Villar-Perosa OVP submachine gun

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Villar-Perosa M1915 twin-barrel submachine gun on the one-man portable "tray" mount, used by mountain troops. Photo from Austrian army museum, Vienna



Villar-Perosa M1915 twin-barrel submachine gun less mount. One (right) magazine is removed. Photo from Russian museum of Artillery, St.Petersburg



Villar-Perosa M1915 twin-barrel submachine gun in action, on light tripod and with armored shield (in light machine gun role). WW1 era photo.



Villar-Perosa M1915 twin-barrel submachine gun, fitted with wooden stock for off-hand use



Villar-Perosa OVP M1918 submachine gun (automatic carbine). Single-barreled hand-held submachine gun  produced from 1/2 of the original Villar-Perosa M1915 weapon

	Villar-Perosa M1915	Villar-Perosa M1918
Caliber	9x19mm Glisenti	9x19mm Glisenti
Weight, empty	6.5 kg (less mount)	3.6 kg
Length (stock closed/open)	mm	902 mm
Barrel length	279 mm	279 mm
Rate of fire	2 x 1200 - 1500 rounds per minute	900 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity	2 x 25 rounds	25 rounds

The Villar Perosa submachine gun is one of the most unusual weapons that emerged during the WW1. The name of the weapon comes from the name of the company that manufactured these guns, the Officine Villar Perosa (OVP in short). This gun was originally designed in 1914 by famous Italian small arms designer Bethel Abiel Revelli as an aircraft weapon. In this role it found no success, as it was designed to fire low-powered 9mm Glisenti ammunition, which was even weaker than dimensionally similar 9x19 Luger ammunition. In 1915 the Villar-Perosa was converted for ground applications, with introduction of variety of mountings, including light tripods or carrying trays (which were carried on shoulder straps or put on the ground for more stable position and less exposure to enemy fire). Later on, a wooden rifle-type stock was designed for Villar-Perosa, so it could be fired more or less comfortable from the shoulder, thus creating the first practical submachine gun in the world. After the war, some of the original Villar-Perosa weapons (which were actually assemblies of two similar guns) were disassembled into halves, and put into rifle type stocks, with addition of the rifle-type triggers. Such conversions were known as Villar Perosa OVP M1918 (when done by Villar Perosa). A slightly improved version of the same design was also produced by Beretta company, and it was known as Beretta M1918.

The Villar Perosa M1915 weapon was assembled from two guns of exactly same design and appearance, which were held together by the plate at the front of the receiver and by the twin spade grips assembly at the rear. Each gun has its own trigger, operated by a separate thumb button between spade grips. The guns themselves used delayed blowback action, in which the delay of the initial opening of the bolt was achieved by rotation of the bolt through the bolt handle that slid against the inclined part of the cocking handle slot. The bolt rotation, combined with separate firing pin, provided safety measure against premature ignition of the cartridge, as the firing pin was able to go forward and strike the primer only when bolt was in battery and completely rotated. Guns fired from open bolt, in full automatic mode only. Due to the lightweight bolt and powerful springs, the rate of fire was excessively high for the ground applications, being between 1200 and 1500 rounds per one gun (rising up to 3000 rounds per minute when both guns were fired at once). The feed was from detachable box magazines, holding just 25 rounds each, so one magazine was forth just one second of the continuous fire. Magazines were inserted into the each gun vertically from the top, ejection was to the bottom. Sights were located between the guns, with rear sight being built into the spade grip assembly and the front sight into the front plate that held both guns together.

The OVP M1918 submachine gun was made from one gun from the original M1914 twin weapon, with added shoulder stock and a new dual trigger setup, which allowed for single shots (rear trigger) and full automatic fire (front trigger). The cocking of the bolt was achieved by pulling back the knurled sliding sleeve, located around the receiver. Feed arrangement was similar to the original twin weapon, with top-mounted box magazine. The rate of fire was somewhat lower, making this gun somewhat more controllable and more useful in ground combat. A new set of sights was installed, with line of sight necessarily moved to the left to clear the magazine.

TZ-45 submachine gun

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TZ-45 submachine gun

Caliber	9x19mm Luger / Parabellum
Weight	3.2 kg
Length (stock closed/open)	546 / 851 mm
Barrel length	229 mm
Rate of fire	600 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity	10, 20, 32 or 40 rounds

TZ-45 submachine gun was developed in Italy toward the end of WW2, by two brothers, Tony and Zorzoli Giandoso (hence the index TZ). Several thousands of the TZ-45 submachine guns were manufactured for Italian army in 1944-45, and when the war ended and demand for new submachine guns fell, production of this weapon has ceased immediately. During early 1950s the manufacturing license for TZ-45 has been sold to Burma, where it was put into limited production for Burmese armed forces as BA-52.

