•

• SUB-

COPENHAG EN HANDBOOK for the MADSEN SUB-MACHINE GUN

DANSK INDUSTRI SYNDIKAT COMPAGN I E MADSEN COPENHAGEN

Z45.E.E]. CO NTENTS Page Principle of design ......

Short description of the main parts ...... 9 of the gun ...... 13 Firing ...... 17 I nstructions for loading the ...... 19 Instructions for stripping and assembling ...... 19

Components of gun ...... 22

Sectional view of gun ...... 23 PRINCIPLE OF DESIGN

The MADSEN sub-machine gun was developed to fill the need for a sub-machine gun which would be absolutely re­ li able, and sti ll a li ghtweight weapon, combining the fewest possible parts with simplicity of manufacture. This aim was achieved mainly by means of a special safety device to ex­ clude accidental firing , and a flat shape of the frame, this latter being divided vertically in longitudinal section per­ mitting the two halves, which are hinged at the rear and form the receiver, the magazine housing and the pistol grip, to be opened like a box. Constructed in this manner the MADSEN sub-machine gun is easy to strip for inspecting and cleaning; furthermore all the parts are easy to survey, so that the action of the gun is easily learned. The sub-machine gun has a bottom­ mounted magazine, and it is fitted with a carrying sling which, ow ing to the flat shape of the gun, permits it to be carried hanging on the gunner's back, the sling over his left shoulder, muzzle downwards and magazine inserted, thereby enablin g the gunner to open fire almost instantaneously in case of surprise encounters. It is equiped with a folding skeleton butt, and the gun can be fired with this shoulder piece extended or wi th the shoulder piece fo ld ed. Most of the sub-machine guns developed during the Se­ cond World War have the fault that it is dangerous to carry the weapon with a loaded magazine inserted and the mecha­ nism cocked, as a jar may fire it , and a shot may also be fired accidentally by a cocking motion being performed too short; in the MADSEN sub-machine gun there is, in addi-

5 ti on to an ordinary safety device acting on the me­ chanis m, also a front safety, the breech bl ock retainer , whi ch prevents the gun from bein g fired without the gunner hav ing hi s hand round the magazin e housin g to support the gun and s imultaneously releas in g the breech bl ock retainer , the release of whic h does not requi re any attenti on as his thumb in the most natu ral way presses agains t the dow n­ ward lever of the breech block re tain er. T he rate of fire is 500- 550 rounds per minute , which is generally considered to be very nearl y the ideal rate fo r sub­ machine guns used in full automati c fire; the gun was de­ liberately s lowed down to this figure. Fig. 1. Norm all y it is chambered for the 9 mm Parabe llum pi stol MADSEN sub-machine gun with extended shoulder p iece. , but it can also be chambered for the standard .45 The rora l length of the gun is now 780 rnm . automati c pi s tol cartridge without increasing the weight of W eigh t 3 kg. the gun . While it is normall y intended to be used at a range The magaz ine holds 32 ro unds. under I 00 me tres, it may be used still with good accuracy up to 200 metres.

Fig . 2. MADSEN sub-machine gun with cl osed shoulder piece. The total length is now 530 mm.

G 7 SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE MAIN PARTS

Data of the MADSEN sub-machine gun :

Calibre ...... 9 mm We ight without magazin e and sling. 3. 15 kg We ight of empty magazin e ...... 200 g Weight of fill ed magazin e ...... 5 90 g Length .of barrel ...... 200 mm Length with s houlder pi ece extended 780 mm Length with s houlder pi ece fold ed . . . 530 mm Rate of fire 500- 550 rounds pe r min .

The sub-machine gun cons ists of the foll owing main parts: The fram e, the barre l, the breech bl ock with cocking handle, the return spring, the trigger mechanism , the safety devices, th e magazin e and the shoulder pi ece.

The frame consists of two alm ost id entical pieces of pressed s heet steel , s haped with pi s tol grip and magazine hous in g. The tw o parts are hinged at the rear, and at the fore end assembled and locked by the barre l-bearing nut.

9 The ie ft half, which acts as a lid on the ri ght half, carries T he trigger mechanism is pl aced at the bottom of the the s ling swi vels and also the sights cons isting of the fore­ right frame part. It consists of the trigger and the trigger sight and the backs ight ; the fo resight is blade shaped and rod with their respecti ve springs; the tri gger rod is fo rced capabl e of lateral adjus tment, the backs ight is a fixed ape r­ upwards by its spring to catch in a notch at the bottom of ture sight. The gun is s ighted for I 00 m range. the breech block when the latter is in cocked positi on. T he The outer wall s of the frame have a smoo th surface, and long arm of the trigger, projecting downwards through an when the magazin e is in position, the frame is dustp roof. opening in the bottom wall of the ri ght frame part, is pro­ T he left inner wall has at the front end a projecting rib, tected by a tri gger guard. whi ch acts as ejector. In the ri ght wall of the frame is an opening fo r ejectio n of th e spent cartridge case. The safety devises are tw o:

The barrel has a smooth exteri or with no radi ating rings, The safety catch, whi ch can onl y be applied when the and the bore has 4 grooves. The breech end of the barrel breech bl ock is in cocked positi on, is pl aced at the bottom rests in the breech secti on of the frame and has an extern al of the frame and is wo rking on the tri gger rod. A finger rib whi ch fits into a corresponding groove in the two fra me pi ece at the left end of the safety catch passes through a halves and prevents the bar rel from movin g in longitudinal s hort slot in the left frame part, and pushing it backward di recti on ; on the left s id e of the barrel- a groove is will lock the tri gger rod . cut away, correspond ing to the e jector rib, thus preventing the barrel from rotating . The breech block retainer is also pl aced at the bottom of the frame, but somewhat forward of the safety catch , and T he breech block moves ins id e the fra me en the bottom it works on the breech bl ock and prevents it from moving wall of the right frame part. The firin g pin is stati onary in completely forward . the breech bl ock, but removabl e. In a groove at the front end of the ri ght s id e of the breech block is pl aced the ex­ The magazine is of the box type, holding 32 cartridges. tractor whi ch is secured by means of a vertical pin. It is inserted from be low into the magazin e hous in g, and it is locked in positi on by means of the magazin e catch at the The cocldng handle has a down ward pointing plug whi ch rear wall of the magazin e housin g; the magazin e catch is re­ passes through a s lot at the top of the frame between the leased by pushing it backward. The magazin e can be in ­ two frame parts and enters the cockin g handle hole in top serted whether the breech block is in its forward or its rear of the breech bloc k and secured by means of a pin. ( cocked ) positi on. When the breech bl ock is in its forward position, a little more fo rce mus t be exerted to insert the T he return spri ng is pl aced in a pil ot hole of the breech magazin e as the top cartrid ge presses again st the undersid e bl ock. The rear end of the return sprin g works again st the of the breech bl ock. sprin g base which is loosely inserted in the frame against the rear wall of the ri ght frame part ; at its fo re end the The shoulder piece is a ske le ton butt ; the s ke leton is of spring base has a pro truding tubular spring guide. steel tubing, partl y leather-covered.

10 11 It is hinged to the rear end of the ri ght frame part, the lower hinge bei ng behind the pi stol grip . It is retained in extended and in folded position by means of a notch and a lu g in the hinge, and it can be moved from th e one position to the othe r by a s li ght je rk. By means of the lock on the upper shoulder piece the shoulder pi ece can be locked in ex tended position. When swung forward it li es partly along th e right sid e of the frame, and in this posi tion it is very compact, making it possibl e to use the weapon as an ACTION OF THE GUN au tomatic pistol usin g both hands. The MA DSEN sub-mac hine gun has si mple blowback action. i. e . the relative ly heavy weight of the breech block and the tension of the return spring hold the breech closed until breech pressure drops to safe limits after firing. Starting from loaded and cocked position, i. e. th e loaded magazine inserted in the magazine housing and the breech bl ock in its rear position caught by the trigger rod , the ac­ ti on is as follows: When the trigger is pressed its forw ard pointin g arm moves the tri gger rod downwards out of its contact wi th the breech block. The compressed return spring is now free to drive the breech block forward, and if the breech block retainer is pressed forward, the breech block will run com­ ple tely forward, and during this movement it will strip the top cartridge from between the cutaway lips of the magazine and push it forward. The bullet nose is guided by the barrel feed of the breech secti on of the frame up into the chamber as the rear of the cartridge clears the lips of the magazin e, and as it enters the chamber the cartridge lines up with th e firing pin fixed in the breech block, enabling the firing pin to hit th e cap of the cartridge whereby the round is fired. At this time the extractor on the ri ght sid e of the breech block is s prung over the groove in the cartridge case. The powder gases generated in the cartridge case drive th e bullet forward and thrust the cartridge case backwards against the face of the breech bl ock. The breech block starts

12 13 to move to th e rear, but in vi ew of much greate r weight of the breech bl ock and the re turn spring tens ion in relati on to the comparatively li ght bullet weight, the chamber is not opened appreciably until the bulle t has le ft the muzzle. By this time the breech pressure has dropped to safe limit. As the breech block s tarts to the rear, the now empty cartridge case is held at the face of the breech bl ock gripped by the extractor and drawn out of the chambe r . When it clears the chamber the left s id e of its head is struck against th e ejector, and the case is pi voted out through the ej ecti on opening. The breech block continues to travel to the rear, and as it passes th e mouth of the magazin e, the magazin e spring fo rces the next cartridge sli ghtly upwards ready to be picked up on the forward moti on . The return spring is compressed and the breech block trave ls back on the tracks in the frame walls until the energy is absorbed ; the cockin g handle travels with its plug in the cocking s lot, which is long enough to permit it to travel s till furthe r to the rear than required for just cocking the gun, thus preventing a sudden s hock to th e plug. If the trigger is not actu ated any more, the trigger rod, fo rced up by the tri gger rod spring, catches in the undersid e of the breech block, holding it ready for the next s hot. If th e tri gger is still pressed, the breech block will , however , not bein g engaged by the trigger rod, move fo rward pushed by Fig. 3. Fig. 4. MADSEN sub-mach ine gun the re turn spring, and thi s cycl e of operation continues as MADSEN sub-machine gun ca rr ied o n th e march. long as the trigger is pressed and the re are any rounds left carried on guard dury. in the magazin e . Fr o m this position th e g un ca n be shifted round ro rh e back, rh e muzzle poin ting downwa rds w rh e righ t.

