Lanchester SMG
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The Lanchester was a submachine gun used by the British during World War II.
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History
In 1940, with the Dunkirk evacuation completed, the Royal Air Force decided to adopt some form of submachine gun for airfield defense. With no time to spare for the development of a new weapon it was decided to adopt a direct copy of the German MP28, examples of which were at hand for the necessary copying. The period was so desperate that the Admiralty decided to join the RAF in adopting the new weapon. By a series of convoluted happenings that Admiralty alone actually took the resultant design into service.
The British MP28 copy was given the general designation of Lanchester after George Lanchester who was charged with producing the weapon at the Sterling Armament Company, the same company that went on to produce the Sterling submachine gun that is presently the standard submachine gun of many nations. The Lanchester emerged as a sound, sturdy weapon that in many ways was ideal for the type of operations required of it by boarding and raiding parties. It was a very solid weapon, in many ways the complete opposite of its direct contemporary, the Sten, for the Lanchester was a soundly engineered piece of weaponry with all the trimmings of a former era. The Lanchester had a well machined wooden butt and stock, the blow back mechanism was made of the finest materials, the breech block well machined and the magazine housing was made from solid brass. A few typical British design details were added such as a mounting on the muzzle for use of a long bladed British bayonet and the rifling differed from the German original in details to accommodate the different types of ammunition the Lanchester had to use.
Operation
The magazine for the Lanchester was straight and carried a useful load of 50 rounds. Stripping was aided by a catch on the top of the receiver and the Lanchester Mk I, the very first model, could fire either single shot or automatic. On the Lanchester Mk I* this was changed to full automatic fire only, and many Mk Is were converted to Mk I* standard at Royal Navy workshops.
Service
The Lanchester was an unashamed copy of a German design but it gave good service to the Royal Navy throughout the war and for many years after. The Lanchester was a heavy weapon and it had one off-putting feature: if the butt was given a hard knock while the gun was cocked and loaded, it would fire. The last examples left Royal Naval service in the 1960’s and are now a collectors item.
Specifications
- Caliber: 9x19 mm
- Length: 851 mm (33.5 in)
- Length of barrel: 203 mm (8 inches)
- Mass empty: 4.34 kg (9.57 lb)
- Magazine: 50 round box
- Rate of fire, cyclic: 600 rpm
- Muzzle velocity: 380 m/s (1,245 ft/s)
External links
- Security Arms (http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/1100/1112.htm)