Kg m/21, m/37

Kg m/1921 light machine gun

 

Kg m/1937 light machine gun

 


Kg m/1937 light machine gun

 

 

 

Data for M/1921 lmg

Caliber

6.5×55

Weight, kg

8.9 (9.5 for m/37) with bipod

Overall length, mm

1,110

Barrel length, mm

670

Cyclic rate of fire, rounds per minute

500

Feed and capacity

Box magazines, 20 rounds

 

 

In around 1920 Swedish army ordered about 700 Browning BAR M1918 machine rifles from the Colt Company in the USA. These weapons were made to Swedish requirements and included several improvements over the original BAR; the most important changes were the smaller caliber (Swedish 6.5×55 m/94 instead of US 7.62×63 M1906) and the addition of a pistol grip and a light bipod. Later on, Sweden bought a manufacturing license for the BAR and began production of the weapon at the Carl Gustaf factory in 1923. The modified BAR machine rifle / light machine gun was officially adopted as KulspruteGevar m/1921 (Kg m/21 in short; KulspruteGevar stands for “machine rifle” in Swedish). The m/21 was an excellent weapon; very well made, it was extremely durable, reliable and controllable in full automatic fire.

It must be noted that the Kg m/21 could not be considered as a true light machine gun, because its relatively light barrel prohibited sustained fire. This observation, along with experience gained with the Belgian-made Kg m/35 (6,5mm FN model D bought from Belgium), resulted in the development of a domestic version of the BAR with a quick-change barrel. This development commenced in 1935, and two years later resulted in adoption of the “improved Swedish BAR” – the KulspruteGevar m/1937. The Kg m/37 retained most of the features of the m/21, but with an added barrel lock at the front of the receiver, which permitted rapid barrel changes. Production of the Kg m/37 commenced the same year, but what is interesting is that the earlier model, the m/21, also remained in production, and both weapons were produced at the same factory until 1949. More modern m/37 machine guns were normally issued to Regular Army units, while less advanced m/21 weapons were usually issued to Home Guard. Many of these guns remained in active service with Swedish military until mid-1960s.

 

The m/1921 light machine gun is very similar to the American-made Browning M1918 automatic rifle, which is described in a dedicated article. There are few differences from the original design. First, the m/1921 was fitted with a separate pistol grip. Second, a lightweight folding bipod was attached to the gas cylinder. Third, the magazine was changed from a rectangular box to a curved box, to better accept Swedish m/94 ammunition.

Modifications:

Kg m/1937: modified version of m/1921, with quick-detachable barrel. The barrel lock was attached to the front of the receiver and included a rotating lock ring with interrupted threads. Matching interrupted threads were made on the rear end of the barrel, so once the lock ring was rotated (by a special handle) to unlock the barrel, the operator just had to pull the barrel forward and out of the gun. Other changes included the omission of the handguard, and the addition of a folding carrying handle, which was attached to the barrel. The shape of the wooden buttstock was slightly changed.