The TZ-45 submachine gun is a simple blowback operated weapon which fires from open bolt. It uses advanced primer ignition principle, and can fire in single shots of full automatic, thanks to combined safety / fire mode selector, located on the right side of the trigger unit, in front of the trigger guard. Additional automated safety is provided in the form of the lever, located just behind the magazine housing. When gun is at rest, the upper arm of this lever locks the bolt in open or closed position. To be able to cycle the bolt and/or fire the gun, operator must deliberately grip the magazine housing, pressing the lower arm of the safety lever forward, toward the magazine housing body. The barrel of the TZ-45 is enclosed into the slotted jacket, with muzzle compensator at the front. TZ-45 used same box magazines as Beretta 38 submachine guns. The retractable buttstock is made of steel wire. Sights are fixed, set for 100 meters range.

Benelli CB-M2 caseless submachine gun

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Benelli CB-M2 submachine gun, with butt folded. Note the ejection port visible between the trigger guard and magazine housing.

Diagram from British patent (applied for in 1981) for basic bolt and ejection system of Benelli CB-M2 submachine gun.


Firing system of Benelli CB-M2 submachine gun.

Caliber	9mm AUPO "caseless"
Weight	3.4 kg empty
Length (stock closed/open)	450 / 660 mm
Barrel length	200 mm
Rate of fire	800-1000 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity	30 rounds

The Benelli CB-M2 submachine gun was designed by Italian small arms designer Bruno Civolani, who at the time (early 1980s) worked for famous Italian gun-making company Benelli armi. This submachine gun was developed in an attempt to create a weapon that would fire novel "caseless" ammunition. Work on this experimental weapon continued until about 1985, when it was dropped for apparent lack of progress and insufficient benefits, offered by this system over conventional ammunition. in fact, the 9mm AUPO ammunition, as it was known, was not caseless. It has a straight-walled brass case which was formed by extending bullet jacket rearwards. This "case" was permanently attached to the bullet and once fired, left the bore along with it. Case was open from the rear. Powder charge was held in place and protected from elements by hermetic but flammable seal. Ignition charge (priming compound) was located in the internal annular grove around the base of the bullet core (see diagram above).

The Benelli CB-M2 submachine gun utilized more or less standard blowback operation and fired from open bolt, but it also had some peculiar design features. First, to provide necessary obturation (gas seal) at the breech of the barrel, the chamber was bored much deeper than usual, so the bolt head was allowed to enter the rear of the chamber before discharge, blocking the release of the powder gases rearward and into the receiver. Second, as the gun still required some form of extraction and ejection (for example, to clear misfired cartridge), it had an ejection opening at the base of receiver, just behind the magazine port. The bolt head had a patented ejector hook which engaged the inward-facing rim, formed on the cartridge base. Once the ejector retracted the failed cartridge rearwards over the magazine, it can freely fall down and out of the gun through the ejection port. Third, the ignition system featured a special firing pin, which was located above the chamber and moved vertically downward when struck. It reached the wall of the cartridge through the channel, bored in the chamber wall, to hit the priming compound through the cartridge case once the bolt is fully in battery. Gun was equipped with polymer pistol grip and forend, and a top-folding metallic buttstock.

Beretta MAB M938A (1938, 1938/42, 1938/44 and 1938/49) submachine gun

Beretta M938A (Model 1938) submachine gun, left side

 
Beretta M938A (Model 1938) submachine gun, right side


Beretta M1938/42 (Model 1942) submachine gun


Beretta M1938/44 (Model 1944) submachine gun


Beretta M1938/49 (Model 1949 or Model 4) submachine gun


Beretta Model 2 was a folding stock version of Model 1938/49.

