By During the late 19^th century, the main armament of most country’s militaries at the time was a single shot rifle, often in inferior calibers from a ballistic perspective. Sweden, during this time, went from a simple-but-sturdy single-shot rolling block rifle in a weak caliber to one of the best repeating rifles of the 20th century in a caliber that, to this day, still has the upper hand on many modern calibers.

The history of the Swedish Mauser began in 1866 when a joint commission was formed between Sweden and Norway to review existing rifle designs with the specific goal of finding a future army rifle for the two countries. The king of Sweden was also the king of Norway, so a joint effort was natural.

Several repeating rifles such as the Henry rifle and the Spencer rifle were considered, but the weapon that was finally recommended by the commission in 1867 was Remington’s rolling block. The armed forces adopted this rifle as the m/1867 in the same year and ordered 10,000 copies from Remington. The weapon was a solid construction in 12.17x42R caliber with a barrel length of 37.2 inches (94.8 cm) and a total length of 53.8 inches (136.6 cm) and a weight of 2.2 pounds (4.3 kg). The weapon, including some carbine variants, were initially ordered from Remington, but in the latter part of the 19th century both carbines and rifles were manufactured on the rifle factor in Eskilstuna and in Husqvarna.

However, 12.17x42R caliber was not optimal with less than good ballistic properties with a velocity of 1266 fps (386 m/s) for a 370-grain (24-gram) projectile. In 1889, 100,000 of the Rolling Block weapons were refitted with new barrels to use the new Danish 8×58R Danish Krag cartridge and the rifle was renamed the m/1867–89.

ENTRY OF THE REPEATING RIFLES

In the late 1800s, repeating rifles were developed, and most weapon designers worked with different solutions. The Norwegian Jacob Smith Jarmann designed a single-shot shotgun that was manufactured as a test model at the rifle factory in Eskilstuna and further developed by the weapon designer Ole Hermann Johannes Krag with a tube magazine in the 10.15×61 caliber.

This weapon was advocated in competition with other rifles by a new commission between Norway and Sweden, and the weapon was adopted in Norway in 1881. Further tests were carried out in Sweden and the weapon was adopted in 1883 as a test model fm/1883. In total, 1,500 of these Jarmann rifles were manufactured in Eskilstuna and were tested by the armed forces. But even though they worked well, the trial model was never adopted and the weapons were sold off to civil hunters and sport shooters in Sweden.

However, Sweden did not rest in its quest for a new, well-functioning repeating rifle and took an interest in Paul Mauser’s designs and the rifles that were manufactured for, among others, Spain and Belgium. In April 1892, Sweden tested model 92 and 88 Mauser rifles and in September 1892, three Swedish officers, including Captain Carl Hyltén-Cavallius, head of Carl Gustaf’s rifle factory in Eskilstuna, travelled to the Mauser factory in Oberndorf to get acquainted with and test the latest weapons from Mauser.

THE 6.5×55 mm CARTRIDGE

The discussion in Sweden and Norway for a new caliber was ongoing and the goal was to find a caliber with the best ballistic properties. In November 1893, a Swedish-Norwegian commission stated that the caliber would be 6.5 mm and the bullet should have a weight of 10.1 grams or 156 grain. The Norwegians wanted a rimmed case, but Sweden objected, desiring a regular case. In the end, the Swedes won, and the final case became 55 mm in length, non-rimmed with a 156-grain bullet with an initial speed of about 2297 fps (700 m/s). King Oscar II approved the cartridge on January 18, 1894, and it was named the m/94 cartridge.

The bullet in the m/94 cartridge was initially a round nose but this was not optimal from a ballistic pointy of view. So in 1925, Norway developed the cartridge further and replaced the round nose ball with a pointed ball (spitzer) with boat tail called “torpedo”. The new bullet had better accuracy than the old round nosed bullet, weighed 139 grains with an initial velocity of 2625 fps (800 m/s). Sweden adopted this cartridge in 1941, retaining the name m/94 but redesignating the bullet name to m/41. Special batches of this cartridge that were found to have a very good precision were selected and got the additional designation “prickskytte” (that is not meant to be offensive, it means “bullseye shooting” in Swedish.) There was also an armor-piercing cartridge, tracers, a blank cartridge with a wooden tip, and a smaller bullet in a regular case with reduced velocity that was meant for indoor practice called “kammar”.

SWEDISH TRIALS AND DECISION

The debate was still ongoing about the rifle and the Norwegians preferred the Krag-Jorgensen. Politics came into play and the Norwegian commission had persuaded King Oscar II to use Krag-Jorgensen’s rifle in Norway. In August 1893, three rifles competed for the contracts, the Mauser rifle, the Krag-Jorgensen, and the Austrian Mannlicher rifle. During the latter part of 1893 and at the beginning of 1894, the main troop trials were carried out primarily at the shooting school in Rosersberg north of Stockholm and at the local Stockholm regiment called Livgardet.

