Kg m/39

The barrel of kg m/39, which has many cooling flanges and a flash guard, is easy and fast to change.

The mechanism is a development of the BAR but the knee link system is missing. Instead the bolt is locked by being forced up against the ceiling of the receiver. Kg m/39 fires both semi and full auto. When the magazine is empty the bolt remains at the rear end.

When Sweden bought the Kg m/39 it was issued with the German calibre 7,92x57 mm. After the war the kg m/39 was rebarrelled for the Swedish 6,5x55 mm.

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Swedish Army instruction manual for the Infantry 1943

The Bren .303 LMG is a further development on the same theme.

The names of the Guns of the wall on the next pictures.

fm/1935  stands for test model

I have never handled kg m/37 belt fed. However I have shot a lot with kg m/21 and kg m/37 (with magazines). These BAR:s are very reliable even in cold weather and snow. I just let more gas reach the piston and keep them clean.

The interchangeable barrel system on kg m/37 is very clever and shows really good engineering.

There is not too much known about the belt feeding mechanism. According to Axel Ekfeldt and the other people at Carl Gustaf Gun factory and Vapenmuseet, it was a very good and sound construction. According to them the system was very close to be accepted as a belt fed LMG. The reason for failure was that every time you want to empty the machinegun four live cartridges would fall out of the gun and disappear into the snow or the high grass.

The label on the wall with the Swedish LMG says:

m/1935 stands for accepted military model

fm/1940  stands for test model

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1940 a LMG was accepted called system SAV (Svenska Automat Vapen = Swedish Automatic Weapons). The construction was German according to the famous writer and authority Josef Alm at the Swedish Army museum who was working there during and after the war. The name of this German was Lauf. The construction was further developed by a Swedish consortium. (Small arms of the army now and before by Josef Alm printed 1953 / see pages 312 and 313). The mechanism works like the Swedish kg m/39 (Brno LMG ZB26). When the bolt locks its rear end is pressed down to lock against the locking edge in the bottom of the receiver.

Kg m/40 was produced by Svenska Automatvapen AB (SAV), though all parts were manufactured by various contractors in the Stockholm area. SAV was only responsible for the assemblage of the guns.

m/40 fires only full auto. It is possible to shoot single shoots likewise with the submachine gun m/45 by very fast releasing your finger from the trigger.

The handle and the bipod are fixed to the gas-cylinder!

The m/40 used a similar, 20-round magazines as the kg m/21 and the kg m/37 (BAR), inserted from the left hand side.

The m/40 mag has a reinforcement across which is different from the m/37 but they are interchangeable. (See picture – if you want a better I think I can arrange it.

The m/40 soon became quite unpopular among the troops and it was quickly transfered to the Home Guard who didn't like it either and shortly after the war it was replaced by the twenty years older m/21.

A similar gun was made in Germany by the brake manufacturer Knorr-Bremse and used by the Waffen SS in limited numbers as the MG 35/36.

I also show you picture from Swedish infantry manual from 1943. On page 129 you can see the piston and at the bottom the bolt. According to the same manual the same magazine is used like with m/37.

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Kg m/40

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According to both Josef Alm and the Army instruction manual (1943) kg m/40 used the SAME MAGAZINE!

Ref.: ARMÉNS ELDHANDVAPEN FÖRR OCH NU (Small arms of the army now and before)
by Josef Alm at the Royal Army Museum, printed 1953

Some claim that there are special magazines made for Kg m/40 and this to the left should be one of them.

See above! According to both Josef Alm
and the Army instruction manual (1943)
kg m/40 used the SAME MAGAZINE!