	M938A	M1938/42	M1938/49
Caliber	9x19mm Luger / Parabellum
Weight, empty	4,2 kg	3,27 kg	3,25 kg
Length	946 mm	800 mm	798 mm
Barrel length	315 mm	213 mm	210 mm
Rate of fire	600 rounds per minute	550 rounds per minute	550 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity	10, 20 30, 40 rounds	20 or 40 rounds	20 or 40 rounds
Effective range	200-250 meters	150-200 meters	150-200 meters

Beretta Model 1938 submachine gun (Mosccetto Automatic Beretta Modelo 938 in contemporary Italian nomenclature, or MAB M938 in short) was among better submachine guns of World War 2. Originally designed and manufactured to rather high standards of peace time, it served to Italian army through the earlier parts of WW2; later on, the originally complicated and expensive design was gradually simplified so guns were made lighter and significantly cheaper; nevertheless, these weapons still were effective and reliable. In post-war period, a slightly modified version of original weapon, known as Model 1938/49 or Model 4 (in post-1956 Beretta nomenclature) served with Italian army well into 1960s and 1970s. It also was widely exported, with customers of various versions including Syria, Iraq, Indonesia, Morocco, Yemen, and, at last but not at least Germany, which received M1938 submachine guns during WW2, and purchased some M1938/49 (M38/49) submachine guns in 1951 for its Border Guard (designated in post-WW2 German service as MP1). Production of M1938 series continued at least until 1962, and probably even slightly longer. Model 38/49 remained in Italian service for much longer period, probably well into 1980s.

Beretta Model 1938 submachine gun is blowback operated, selective fired weapon which fires from open bolt. Original version employed a small diameter return spring, concealed into steel tube which telescoped into the rear of the bolt. The firing pin was controlled by the lever, which pushed pin forward, toward the primer, only when bolt was going into the battery. The separate firing pin was abandoned since model 1938/42, and reduced diameter return spring and its tube guide were replaced by large diameter return spring without guide in model 1938/44. The trigger arrangements with dual triggers (front for semi-automatic fire and rear for full automatic) were similar for all modifications, although safety arrangements varied. The original MAB M1938 submachine gun had lever type safety which was located on the left side of the receiver; additional cross-bolt type control was located just behind the rear trigger; it was used to lock the rear trigger and thus limit the gun to semi-automatic fire only. Bolt handle was located on the right side of receiver and has a sliding dust cover over its slot.

When gun was cocked, shooter had to retract the handle and then return it forward, closing the slot; when gun was fired, cocking handle remained stationary. Feed was from box magazines, which were inserted from below; ejection was, rather unusually, to the left side, although the ejection port was rather far in front of the shooter's face. Stock was made from wood, with semi-pistol grip; several versions also were developed with folding shoulder stock and a separate pistol grip; there were intended mostly for parachute troops. Beretta Model 1938 submachine guns were fitted with relatively long barrels, enclosed into tubular jackets with cooling slots and large muzzle brake / compensator at the front. Since 1942, the barrels were shortened and barrel jackets omitted from design. Muzzle compensators were made in the form of several ports in the upper part of the muzzle, to reduce muzzle climb during automatic fire. Sights on original M1938 submachine guns included tangent-type rear sight, which was later replaced to simpler and less expensive flip-up type rear sight with two settings. Original M38 submachine guns also were capable of mounting a folding knife-bayonet -a feature, also dropped in later versions.

List of versions, built on basic M1938 submachine gun design, with major modifications over previous versions:
Beretta M1938/42 (M38/42): barrel jacket omitted, barrel is shortened and fluted
Beretta M1938/44 (M38/44): barrel is plain (not fluted); simplified return spring; flip-up rear sight
Beretta M1938/49 (M38/49): lever-type safety is replaced with cross-bolt safety, made in the form of large oval button, located at the middle of the stock. Overall manufacturing quality is improved over war-time production guns
Beretta Model 1: an experimental folding-stock model for paratroopers, produced in 1941; had unjacketed fluted barrel and extended magazine housing, pistol grip and under-folding metallic shoulder stock
Beretta Model 2: folding-stock model for paratroopers, produced in 1951; externally it was similar to Model 1, but it has bolt and safety of M1938/49
Beretta Model 3: a further evolution of Model 2, developed in 1955; had automated firing pin safety and telescoped buttstock made from steel wire
Beretta Model 4: same as M1938/49, but under different designation
Beretta Model 5: similar to Model 4 (M38/49), but manual safety is replaced by automated safety (safety deactivated only as long as the button on the stock is pressed by non-firing hand).