Advantages and disadvantages of each of the three rifles were noted during the tests and compiled. Krag-Jörgensen’s advantages were that the mechanism was very good, and it handled bad primers very well. The magazine was separate from the mechanism and cartridges could be inserted one at a time without the need to open the mechanism. The magazine could also be emptied without feeding the cartridges through the mechanism. The drawbacks for Krag-Jörgensen were that the design was old and no longer used by any other country. The feeding of cartridges from the magazine was unreliable and unless the repeating handle was firmly at the end of its travel during reloading of a cartridge, the rifle would not fire.

The Mannlicher’s advantage was a good mechanism which was easy to manufacture. The drawbacks were mainly linked to the magazine which, when filled with cartridges, is completely inserted into the mechanism. Cartridges cannot be loaded one at a time and half-filled magazines worked poorly and if the mag had the slightest dent, would not work. The bolt head of the Mannlicher was a small part, easy to lose and if the weapon was fired without it installed, it might result in an out of battery detonation of the cartridge, potentially damaging the shooter.   

The shining star of this trial was the Mauser rifle. The mechanism was very smooth and very resistant to corrosion. The risk of firing the weapon out of battery is non-existent, which could be an issue with the other two rifles. The magazine and stripper clip were robust and easy to manufacture and maintain, and the magazine could easily be topped up by single cartridges without the stripper clip. The magazine is completely inside the weapon and does not protrude in any way, and after the last round, the mechanism is locked open on the magazine follower, so there is little risk that the soldier thinks he is reloading another round but ends up with a “click” as the magazine is empty.

The only real disadvantages of the Mauser that was identified was that the action had to be pulled all the way to the rear of its travel for the shooter to be able to refill the magazine and the cartridges can’t be removed from the magazine without feeding them through the chamber and extracted by working the action. This is not entirely true as you are able to, with a bit of finger dexterity, get the cartridges out by hand from a Mauser m/96 without the need to feed them through the chamber.
 
The advantages listed for the Mauser rifle far exceeded its disadvantages and it was considered better than the Krag-Jorgensen and the Mannlicher. It was therefore chosen as the new standard rifle for the Swedish military. However, the Swedes came very close to choosing the Krag rifle, which was chosen for the Norwegians, and had the favor of the king. It is rumored, even if the author cannot verify this, that the king acted on the advice from several officers who at the time had shares in the Krag company. The first rifle to be adopted was the carbine, intended for the cavalry on August 7^th 1894 and it was called 6.5mm Carbine m/94.

To facilitate the manufacture of Swedish rifles in Oberndorf, Germany at the Mauser factory, Paul Mauser constructed a new part of the factory called “Schwedenbau.” This building stands to this day and it’s here that the Mauser Museum is located.

MANUFACTURE OF THE m/94 CARBINE AND THE m/96 RIFLE

On March 3, 1895, Captain Carl Hyltén-Cavalius went down again to Oberndorf and on July 24, 1895, there were a total of 11 Swedish officers and gun manufacturers who supervised the production of the Swedish carbines on “Schwedenbau.” When the first carbines were manufactured, they were tested and measured in detail, and the carbine with serial number 06 was chosen to be “working model” after which all other carbines were manufactured. 7,000 carbines were ordered in the first batch and then another 5,000. Manufacturing of the first carbines began in September 1895 and by February 1896 all 12,000 had been manufactured and delivered. In December 1895, the Swedish officers returned to Sweden with all the notes and measurements they needed to move the production of carbines to Sweden. Machines were ordered in April 1896 and from 1898 to 1913 about 113,000 carbines were produced on the rifle factory in Eskilstuna.

Several different variants were made of the m/1894 carbine, including one named the m/94-96 carbine for fortification troops with sling attachments on the underside of the weapon instead of on the side. Several lighter training rifles for indoor shooting with reduced charges were also produced. An odd carbine was the one that was made in small quantities for the Swedish Navy called the m/1894-14-87 which had a bracket on the side for mounting the very long saber bayonet m/1887. Most m/94 carbines were made in 1914 to be able to take the m/94 bayonet and were then called m/94-14. This model is still present and used by the Swedish high guard for ceremonial purposes.

Carbine number 06 is today held in the Eskilstuna arms museum collection, where the author gained access to it. This copy is really a piece of Swedish weapon history! The rifle is marked with “6” and the side of the box is engraved with “WAFFENFBK MAUSER OBERNDORF A/N” and there is no control stamp from any weapons inspector.

In addition to the carbine, Sweden needed a longer army rifle, and Mauser was to deliver on this as well. The experimental model m/92 developed into the trial model fm/1895 which was adopted as the 6.5mm rifle m/96 on March 20, 1896. Serial production of this weapon started at the rifle factory in Eskilstuna in 1898 with production of about 3,200 rifles. In total, 532,000 rifles were manufactured in Sweden between 1898 and 1925, of which approximately 18,000 were made in another factory in the city of Husqvarna. The Mauser factory in Oberndorf also produced about 38,600 m/96 rifles between 1899 and 1900 due to delays in delivery of manufacturing equipment to Sweden.

