meters.
Outwardly, the new pistol turned out to be very similar to a Parabellum: an open barrel, a large tilt of the handle, but these were completely different samples in terms of the device.
The first sample L-29 was created for two types of cartridges: cartridges 9-mm and 7,65-mm "parabellum". However, the 9-mm caliber turned out to be preferable in terms of its fighting qualities - the stopping and penetrating action of the bullet, and since it was decided to use it in submachine guns. The L-29 survived 6 rounds without breaking, which was an excellent result.
Lahti filed a patent application for an automatic pistol on February 16, 1934.
L-35. View in a holster. Photo Alain Daubresse www.littlegun.be
Nevertheless, only the L-29/35 sample, that is, 1935 of the year, went into production - that's how long it took to eliminate minor flaws and partial improvements. In addition, the shooters complained that the pistol was larger and heavier than the Parabellum.
Finnish soldier with a pistol holster for the L-35
The first army order for 2 pistols was received on January 500, 28. Then, in March 1936, another 1938 L-7 pistols were ordered, and then the army was to receive 642 pistols every three months.
The L-35 was compared with the foreign Colt 1911A1, the Browning High Power and the Swedish Huskvarna m / 07, and as a result, the pistol Aimo Lahti was chosen.
Holster for L-35. Back view. Photo Alain Daubresse www.littlegun.be
The gun was well protected from contamination, safe to handle and reliable at very low temperatures. True, it was difficult to completely disassemble it for cleaning or repair in the field without resorting to the help of a qualified gunsmith or a factory, however, it practically did not have to be repaired, since the pistol was made of very high quality, from the best stainless steel.
The tilt of the grip and the appearance of the barrel make this pistol compare to the P.08 Parabellum. But the similarity in appearance ends.
The mechanism approaches the device of the Bergman-Bayard pistol and uses a rectangular barrel head, which, before firing, forms a single whole with the bolt and is fixed with a U-shaped wedge located in the rear of the receiver and moving in a vertical plane.
The novelty was the use of an accelerator, which was usually used in machine guns and which facilitated the operation of automation in frosty weather. The bolt retract accelerator reduces the shock load on the pistol frame and gives the bolt an additional boost when working in extreme conditions. But in normal climatic conditions and when firing more powerful cartridges for submachine guns, such a recoil accelerator sharply increases the load on the recoil spring support. Therefore, for example, in Norway and Denmark, this part was removed from a pistol.
From 1935 to 1944, 9 copies were made: 000 for civilians, 1 for the military and 000 for Sweden. In total, 6 pistols were manufactured.
In 1958, another 1 pistols were produced in accordance with an army contract. They have a longer barrel, like the Swedish m / 250 pistol.
During World War II, the Lahti pistol, designated m / 40, was in service with the Swedish army. It had a longer barrel and an oversized trigger guard to make it easier to shoot with gloves. The m / 40 model was produced at the Husqvarna factories from 1940 to 1946. In total, about 120 m / 000 pistols were produced, which were used in the Swedish army until the mid-40s, and were also exported to Norway and Denmark.
Of the export deliveries, another 600 pistols should be noted, which were sold to Israel in 1951-1955. and which are most actively used by the Israel Defense Forces in local conflicts.
Swedish m / 40. Left view. Photo Alain Daubresse www.littlegun.be
Interestingly, all 900 of the first Swedish m / 40s were returned to the factory after they entered the troops, where the cartridge pointer in the chamber was removed from them (its hole was welded), and a knurling was applied on the upper plane of the receiver, eliminating glare that interfered with aiming.
Swedish m / 40. Right view. Photo Alain Daubresse www.littlegun.be
Among the disadvantages of the Lahti pistol (also inherent in the m / 40) is the ability to assemble the pistol without a locking wedge and shoot, which turns it into a pistol with a free breechblock and a weak return spring. In this case, the bolt in the receiver is held only by the support of the return spring.
Aimo Lahti himself, alas, did not foresee the possibility of incorrect assembly of his pistol by an inattentive shooter, which could cause serious injury.
The famous VKT emblem on the grip cheeks is the manufacturer's mark. Photo Alain Daubresse www.littlegun.be
During the Soviet-Finnish "Winter War" 1939-1940. Lahti pistol has shown itself in the best possible way.
It was noted that shooting from the L-35 is simply pleasant. Recoil due to its large mass during shots was practically not felt. The barrel toss up was also very small. Therefore, many say that shooting from it feels similar to shooting from a small-bore pistol, and this is with a 9mm caliber! Accuracy during high-speed shooting was recorded as very high.
Technical specifications
Caliber: 9-mm "parabellum"
Overall length: 240 mm
Barrel length: 120 mm
Height: 146 mm
Width: 34 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Empty weight: 1250 g
Magazine capacity: 8 ammo.
It was also installed on the top of the receiver. Alain Daubresse www.littlegun.be
As for Aimo Lahti himself, having started working as a 13-year-old boy at a glass factory, he rose to the rank of major general, and he managed with his own talent.
True, he sometimes drank hard, but ... he did his job well, so in the end he became the chief designer of small arms for the Finnish army.
After 1944 he was retired, was now engaged in civil invention in his own workshop and died in 1970.
Information