Franchi LF-57 submachine gun

Franchi LF-57 submachine gun, left side




Franchi LF-57 submachine gun, right side

Caliber	9x19mm Luger / Parabellum
Weight	3,17 kg empty
Length (stock closed/open)	419 / 686 mm
Barrel length	200 mm
Rate of fire	500 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity	20 or 40 rounds
Effective range	150-200 meters

The Italian gun-making company Luigi Franchi Spa produced its first submachine gun, designated as LF-56, in 1956. This was a prototype weapon that bore more than a passing similarity to the prototype submachine guns designed couple of years earlier by Beretta in the process of developing the PM 12 submachine guns. Next year, Franchi began production of a slightly improved weapon, designated LF-57. This weapon was adopted by Italian Navy in 1962, but competition from other designs, most notably the Beretta's Model 12 and Heckler und Koch's MP5, limited sales of this basically good weapon, which, nevertheless, remained on the market until late 1980s, mostly because of export sales to certain African countries. In around 1962 Franchi also introduced a semi-automatic version of the LF-57, known as Police Model; this weapon had longer barrel (406mm) and was exported and sold commercially in USA.

Franchi LF-57 submachine gun is blowback operated, full-automatic only weapon which fires from open bolt. The bolt is shaped like an inverted "L", with most of its mass being located above the barrel and in front of the breech face. The receiver, along with pistol grip and magazine housing, is made from two stamped steel halves, left and right. barrel is held at the front of receiver by a screw-on nut. There are no manual safeties on the gun, but an automatic safety is provided in the form of a large button, located below the trigger guard on the front of the pistol grip. The shoulder stock is made from thin steel tubing and folds forward and to the right. Sights are fixed.

Spectre M4

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Caliber: 9x19mm Luger/Para
Weight: 2,9 kg
Lenght (stock closed/open): 350 / 580 mm
Barrel lenght: 130 mm
Rate of fire: 850 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity: 30 or 50 rounds
Effective range: 50 meters


The Spectre SMG was developed by Italian company SITES in the mid-1980s. Spectre was designed primarily for close combat, anti-terror or police operations that require compact size, instant firepower at the short ranges and safety of operations.

Spectre is a recoil operated, automatic firearm. It fires from the closed bolt, an is a hammer-fired. The trigger group is more similar to handguns, than to SMG - it is Double Action without manual safety but with decocker. So, Spectre could be carried with loaded chamber and hammer down and then fired immediately simply by pressing the trigger. The receiver of the Spectre is made from stamped steel. The bolt is so designed that it acts as an air pump to push air through barrel shroud and provide aditional cooling for the barrel and action (very useful when firing long bursts). Spectre has top-folding stock and polymer forward handle. It uses high-capacity, four column magazines for increased firepower.

Beretta PM 12 and PM 12s submachine gun

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Beretta PM 12 (early version, with pushbutton safety); buttsock is folded

Beretta PM 12S with open buttstock

Beretta PM 12S partially disassembled  

Caliber: 9x19mm Luger/Para
Weight: 3.2 kg empty
Length (stock closed/open): 418 / 660 mm
Barrel length: 200 mm
Rate of fire: 550 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity: 20 , 32 or 40 cartridges
Effective range: 150-200 meters

Famous Italian arms-making company Beretta developed and manufactured a variety of submachine guns since the end of WW1. During the early 1950s, recognizing the need for a compact submachine gun, Beretta initiated a series of developments, which commenced with prototype Model 6 submachine gun of 1953. This weapon employed a stamped steel construction, a folding butt and a L-shaped bolt, most of which mass was located above the barrel. The basic layout of the future weapon was developed by 1957 with prototype Model 10 submachine gun, and final Model 12 emerged in 1958. Production of the new submachine gun commenced in 1959, and in 1961 it was officially adopted by Italian government. It was also widely exported, and manufacturing licenses were sold to Brazil and Indonesia. During early 1980s the basic design was improved with the introduction of the Model 12S submachine gun, which had improved safety arrangement and several other minor changes. Model 12S, also known as PM 12S (Pistola Mitralligica, or machine pistol), is still being manufactured in Italy and Indonesia, and is widely used by European and many other police and security forces.

Beretta Model 12 submachine gun is blowback operated, selectively-fired weapon that fires from open bolt. The bolt is of telescoped design, and most of its weight is located in front of the breech face. Tubular receiver is made from steel stampings, with stamped steel trigger and magazine housing below. Original PM 12 / Model 12 submachine guns featured separate manual safety and fire mode selector, both being made in the form of the cross-bolt buttons. Additionally, there was an automated grip safety below the trigger guard. On PM 12S submachine guns, manual safety and fire mode selector were united into one three-position lever, located above the left grip panel. Automated grip safety was retained. The furniture included polymer front grip and a side-folding metallic buttstock. early Model 12 guns also could be fitted with detachable wooden buttstock.