ENGRAVINGS AND OTHER INSIGNIAS ON THE WEAPONS

The engraving and stampings on these weapons provide informative details such as the manufacturing site and year. Using the serial number, you can find even more information about manufacturing time using the right literature. Stamps are also available from the weapons inspector who inspected the weapon. The m/96 rifle that the author has been shooting was made in Eskilstuna in 1918 and was stamped “HK” next to the serial number. This stands for Helge Kolthoff, who was a lieutenant at an artillery regiment and was an inspection officer at the rifle factory between 1912 and 1923. On the weapon’s metal parts, for example on the bolt, there is also a stamped crown, which indicates that this weapon is inspected and test fired. On the underside of the weapon, just behind the trigger guard, there are two crowns and one crown with a “S” under. These are inspection stamps noting the weapon has been serviced by an official army gunsmith. “S” means it has been with Stockholm’s “Tygstation”, which is Swedish for an armory.

A very interesting aspect of many weapons is the small brass counter that was attached to the buttstock of most m/94 carbines and m/96 rifles up until the Second World War. These disks, attached with two small screws, provide information on which unit and regiment used a particular weapon. For example, if it says, “I 3”, it indicates that the weapon has been field with infantry regiment number 3. The letter indicates the branch within the force where, for example, K = cavalry, A = artillery, T = supply troops, and L stands for “Landstormen”, which was the home guard or territorial defense of this time. Furthermore, there can be a number above “I 3”, for example 5, to indicate the company of the regiment in question. Finally, you can also see for instance “No 2136”, which indicates the number of the weapon, i.e., rifle number 2136, of the company, 3 of the infantry branch.  

The Navy had its own disks where the letter “M” means the Navy and “MDN” means the North Coast Marine District. Some funny letter combinations on rifles could indicate “VO” which stands for “velociped ordonnans”, which means bicycle orderly or “BF” which was of the military police in the town of Boden and “KKS” which was the Royal Military school. More recently, the disks were put upside down on the stock and provided information to the soldier on how much he would adjust the point of aim with different cartridges and at different distances. The reason why they are upside down is that it would be easy for the shooter to be able to quickly tilt the rifle and read how much he should adjust. There is a plethora of information to be had about these disks and there is a lot of material to read. The interesting thing is that together with all the stamps and engravings on the weapon, you may be able to tell the entire military history of a certain rifle.

OWNING AND HANDLING A MAUSER RIFLE OR CARBINE

The Mausers are a piece of living Swedish military history and the possibility of owning one of these venerable rifles or carbines is very real. The author’s rifle is a Mauser m/96 rifle, manufactured by the factory in Eskilstuna in 1918, so the rifle is reaching an age of 105 years, but the rifle’s accuracy is still solid, and the action is still very good. The rifle was won by a relative of the author in a shooting competition in 1955. An even older one is a carbine m/94 with serial number 147 from Mauser’s manufacturing year 1895, a 123-year-old rifle that has been handled and controlled by the very Captain Hyltén-Cavalius himself. The stock on the carbine had however seen better days and the owner of it replaced it with a newly made one.

These rifles are a dream to handle and shoot. The actions are still as smooth as ever and the accuracy with proper 6.5x55mm ammunition is still very good. With good concentration and support, there is no problem to keep a group of 5 rounds inside 4 inches (10 cm) with the open sights at 109 yards (100 m). The stripper clip is placed in the holder on the rifle, the cartridges are pushed down, and as you close the action, the clip is sent flying. With good practice, you can reload and fire this rifle quite fast, and the obvious advantage to the one-shot rolling block rifle is evident. If it comes down to a close standoff between soldiers, the bayonets of these rifles are sturdy, and the long w/1994 bayonet of the carbine is more of a sword. The trigger of these rifles is crisp, but heavy.

The sights are graded out to 1,000 meters and the accuracy has been tested by Henry and Josh of the well-known 9-holereview YouTube channel. They took the rifle to 600 yards and managed to acquire two hits each on a total of eight steel targets at 100-yard increments with a record-breaking total of 19 rounds, thus beating the Finnish m/39 Mosin-Nagant by two rounds. They pushed it to 1,000 yards using only iron sights and managed a hit after 4 rounds, thus proving the very good accuracy of the rifle and cartridge combination.

MAUSERS IN THE FINNISH WINTER WAR OF 1939

An interesting story about the Swedish Mausers is their involvement in the Finnish Winter War. In 1939, the Swedish voluntary corps was formed, which consisted of Swedish soldiers and officers who fought on Finland’s side against the Soviets during World War II. The weapons they used were, for the most part, self-bought Swedish m/96 rifles and some m/94 carbines. At the same time, the Finnish government bought a large amount of m/96 rifles and ammunition from Sweden for their own soldiers. Altogether there were over 50,000 Swedish Mauser rifles in the Finnish Army around 1944, including about 900 m/94 carbines, all of which probably came from the Swedish volunteer corps. A Swedish “Finnish gun” can easily be recognized by the fact that it is stamped “SA” on the box, which stands for “Suomen Armeija” which means “Finnish Army”.

