Carl-Gustav m/21-m37 (Kulsprutegevar KG m/21-m/37)

History

The Belgian company Fabrique National began licensing the famous M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) in 1920, and its first export brand became the KG m/21 (or "Kulsprutegevar Type 21"), according to the Swedish Army specification development. Like many other nations at the time, the Swedes relied on the M1918 for the role of a squad automatic weapon because of its high value in suppressing enemy positions on a large scale. The m/21 further develops the basic M1918 design (exported as Colt's "M1919"), adding a pistol grip (instead of an integral grip along the shoulder rest) and a spiked bipod assembly to aid shooting. The biggest change, however, is the conversion of the internals to fire the Swedish Army's 6.5x55mm "Swedish Mauser" cartridge.

The 20-round detachable magazine was retained - a limitation for the entire M1918 series.

Initial response was positive, although the m/21 had the potential to overheat its barrel assembly from prolonged firing. Therefore, Carl Gustafs Stads Gevaractori (now Bofors) began to develop a quick barrel change function for the m/21, allowing the operator to change the barrel by operating a simple latch on the front of the receiver. The included carry handle makes it easier to handle the hot tub during the process. The original BAR's wooden handguards were subsequently discarded.

All other BAR functionality is preserved. Thus, in 1937, Carl Gustafs ended production of the m/21 under the new name KG m/37, which was immediately adopted by the Swedish army. The old m/21 brand has been upgraded to the new standard wherever possible.

By this point, the m/37 has really come into play as a light machine gun, and aside from its limited 20-round magazine, it's never been mentioned. Tried a prototype belt feed variant but never saw service. Still, the m/37 led the way until the excellent 7.62x51mm NATO standard Fabrique Nationale FN MAG general purpose machine gun in Belgium in the post-WWII "Cold War" years. Even so, the m/37 remained in the Swedish Army's roster in a reserve role for several years.

The FN MAG went on sale in 1958.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes