The pipedream joy of the S&W M76
One of my favorite American subguns is the S&W M76.
I mean, just look at it:
Developed in 1966 for the U.S. Navy SEALs, the Smith & Wesson Model 76 Submachine Gun was built to replace the famous and much more prolific M/45 “Swedish K” after U.S. supply was cut off during the Vietnam War. Production of the M76 continued until 1974, with a total of roughly 6,000 units built.
Chambered in 9mm Parabellum, the Model 76 Submachine Gun featured a simple blowback operation and had a cyclic rate of around 600–700 rounds per minute. It fed from a 36-round box magazine and had an ambidextrous selector lever allowing either full or semi-auto fire, a folding stock, optional suppressor capability, and long rifling-like grooves to allow dirt and fouling to accumulate without impacting the gun’s reliability.
Jerry Miculek, probably the nicest guy in the gun industry, gets into the Smith & Wesson Vault and lays hands on an M76 for the win.
Thanks, Chris!
I share your love for the M76. Thanks so much for sharing that great video. It’s the first I’ve seen on the S&W Vault! I first noticed the M76 in the hands of Charlton Heston in “The Omega Man.” One of my favorite moments in that film is when “The Family” tries to ambush Chuck as he pulls into his garage, and he replies with the M76.
It may have been developed for the SEALs, but I think some of them may have made their way into the armories of the MACV-SOG teams, as well. I could be mistaken, but I know SOG is well known for using the Swedish K and the M3 SMG, so it wouldn’t be much of a stretch for them to acquire some sterile M76s for use in Laos and Cambodia.
I think an M76 with a modern suppressor should sell for about $500 or $600 “out the door.” Until that day arrives, we do have a plethora of cool 9mm semiautos (SP5s, Scorpion EVOs, and even M11/9s and pistol caliber AKs) that are a lot of fun, but none of them match the style of that M76 with the stick mags. I just love the old “tube style” SMGs of WWII and the Cold War.
Thanks again!
Bob G