CONCLUSION

The Swedish Mausers, in all their forms, were, for a long time, the main weapon of the Swedish armed forces for the individual soldier. In 1942, the AG m/42 semi-automatic rifle was adopted and in 1964 the AK4 or HK G3 in 7.62×51 was adopted by the Swedish Armed Forces and the Mauser was phased out. Mausers remained with the home guard and were used in the voluntary shooting community for a long time for target shooting out to 300 m and remains to this day, a somewhat popular hunting rifle.

Since World War I, flamethrowers have had a permanent place in the armament of many armies. In the far north, however, there was no need for them – until the Russian invasion in November 1939, when the Winter War broke out.

In autumn 1939, the Soviet Union had demanded that Finland cede a large part of the Karelian Isthmus and other territories. After Finland refused the demands, the Red Army attacked the neighboring country on November 30, 1939. Although vastly superior in numbers and material, the Russians made only slow progress against the stubbornly fighting Finns, which avoided open field battles and used the rough terrain for guerrilla methods to inflict heavy losses on the enemy from ambush.

Flamethrowers would have been a helpful weapon for the battles in the dense forests and against the fortifications that were mostly built from wood. But the Finns did not have any. Since it had to be done quickly, they searched the international market and found what they were looking for in Italy. There, the military used the portable Lanciafiamme Spalleggiabile Modello 35 and the Italians agreed to sell 176 of them to Finland. However, the units arrived in Finland too late to be used. Despite all the fighting spirit, they could not permanently withstand the Red Army and the war ended in mid-March 1940. By then, only 28 flamethrowers had been delivered; the rest were still on their way by ship.

The Finnish Liekinheitin M/40 Solution

After the ignominious peace with their dangerous neighbor to the east, the Finns wanted to remain on guard. The Finnish army introduced the Italian flamethrower as the Liekinheitin M/40 to its engineer battalions. It consisted of two tanks, each divided horizontally. The upper chamber contained the propellant (nitrogen) and the lower one, the incendiary agent; 6 liters (1.58 gallons) of fuel oil, each. When filled, the flamethrower weighed just under 23 kilograms (50.7 pounds).

The ignition at the front of the lance was electric, either via an 18-volt dry battery or a high-voltage inductor. One charge could deliver 20 to 30 bursts of fire lasting one second. However, only at a range of about 10 to 15 meters (30 to 50 feet). If the maximum range of 20 meters (65 feet) was used, the number of possible bursts dropped rapidly.

The Finnish pioneers practiced intensively to get to know the device and to develop suitable tactics for its use. Very quickly, it became clear that the tanks should be filled shortly before use. The system was never completely leak-proof at 20 atmospheres, and the longer the waiting time, the shorter the duration and range of the operation. The electric ignition also caused considerable difficulties in humid conditions. Due to the weight and location of the valves, the operation of the M/40 flamethrower always required a second man.

Despite some shortcomings, the flamethrower proved to be a useful support weapon. And the practice soon paid off, because on June 25, 1941, the so-called Continuation War against the Soviet Union began. Finland strove to regain its lost territories.

Russian ROKS-2

It was during this renewed campaign that the Finns first encountered Russian flamethrower units. Their ROKS-2 model was first mentioned as booty in a military brochure from September 1941. Subsequently, more and more devices could be captured, so that the Finns introduced the flamethrower as the Liekinheitin M/41-R. Even spare parts were produced, and major repairs were carried out at Arms Depot 1 (Asevarikko 1) in Helsinki. In action against its former owners, the Russian model was much more popular and reliable than the Italian one.

In terms of appearance, the ROKS-2 does not correspond to a typical flamethrower. The Soviets had tried to disguise it as a rifle. The lance was embedded in the converted wooden stock of a Mosin-Nagant rifle, using the original rifle sling and with ignition by pulling the trigger. The two incendiary tanks on the back stretcher were covered with sheet metal to simulate a backpack. The bottle with the propellant hung crosswise under the box.

Whether this camouflage was really useful in practice is doubtful. The enemy soon got to know the device and the bulky sheet metal covering of the nozzle and the thick hose to the backpack could hardly be overlooked. And for the Finns it brought no advantage anyway, since the Russians knew their former possession very well. Towards the end of the war, the Finns also captured a few copies of the simplified ROKS-3, on which the tanks were no longer covered.

When filled, the ROKS-2 weighed about 23 kilograms (50 pounds), and also required two men to operate. The Soviets used special ignition cartridges made from standard 7.62x25mm cartridge cases. The propellant tank could be filled up to 115 atmospheres and gave the flamethrower an enormous range of 30 to 45 meters (98 to 147 feet) with about six to eight bursts. This also depended on the type of filling because the Finns used two different mixtures depending on the season: in summer 66% heavy fuel oil and 33% highly flammable fuel oil. In winter, 55% heavy fuel oil, 30% highly flammable fuel oil and 20% petrol.

Liekinheitin M/44 Upgrade

The two flamethrowers M/40 and M/41-R served the Finnish army well. They were feared by the enemy – and therefore became priority targets on the battlefield. Because of the total weight and the lance, the operator could only carry a pistol for defense. He was, therefore, always given a second man with a submachine gun at his side. Nevertheless, the situation remained unsatisfactory and the losses high.

