Index for the Swedish LMG:s - Kulsprutegevar.

LMG:s by Rudolf Kjellman and by Madsen

Page 2

LMG BAR-family in Sweden. Kg m/21 & Kg m/37.

LMG - Kg m/1940 (SAV). (Knorre-Bremse)

The Browning Calibre .30 Automatic Rifle (BAR) was developed by John Moses Browning in 1917 to meet the U.S. demands for an automatic rifle in the Great War.

The U.S. BAR M1918

The Browning’s patent drawing can be seen below.

The BAR was made by Colt, Winchester and Marlin Rockwell during WW1. The original BAR has no bipod. The flash hider is simple tube and the sight is similar to the Enfield rifle M1917.

Some 82 000 BAR M1918 were made in USA before the end of WW1.

The Swedish BAR:s are quite similar to the U.S. BAR M1918 except that it has a separate pistol grip and are all made in the Swedish m/94 6.5 mm calibre. The Swedish modification was developed by the Swedish government arsenal, Carl Gustaf Stads Gun Factory in Eskilstuna, Sweden.

This is the drawing from August 1917 of
J.M.  Browning for his patent concerning the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR).

For a large size of this drawing
1248x1620 (165kb)
CLICK HERE>>>

LMG - Kg m/1921

 After the Great War Sweden bought some BAR m/1918 from Colt manufacturing Co. in USA made to Swedish specifications. The most obvious difference was a removable pistol grip on the Swedish gun.

Later the machinegun was produced under license in Sweden at Carl Gustafs Stads Gun Factory in Eskilstuna and it was called kg m/1921 (Kg = KulspruteGevar literally "Bullet Spraying Rifle").

The Kg/21 produced by Carl Gustafs Stads Gevarsfactory in Eskilstuna.

Between the wars Kg m/21 was a main support weapon for the Swedish army together with the Swedish produced water cooled medium machinegun Ksp m/1914 (Austrian Schwarzlose M07/12, also made by Carl Gustaf Stads Gun factory in Sweden).

Medium  water cooled
Machine Gun (MMG):
Ksp m/1914

(Austrian M07/12 Schwarzlose)

LMG - Kg m/1921

Swedish army instruction manual for
LMG m/1921

Here is a drawing of the Swedish kg m/1921 from Swedish army. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Click on the drawing to make it larger.

The receiver of LMG - Kg m/1921

One of the very last made Kg m/1921 made by Carl Gustafs Gun Factory 1949. Note the acceptance crown on top of the receiver.

The weapon was used by the author in the Swedish army artillery units 1971. It is easy to handle in full automatic due to its weight and slow cyclic rate. The Swedish army trained the soldiers to use it as an automatic rifle and shoot single shots like a rifleman and only to use full auto during attacks.

Light machine gun m/1930 made by Fabrique Nationale (FN BAR)

The top line of the plate in the upper right corner says (Picture from Carl Gustafs Stads Gun Factory Weapon Museum.):

Sweden had bought a small number of the FN BAR M1930 with fixed barrel 1930 from Fabrique Nationale and it was called Kg m/1930 in Sweden.

Light machine gun Kg m/1935 (FN BAR type D)

LMG Kg m/35

The top lines of the plate in the upper right corner says:

Picture from Carl Gustafs Stads Gun Factory Weapon Museum.

The major drawback on kg m/21 (and m/30) was the fixed barrel which burned out fast during full automatic fire. To change the barrel of a kg m/21 needed the help of a skilled gunsmith.

Fabrique Nationale had solved the problem burned out barrels by making a gun with exchangeable barrels. These LMG are known as FN type D.

Sweden bought a small number of these FN BAR type D and they were named Kg m/1935.

Light machine gun Kg m/1937 (BAR)

LMG - Kg m/1937

1935 the Carl Gustaf Gun Factory came with a clever solution to the problem with replaceable barrels. Instead of twisting the barrel, a lock was added to the front part of the frame. The barrel is brought into position without twisting and parts of the lock on the frame twist into groves of the barrel instead. This modification was tried successfully as fm/1935 (Trial Model /1935).

The LMG in the bottom of the rack (under the belt fed LMG) is Kg fm/35.

The barrel of Kg fm/35 had many many cooling flanges.
(Picture from top to bottom Kg m/30, beltfed Kg m/37 and Kg fm/35 and the rear part of Kg m/21.)

Picture from Carl Gustafs Stads Gun Factory Weapon Museum.

 The flanges on the barrel of Kg fm/35 were removed on the accepted model Kg m/37.

With this modification the LMG was accepted 1937 as kg m/37.

LMG - Kg m/1937

The barrel will remain without twisting

The lock in open position

The lock in closed twisted position

 The Kg m/37 became the main support weapon of the Swedish army together with the water cooled MG ksp m/1936.

Still it is a construction which is rather expensive to produce. The machines from kg m/21 were still used.

The gun has a gas regulator under the barrel which is adjusted dependant upon the ammunition used. It works very well with all types of ammunition even blanks. In this case the gun was equipped with a special blank firing device which trapped and crushed the wooden bullets. The cyclic rate for live ammunition can be made as slow as 500 rpm which makes it very easy to shoot with even during full automatic fire. Normally it was used to shoot short bursts or for single fire. Although it fires from an open bolt it is rather easy to hit with - even with single shots.

Each kg m/37 was issued with one barrel, a leather sling and two boxes from leather with equipment and spare parts. Each kg m/37 came with 8 magazines which were kept in pairs in 4 leather pouches.

A blank firing device could be screwed on to the barrel when the flash hider was removed.

Equipment bags for Kg m/37 bag No 1 and No 2 and top to the left a blank firing device

Box No 1 (spare parts and tools) contains:

Box No 2 (spare parts and tools) contains:

Magazines were kept in pairs in leather pouches.

 Belt fed Light Machine gun m/1937.

As stated above the Swedish army was quite satisfied with kg m/37 and tests were made to change it for belt feeding after 2nd WW. Carl Gustaf Stads Gun Factory managed with this. Trial tests were made with the belt feeding of this very reliable gun.

The drawback of the construction was that when you emptied the gun after shooting four loaded cartridges are fell down. If this happens in snow or in thick vegetation the live ammo might be lost and cause harm to children who might find them. Another important drawback of this system is that the last shots in each link will never be fired because there are no more cartridges to lift them.
This was most likely the reason for dropping this modification.

The later accepted FN machinegun ksp m/58 is basically the same construction but without this drawback.

Belt fed Light Machinegun m/1937.
Picture from Carl Gustafs Stads Gun Factory Weapon Museum.

The Swedish BAR -  Kg m/37 was a very reliable and sound construction and was used in Swedish Army until 1980, when it was succeeded by FN light machinegun, Ksp m/58, was fully distributed.

The author used a kg /1937 as a service weapon in the artillery 1971.
Two kg/1937 were issued to each platoon.

The double mounted medium water cooled machine gun Ksp m/36 was used for air-defence.

The Kg m/21 was replaced by Kg m/37 with the homeguard and remained in service until the beginning of 1990:s.