15 14 FIRING

The sub-machine gun can be fired from many di fferent positions, but whether firin g from the hip, kneeling, sitting, s tanding or prone, the correct grip is always with left hand fi rmly round the magazin e hous ing, the thumb pressing against the b reech block re tainer , and with the right hand round the pistol grip and as usual pressin g the trigger when a burst is to be fired. Sin gle shots may be fired by quickl y releasin g the trigger, the normal, however, bei ng s hort bursts of two or three rounds. It s hould always be remembered that thi s weapon fires when the breech block goes fully forward ; if the breech block retain er, however, is not released, the breech bl ock will be stopped on its way fo rward and no round will be fired. In order to continue firin g the cocking handle must then be pulled back as fa r as it will go. Accid ental firing caused by an incomplete cocking moti on or by an unintended rearward movement of the breech bl ock as a result of a s hock to the gun if dropped or laid down hard, is also excluded ow in g to the breech bl ock retain er. Fig. 5. Fig. 6.

Firing rhe MADSEN sub-machine gun.

16 17 INSTRUCTIONS

F OR LOADING TH E MA GAZ I NE AND FO R STRIPPING AND ASSEM BLI NG T H E GUN

Loading the magazine. A special magazin e loading ap­ paratus is issued with each sub-machine gun and can be carried insid e ' the pi stol grip . It consists of a s hort housi ng into which the magazin e can be inserted ; on to p of the housin g is a spring-actuated button . By pushing down firmly on the button the magazin e spr in g and any cartridge will be pressed down by a plunger . H old the loading apparatus and the magazin e together by the left hand in such a manner that the thumb can press the button ; the magazin e must be supported in a suitable man­ Fig. 7. The prone position. ner . Insert a round under the lips of the magazin e mouth, base firs t, with the ri ght hand , release the bu tton when the Magazine resring on rhe grou nd. cartridge encounters the plunger of the apparatus and press the cartridge in until it meets the rear wall of the magazin e . Repeat these acti ons until the magazine is fill ed. If no loading apparatus is avai !able, cartridges may be in serted by hand. Stripping and assembling the gun. Foll ow in g parts can be removed wi thou t too ls : barrel-bearin g nut, barrel. spring base. return spring and breech bl ock with cockin g handl e . When these are removed. the fr ame is easil y ac­ cessible fo r cleaning in sid e.

18 19 When the sub-machin e gun is to be stripped, the maga­ zine must be withdrawn, the shoulder piece folded and the breech block in its forward position. The first thing to do is to unscrew the barrel-bearing nut. Lay the gun on its right side on table or knee. Open the frame by pulling at the front sli ng swivel with the right hand, the left hand pressing against the barrel. Remove the barrel. Remove the return spring by pressing the spring base forward and upwards, whereafter the return spring can be withdrawn from the pilot hole in the breech block. Lift the breech block up. Any further stripping should be done only by qualified armourer. After cleaning the parts should be oiled very li ghtly. As­ sembly is carried out in opposite order. The magazine can be cleaned by removing the bottom.

20 21 COMPONENTS OF GUN

1 Barrel-beari ng nut 2 Sling swivel :3 Ejector 4 Extractor pin 5 Extractor G Breech block 7 Frame half (left) 8 Fra me half (right) 9 Safety catch 10 Sling swivel 11 Barrel 12 Barrel beari ng 13 Corn H Firi ng pin 15 Cocking handle 1(; Return spring 1 i Breech block retainer 18 T rigger rod 1!) Trigger 20 Trigger p late 21 Return spring guide (complete) 22 Rear sight plate 23 Shoulder piece bolt (upper) 2± Shoulder piece 25 Shoulder piece spring 21) Firing pin rivet 27 Magazine 28 Magazine ca tch pin 29 Magazine catch 30 Magazin e catch spring 31 Trigger rod pin :{2 Trigger rod spring 33 Trigger guard 3± Trigger spring 35 Magazi ne loading apparatus 3G Shoulder piece bolt (lower) 37 Shoulder piece bolt nut 38 Shoul der piece lock

22 •

------· - D- --~B ( -- - -- · - - ·- . ) - '• -

I I 0 0 ® 0 0 ® CD 0 ® -$- \ -& 0 ~~~-=------f======::::::-

\ \

-H ----·-- · --· -

® @ @ € @ ® ® \ \

-·--·- -·- · -t-

'

\ \ •

•

I • I - .I

/