To overcome this shortcoming, Sergeant M. Kuusinen of Infantry Regiment 1 designed a combination weapon. He combined a light flamethrower with the Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun. The structure of the flamethrower corresponded to the usual composition of tanks for incendiary and propellant agents. But the lance was now attached with a pair of clamps under the barrel jacket of the fully functional submachine gun. The flamethrower was initially called Liekinheitin M/Kuusinen and was renamed Liekinheitin M/44 when small series production began.

Battlefield Performance

Since Finland had few resources for developing its own weapons, Kuusinen’s idea came in very handy for the army. The Suomi KP/-31 did not require any modifications. A first prototype was successfully presented at the headquarters of the Finnish Armed Forces in April 1944 and led to approval for further development. This was followed by the production of a small series for intensive troop trials with cavalry, engineer, and tank units. The feedback was predominantly positive. The main criticism was the limited range: the flamethrower managed a total burning time of up to one minute or 50 to 70 short flame bursts. But only up to about 10 meters (33 feet.) That was considerably less than the two models that had already been introduced.

When fighting at short range in trenches or urban areas, the advantages of the M/44 became apparent: long endurance, comfortable carrying, and lighter weight. But such situations were rare. Most combat took place at longer distances and the power was not sufficient to cover that much ground. Moreover, the pilot flame on the nozzle burned permanently after the first ignition. During the first combat deployment of three prototypes with Pioneer Battalion 35 on the night of August 16, 1944, the Finnish attack unit was therefore discovered too early. Nevertheless, the operation near Loimola (Karelia) was ultimately successful and the men of the flamethrower squad were decorated for it.

The Finnish Army initially ordered components for 100 M/44s with a delivery date of July 15, 1944. Assembly was carried out by Arms Depot 1 in Helsinki. According to the few documents that have been preserved, only about 40 units were completed. At the same time, attempts were made to increase the range. A safety device in the form of a ‘dead man’s switch’ on the handle of the lance was also tested, so that the flame would go out immediately if the operator was injured or killed.

After World War II, flamethrowers played practically no role in the Finnish army. A small number were still kept by the border guards for training purposes and were scrapped in the 1970s. A few years after the war, Sergeant Kuusinen received a payment of 10,000 Finnish marks for his flamethrower design. Only a few examples of the Liekinheitin M/44 have survived in museums to this day.

The idea of multi-caliber small arms has just gained another foothold: this new Finnish rifle breaks another barrier by offering one rifle with four-part conversion kits, enabling it to fire two calibers from different power levels: .223 and .308.

So far, the multi-caliber feature in automatic weapons tended to keep to the same power norm: like the ARs and Polish Grot MSBS chambered in 5.56×45, 7.62×39 or .300 BLK. In precious few weapons so far, the caliber selection went down… usually meaning a rifle in 7.62 NATO with a conversion kit to 5.56mm, but still built like a tank and weighing in at what a full-size battle-rifle tends to weight these days, aka the FN SCAR 16(H). Going up, from an intermediate cartridge to full power usually called for designing a sister weapon, usually one size larger, aka the HK417, SCAR 17 or Grot 762N. Now the Finnish designer, Toni Käräjämies might have succeeded to build a rifle weighing in at the same 3.7 kilos (8.15 pounds) with a 16-inch barrel in both calibers. For conversion, one just needs to replace four parts; the barrel group with gas block (for which the only tool needed is an Allen wrench), the bolt, the magazine well insert, and the magazine itself, all replaced at the field-strip level.

KAR-21

The Käräjämies Automatic Rifle KAR-21 is being manufactured by the company called Ensio Firearms Oy, with Toni Käräjämies as the CEO. The rifle itself is a classic ‘lock, stock and barrel’ gas-operated weapon, locked by a rotating bolt head. The bolt carrier has a cam path inside, into which a single lug of the bolt stem is inserted for turning – anyone that’s seen under the hood of an AK would find nothing unusual here. The Finns do love Kalashnikov – their Armed Forces are still for the most part armed with the Rk-62 milled receiver AK-clone, only partly replaced by the Sako Rk-95, both in 7.62×39. The bolt itself might be actuated in a Kalashnikovian style, but it is locked with multiple lugs inserted into the barrel extension – or “the Stoner way”. The barrel extension is screwed into the breech-end thread, and its bottom part has a transverse groove for the barrel lug. Between the barrel extension and the barrel, a tombstone-shaped plate is squeezed, the top part of which provides an operating rod guide.

The cold-hammered barrel is easily-exchangeable –as opposed to a QCB. The barrel exchange possibility is a part of the reconfiguration feature, not a tactical one, allowing the exchange of overheated barrels in combat. It’s 16-inch long in both calibers, with extended, 20-inch barrel offered only in 7.62 NATO. The muzzle is threaded 1/2×28 UNEF in 5.56 mm or 5/8×24 UNEF in 7.62 mm, for muzzle devices. Ensio does offer a birdcage compensator allowing QD suppressor hosting with the Ase Utra/Silent Steel attachment.

