Benelli CB-M2

History of the Benelli CB-M2

In the 1980s, Italian gunmaker Benelli teamed up with Italian ammunition company Fiocchi Munizioni to produce a "semi-caseless" submachine gun design. Firearms using "caseless" ammunition have gained considerable traction by this time, and it is natural that various gunmakers will try new - sometimes aggressive - solutions to the used ones that emerge after the firing process is complete. A solution to the cartridge case problem (the German Heckler & Koch G11 caseless assault rifle is a prime example, this weapon is designed to fire the entire cartridge out of the weapon).

The joint venture of the two Italian companies became the short-lived CB-M2 submachine gun and did not attract much interest.

Key to the functionality of the CB-M2 is the use of a special one-piece brass-sheathed 9x25mm AUPO cartridge (which is shaped like the German 9mm Parabellum). The AUPO cartridge features a hollow base filled with the required propellant reservoir (rimfire ignition) and sealed with a detonator plug. During firing, a special extension bolt penetrates the bottom of the cartridge, which is fired in the normal way with a side-mounted hammer, with both the bullet and the base exiting through the muzzle (hence the "semi-casing" classification).

The bolt is then reinserted between the bullets (removing a new bullet from the waiting magazine) via the traditional recoil operation common to many submachine guns. Therefore, the CB-M2 does not require a complicated mechanical ejection process at the receiver like traditional firearms, making the internal design simpler and less prone to interference. The gun has a stated rate of fire of 800 to 1000 rounds per minute, and the gun is fed from a detachable magazine of 20, 30 or 40 rounds. Fixed iron sights, as this weapon was never used for long-range precision fire.

The total weight is 3.40 kg.

From the outside, there is nothing special about the CB-M2 of the submachine gun. It has a traditional design and layout, a rectangular housing with clean lines, an angled pistol grip and a full trigger assembly, a ribbed front end, and a short muzzle protruding from the stock. As usual, the magazine is located in front of the trigger assembly and includes a foldable, collapsible dual-strut stock for a tighter/safer grip.

The stock has an overall length of 26 inches when extended, and 17.7 inches when the stock is folded over the receiver. Also, there are few groundbreaking details on this gun, although given the nature of the design, it could be a good marketing move - the selling point is the revolutionary caseless approach.

The Benelli CB-M2 was eventually evaluated by several interested militaries, who accepted the prospect of a semi-shellless design. The weapon received positive reviews in subsequent tests, although the need to use special ammunition ultimately kept the project anonymous as the military ended up living and dying on the logistical road.

Benelli pulled the interesting CB-M2 from the market sometime in the late 1980s, a gun never heard of again.

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