Madsen model 1946 (m/46) 1950 (m/50) 1953 (m/53) submachine gun (Denmark)

Madsen model 1946 (m/46) 1950 (m/50) 1953 (m/53) submachine gun (Denmark)

Madsen model 1946 submachine gun

Madsen model 1950 submachine gun

Madsen model 1950 submachine gun, butt folded

Madsen model 1950 submachine gun; receiver is partially opened for disassembly

Madsen model 1950 submachine gun, completely disassembled. Note the magazine loading tool stored inside the hollow pistol grip

Madsen model 1953 submachine gun

Madsen model 1953 Mark 2 submachine gun, with optional barrel jacket and bayonet

disassembly images above are made by Frank from Belgium, who owned that particular Madsen. Thanks, Frank!

 

	Madsen M1946	Madsen M1950	Madsen M1953
Caliber	9x19 Luger / Parabellum
Weight, empty	3.15 kg	3.15 kg	3.2 kg
Barrel length	200 mm	200 mm	200 mm
Length (stock closed/open)	550 / 780 mm	530 / 780 mm	530 / 800 mm
Rate of fire	480 rounds per minute	550 rounds per minute	550 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity	32 rounds

The famous Danish company Dansk Industrie Syndicat AS 'Madsen', usually referred simply as Madsen or DISA, manufactured various weapons since the early 1900s. In 1946 Madsen introduced a modern submachine gun, the m/46, which featured an entirely stamped receiver, integral with pistol grip and magazine housing. This SMG also featured unusual charging handle, a bracket-shaped slider above the receiver. But the most unusual feature of the m/46 was the field stripping procedure. The receiver was made from two halves, left and right, hinged at the rear, and held together at the front by the screw-on barrel nut. To disassemble the gun, one must unscrew the barrel nut, and then open the left side of the receiver/housing. Barrel, bolt, return spring and trigger unit will remain in the right "half" of the gun, easily accessible. The hollow pistol grip contained magazine loading tool, and there wee no manual safeties; instead, Madsen m/46 had an automatic safety in the form of the lever just behind the magazine housing; to fire the gun, one must grasp the magazine and this lever securely by non-firing hand, to be able to release the bolt. Otherwise, the m/46 was a fairy conventional blowback design, which fired only in full auto.
Following the initial sucees of the m/46, DISA introduced the M/50, a slightly modified M/46 with more conventional and comfortable charging handle at the top of the gun, and in 1953 Madsen introduced the last gun in this line, M/53, which differed mostly in that it used a curved magazines instead of straight ones, and can be fitted with optional barrel shroud, which had a bayonet mount lug. The M/53 Mark 2 version differed from all other guns in this line by having a fire mode selector. Madsen SMG's were sold to various Asian and South American countries. Brazil also manufactured a licensed copy of the Madsen m/50 in .45ACP caliber.

Madsen M1945 submachine gun (Denmark)

Madsen M1945 submachine gun (Denmark)

Madsen M1945 submachine gun

Caliber	9x19mm Luger / Parabellum
Weight	3.15 kg empty
Length	800 mm
Barrel length	315 mm
Rate of fire	850 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity	50 rounds

Madsen M1945 submachine gun was developed in 1945 by famous Danish arms-making company Dansk Industrie Syndikat AS (DISA), better known for its trade mark "Madsen". The Madsen model  1945 submachine gun was one of the last "old style" submachine guns, designed for expensive old-style manufacturing techniques that included plenty of milling and machining of steel, rather than stamping and welding. Not surprisingly, this gun was quite expensive and saw little success - it was sold in very limited numbers to Mexico and el Salvador, and within a year after its introduction it was replaced in production with much more simple and inexpensive weapon, the Madsen model 1946 submachine gun.

Madsen M1945 submachine gun is a blowback weapon that fires from open bolt, in full automatic mode only. The design of the bolt and return spring was patterned after the blowback pistols, as the breechblock was attached to the long "slide", which enclosed the barrel forward of the chamber for most of its length. The return spring was located around the barrel, and the cocking was achieved by gripping the serrations on the sides of the slide and pulling the slide back until the bolt is locked by the sear. The firing pin was a separate movable arrangement, which projected forward from the bolt face only when the bolt was fully in battery, thanks to the internal lever that controlled firing pin movement. The safety was made in the form of the lever, located in the front of the trigger guard. The weapon was put into rifle-type wooden stock, although a version with underfolding stock, made from steel wire, was also briefly promoted. Gun was fed from  Suomi-type 50-round 4-stack box magazines. Sights consisted of the front protected post and two separate folding rear blades, marked for 100 and 200 meters.

SKORPION / SCORPION EVO III submachine gun (Czech republic)

SKORPION / SCORPION EVO III submachine gun (Czech republic)

prototype Laugo submachine gun, which served as a starting point for the design of SKORPION EVO III submachine gun

SKORPION EVO III submachine gun

SKORPION EVO III submachine gun

Caliber	9x19mm Luger / Parabellum
Weight	2.1 kg empty
Length (stock closed/open)	400 / 650 mm
Barrel length	196 mm
Rate of fire	1100 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity	20 or 30 rounds

SKORPION EVO III submachine gun is a most recent product of the famous Czech small arms manufacturer Česka Zbrojevka Uherski Brod (CZ-UB). This weapon began its life in Slovakia in around 2002, as the Laugo submachine gun / personal defense weapon. Once the design became mature, it was sold to CZ-UB, which brought it to public attention in 2009 as SKORPION EVO III submachine gun. It seems that this weapon is targeted for police market, but it also can found some use by certain military units. An export version of the SKORPION EVO III submachine gun is also proposed, chambered for .40SW ammunition which is very popular as a police round in USA and certain South American countries.

SKORPION EVO III submachine gun is a simple blowback operated, selective fired weapon that fires from closed bolt. It has a separate hammer unit, with ambidextrous safety / fire mode selector, that offers single shots, 3-round bursts and full automatic fire modes. The charging handle is located on the left side of the gun, above the forend. The receiver, pistol grip / trigger unit and the forend all are made from polymer. The side-folding shoulder stock is also made from polymer, and can be adjusted for length of pull due to telescopic design. Iron sights are installed on removable bases, using integral Picatinny type rail on the top of receiver. Additional sighting equipment can be added using this same rail; three more accessory rails are installed at the sides and bottom of the forend. Feed is from detachable box magazines, made of semi-translucent plastic, that hold 20 or 30 rounds of ammunition.