10 inches from the chamber there is a gas block mounted on each of the barrels, holding a gas chamber with a two-setting gas regulator for normal or silenced function. The gas piston is separate from the bolt carrier. Piston and op-rod are one piece, nested in a tube reminiscent of the SKS or Czech SA-58 gas tube, but this is actually moving, acting as a cocking device, connecting the charging handle to the bolt carrier. This cocking tube’s front end is inserted into the gas chamber spigot and held there with a flat spring retainer. Underneath, it has a longitudinal slot, the rear end of which is impaled by the op-rod guide. The transverse channel of the front end of the cocking tube holds a charging handle, which can be inserted from the left or right side. During the reassembly, after the cocking tube is attached, the cocking handle is inserted from either side, and then an operating rod follows through a narrow perpendicular groove in the underside of the handle, thus capturing it in the rifle. So far, the charging handle is straight, but alternative designs, such as an HK G3-style folder, might easily replace it.

The complete charging unit consists of a charging handle and cocking tube, and only contacts the bolt carrier when retracted – after which it is carried back to battery by the bolt carrier or returned by hand, while the bolt is being held by the bolt-hold-open latch. Unfortunately, this design does not allow the use of the charging handle as a bolt forward-assist, which is possible in Polish Grot or Czech CZ 806 Bren 2 rifles. This feature might come handy in an otherwise suppressor-ready rifle – without forward-assist one has to to reload the rifle by free-slamming the bolt, hardly a silent option. The combination of AK-style bolt actuation assuring increased friction with the AR-locking seems to all but guarantee bolt stalling, should one try to reload it slowly. Perhaps a Scandinavian G3 forward assist style – a ribbed thumb recess in the side of the bolt carrier reachable thru the ejection opening – would be the ticket?

Barrel Exchange

The KAR-21 barrel exchange is very reminiscent of the Austrian Mannlicher Monobloc repeating hunting rifle. The barrel extension has a transverse groove, into which a barrel latch bar is inserted and stabilized with two bolts. The barrel latch and bolts are inserted from the outside, through openings in the bottom of the handguard. At the same time, the rear end of the barrel latch doubles as a trigger frame attachment point, with a mounting pin inserted through the channel formed in its rear edge. To exchange the barrel, one has to unscrew the bolts with an Allen wrench and detach the barrel latch, then pull the barrel out the front end of the handguard. In its present form, that involves detaching small parts (latch and bolts) which might be lost in the process, which is far from ideal. Perhaps the screws should be inserted thru wire or plastic loops to secure them. Perhaps after series production starts, a more elegant solution could be found?

That would leave the question of the barrel latch, as that has to be detached from the fire control group prior to detaching the barrel. The detachment of the trigger frame for caliber conversion is needed anyway, to exchange the magazine adapter, and as a part of the field stripping needed to exchange the bolt.

Fire Control Group

The trigger frame of the KAR-21 can contain two types of fire-control groups, both offered by the company. These are KAR semiautomatic-only FCG with a 45-degree throw two-position safety (SAFE-SEMI), or selective fire KAR-A (for automatic) with a 45-degree throw three-position safety-selector (SAFE-SEMI-AUTO). The trigger frame is compatible with standard AR-style grips and stocks. Its front part, around the magazine well, houses a magazine adapter, which is weaved thru the grip frame from the bottom and secured with a mounting pin going through the rear part of the adapter and front of the trigger guard. The outer part of the magazine well is fixed and houses the ambidextrous AR-style magazine release and BHO. The magazine well is large enough to fit around the magazine insert, taking the AR-10/SR-25 magazine of the 7.62 NATO configuration. Each of the adapters has different inner measurements to fit AR-15 and AR-10 magazines, while assuring the case head of the topmost cartridge is in the same place, to assure the proper function of the AR-style BHO lever.

Handguard? What Handguard?

The receiver is monobloc, with the rear part open from both ends and the bottom, seamlessly morphing into integral handguard (Finnish design 008476634-0001.) The handguard part of the receiver has got a row of four M-LOK slots at the bottom and both sides, providing both ventilation and real estate for mounting accessories. At each side, behind the slots, a sling QD point is attached with additional oblique QD points extending from the front ends of the top Picatinny rail. This is in addition to carbine hook openings at the rear end of the top rail. Other than that, KAR-21 stock has additional QD points and sling slots.

The whole upper part of the rifle, receiver, and handguard alike is topped with a full-length STANAG 4694 (Picatinny) mounting rail, assuring enough real estate to attach any combination of sighting devices the shooter is able to lift – be it mechanical, optical or optronic devices.

