Published on
July 1, 2010 in
German.
The Bergmann 9 mm machine pistol, M.P. 341, is a semi- or full-automatic, air-cooled, blow-back-operated submachine gun which is fed by a box magazine containing 32 rounds. It is manufactured commercially in Germany for use by the German Army. It is also used by other countries in modified forms. This is only one of several types of submachine guns.
The barrel and moving parts are, except for the trigger mechanism, housed in a long cylindrical tube. The forward end of this tube is perforated and forms a cooling jacket for the barrel; the rear portion serves as a receiver or housing for the bolt group. The M.P. 341, unlike the M.P. 181, is cocked by a turning bolt handle, and has a positive safety mechanism.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Caliber |
|
9 mm (actually .347 in.) |
| Length |
|
33 ins. |
| Length of barrel |
|
7 3/4 ins. |
| Weight |
|
9 lb. |
| Feed |
|
Box magazine—capacity 32 rds. |
| Rate of fire |
|
500 rds./min. (maximum) |
| |
|
120 rds./min. (practical) |
| Range |
|
218 yds. (effective) |
| Sights |
|
Front—blade |
| |
|
Rear—Leaf on ramp, graduated up to 1,000 meters |
German: p. 204
Published on
March 13, 2010 in
German.
The 9 mm German Submachine Gun, M.P. 181, Germany’s original submachine gun introduced toward the end of the first World War, is still in use today. Several other models, modifications of this weapon, are, however, more widely used at the present time.
The gun is operated, like all the later types, by blowback action and carries on the left side a 32-round drum magazine of rather complicated design, consisting of a short straight portion terminating in a small drum. For loading, a lever in the bottom of the magazine is turned until a catch drops into a recess in the bottom plate, thereby taking the tension off the coil spring. The cartridges are then inserted into the mouth of the magazine. After it is fully loaded, the catch is released and pressure applied to the cartridges by the coil spring. A safety recess marked “S” is formed at the rear end of the cocking handle slot. To prepare for firing, the cocking handle is pulled back and rotated upward, the magazine is inserted, and the cocking handle is disengaged. There is no provision for single shots, the weapon being automatic.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Caliber |
|
9 mm (actually .347 in.) |
| Weight |
|
9 lb., 2 oz. without magazine |
| Length |
|
32 ins. |
| Rate of fire |
|
550 rds./min.—cyclic |
| Ammunition |
|
9 mm Parabellum |
| Effective range |
|
218 yds. |
German: p. 204