Field Stripping

To clean after firing or to change caliber, the KAR-21 requires a field stripping. After clearing and checking the rifle, first, the hammer should be cocked (if it was released during checking). Then the FCG mounting pin should be withdrawn, and FCG detached by rotating it down around the rear end – just like in CZ 806 and FN SCAR. Detaching the FCG means removing the projection, retaining the buttstock mount in the rear trunnion, which can now be slid downwards from the trunnion guides. Now that the stock is detached, the return spring group can be withdrawn from the receiver. With the spring out, the moving parts slide out of the receiver. Turning it upside down allows the bolt to rotate until its lug exits the bolt carrier’s cam path, letting the bolt slide forward and out out of it – just like in AK.

To detach the gas mechanism, first the gas regulator is rotated to the dismounting position and taken out. Then, tilting the rifle muzzle down lets the gas piston and op-rod to fall out. After that, the charging handle is withdrawn from the side. The cocking tube stays put for a while – this can be detached only after the barrel is detached.

The barrel is removed next by removing the bolts and withdrawing the barrel latch, then pulling the barrel out of the handguard from the front. Now the cocking tube can be lifted and pulled back from the gas chamber spigot. If the barrel was taken out for caliber/length exchange, the cocking tube should be first replaced to the new barrel.

Similarities And Differences

Stylistically, the KAR-21 seems to have much in common with the Polish Grot – or perhaps their mutual inspiration, the Remington ACR. Aluminum receiver with a long monobloc Picatinny top rail, it has steel bolt rails inside attached from the outside with very visible screws – actually more screws than the Grot, which is an achievement in itself. The monobloc receiver reminds one of another rifle recently introduced by a Baltic neighbor of Finland – Estonia, which has lately replaced its hodge-podge of rifles with an LMT Mars variant, the R20 Rahe. The single front mounting pin attached, back-swinging trigger frame reminds one of the FN SCAR and Czech CZ 806, both of which feature this – as well as the FCG with a long, side-mounted horizontal hammer spring with a strut.

The stock is rail mounted, and can therefore take any shape needed, as long as it conforms the receiver. In the first models an M4-style Magpul CTR telescoping stocks were used, but as there are no return springs filling the stock tube, it should prove replaceable with a different model (preferably a side-folding and telescoping) without much ado. By the way, the return spring on the KAR-21 return group is a dead ringer for the AKM wire-loop rod, only it has a tombstone-shaped rear support with an enormous polymer bolt bumper.

Also, the moving parts are AK-esque, as already pointed out, even though the multiple locking lugs are AR-style… while the piston-less bolt carrier looks rather Dragunov SVD-ish (sans bolt handle). The ejector is fixed to the left bolt rail, again indicating that someone here has seen an AK. That fixed ejector paired with a wide AR-style extractor should be an improvement upon both.

There’s only one ejection opening (on the right-hand side.) And that’s enough for most users, at least in a lock, stock, and barrel configuration – fortunately bullpups are not announced, so far. Borrowing a term from the 45th President would be the only way to briefly describe the brass deflector just outside the ejection window – it really is HUUUGE. The size of it gives one a hint of what is going there, when the 7.62 NATO brass is flying.

An interesting feature of the KAR-21 is compensating the length of the cartridge by a different length of the bolt for each caliber, keeping the bolt carrier stroke uniform.

Let’s Wait and See

What good, if any, this rifle will bring, only the future can tell. It is an interesting mix of AK and Western influences, but so far all we have to munch on is a Finnish patent FI20215347 plus company photos and several trade fair snapshots. The real test will be in the practical use of mass-produced rifles by the public. The identical weight and stroke of the moving parts in both calibers seems particularly foreboding, with excessive speed with 7.62 NATO very probable, limiting the service life of the rifle. That ginormous bolt bumper on the return spring support does not seem to be there solely for decorative purposes. That bodes darkly for the military use of the rifle, together with lack of strongpoints for UGL attachment – but perhaps some law enforcement use is still a strong possibility.

Anyway, hardly a week after the IWA 2023 tradeshow, Finnish and Swedish armies announced their new common rifle system to be the AR-style Sako Kiv-23 in 5.56 and a BR/DMR T-Kiv-23 in 7.62 NATO, which seems to cull the KAR-21 from hopes for service use rather harshly. But it would probably make a big wave on a civilian market, especially in those countries where a number of long arms possible to get by one individual is severely limited. Here, with just one rifle and two conversion kits, featuring lots of attachment possibilities for any sight in existence, one can have a universal weapon for the two most popular tacticool cartridges, perfectly useful for all the cardboard assassins, and killing scores of metallic gongs. What’s not to like?

SPECIFICATIONS

Machine Gun Designer Saw His Weapons Used by China, Japan, Columbia, Finland, and the Vatican

Pál Király was a Hungarian automatic small arms designer whose work was very interesting indeed. Born in Budapest in 1880, he acquired professional experience at the Mechanical Science University, where he became an assistant teacher in 1902. He published a book on automatic small arms in 1915. During his military service, he was a second lieutenant in an artillery regiment, and during WWI he was assigned to a small arms research office. After also spending time as an observer-machine gunner, he ended the war as a captain.

After WWI, like Germany, Austria-Hungary was struck with a ban on the development and manufacture of armament. Pál Király therefore went to work at the SIG factory in Neuhausen, Switzerland, where he contributed to several projects. With Gotthard End, he developed the KE-7 light machine gun (KE-7 = Király End 7th model), which featured a short recoil barrel action and a tilting bolt. It was fed by a 25-round vertical curved magazine and can receive a bipod or tripod. It was not adopted by Switzerland, but it was sold to several other countries (China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Japan and the Dutch Indies) and was built from 1929 until 1938.

Király also designed the MKMO submachine gun with two Swiss engineers: Jacob Gaetzi and Gotthard End. It looked like a small carbine, fired the powerful 9mm Mauser cartridge and worked with a delayed blowback bolt. Lighter models that fired less powerful cartridges with a blowback action were designated MKMS and MKPS. These models were built between 1933 and 1941—only 1,228 were produced. They were used in Finland and in Vatican City by the Papal Swiss Guard!

In 1929, Pál Király returned to Hungary, but the Swiss did not allow him to take the plans of the guns he designed with him. He worked at the Danuvia factory in Budapest and designed a 9mm pistol known as the KD, of which 20 examples were made. The German Army expressed their interest in it for a time, but they instead embarked on the adoption of the P-38. From 1932 onwards, Király developed a semiautomatic rifle in several variants. All possessed an impressive muzzle brake.

39M Submachine Gun

The designer did produce a submachine gun very similar to the MKMO model; it looked like a small carbine, with a single-piece wooden butt, a delayed blowback action and a folding magazine. It could receive the same bayonet as the 35M Hungarian carbine. However, it was too long (more than 3 feet long) and had disastrous handling. To reduce its length, a redesigned 39M was tested; it had a folding wooden stock, but it was not kept. The exact number of 39M submachine guns produced is not known, but it is between 13,000 and 177,000 models from 1942 to 1944. Finally, another, completely different model was made in 1943 and was adopted as the 43M.

43M Submachine Gun

Description

This gun works like the 39M, but most of its parts have been modified. The stock can be folded under the frame, it has two metal rods covered with wood and receives a folding butt plate. The magazine can also be folded under the frame, but its design differs from that of the 39M. A wooden handguard covers the barrel and is locked by a ring, to which the sling attachment is connected. Ventilation holes can be seen on both sides. The frame is made of a cylindrical tube and receives a rear plug. On the right side are the ejection port and the cocking handle. The 9mm-caliber barrel is screwed into the frame and features six right-hand twist lands and grooves.

The bolt is made of three parts: the main bolt at the rear, which holds the firing pin; the bolt head, which features the extractor and ejector; and a simplified inertia lever. This bolt differs from and is not exchangeable with that of the 39M. The grip is a wooden part with horizontal grooves. The three-position selector is mounted at the rear of the frame and is turned left for automatic shooting (S = Sorozat), right for safety (Z = Zàarva) and top for single shot (E = Egyenkén). The gun receives a 40-round straight magazine. Cartridges are arranged in two columns and are fed alternately from left and right, as for the Thompson. When in a firing position, it tilts forward slightly. For transport, it can be pulled down under the frame. The 43M magazine is not the same as that used for the 39M! The front sight is located on the barrel and the rear sight aids shooting between 50 meters and 600 meters. Between 5,000 and 9,000 43M submachine guns were produced in 1944. A 44M variant, without a shoulder stock, was also made but was not adopted.

Operation

The 43M features a patented two-part delayed blowback bolt. When shooting, the gas pressure pushes both the bullet and the bolt head, which is locked by the high pressure. When the bullet exits the barrel the pressure lessens, and the bolt can then unlock and open. The empty case is extracted and ejected, and the main spring is compressed. The device is complicated, but its design permits a 60% reduction in recoil and the use of a light bolt (only one pound).

Disassembly and Reassembly

Put the weapon on safe. Depress the receiver cap-retaining plug located on the rear left side of the receiver. Give the cap a quarter turn, while maintaining pressure on the cap to prevent the main spring from flying out of the rear of the receiver. Remove the receiver cap and main operating spring. Retract the bolt assembly to the rear. Push the bolt assembly retaining pin out and separate the heavy rear portion of the bolt and the cocking lever. The firing pin may also be removed. To assemble, reverse the above procedure.

Accessories

Accessories include a leather sling; 35M bayonet with a 33-centimeter blade and a wooden handle; the scabbard is made of sheet metal with a leather holder.

Postscript

The 39M and 43M submachine guns were used by the Hungarians on the Eastern Front, as they were allied to the Germans against the Soviet Union. In 1944, Pál Király escaped from Hungary before the arrival of the Soviets. He travelled to Spain and proposed some of his designs to the Spanish arsenals, but they were not interested. He made his way to Switzerland and then to Santo Domingo, where he arrived with a passport delivered by the Red Cross! There, he found his fellow countryman Alexander Kovacs, who supervised La Armeria, a Dominican arsenal that repairs various small arms.

Later, Király developed the M2 Cristóbal carbine, a light assault rifle that fired the .30 M1 cartridge and employed a delayed blowback action, like the 43M. It was produced between 1950 and 1957. The designer worked at La Armeria until 1962 and died in 1965.