Tag Archives: M45

Cranking up the ol’ Meat Chopper

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marine m45

Marines pulling airbase defense somewhere in the Pacific in WWII. Note the F4Us on the flight line. The lawnmower style gas engine of the M45 turret is visible behind the gunner’s back.

Known as “The Meat Chopper” from its use against infantry, the M45 Maxson Quad turret was designed as an anti-aircraft gun, envisioned in the above image.

The electrically-powered mount moved at about 60-degrees per second and could elevate to near-vertical and depress slightly less than the horizon for use against ground targets in enfilade. Two 6-volt batteries recharged by a small Briggs and Stratton gas engine coupled to a generator fed the electric motor on the mount.

M45 Mount

To this mount, the design added a central gunner’s seat of luxurious canvas, a large spiderweb-type graduated sight, and four Browning M2 heavy machine guns arranged in a pair on each side, which provided .50 cal suppression in surround sound.

Fully equipped with 800 rounds of ammunition (200 in each “Tombstone”), an armor shield for the gunner, oil and fuel for the engine and all accessories, the mount topped 2,400-pounds. This size fit in the rear of a large truck, half-track, or could be towed alone on a small M20-style trailer and their firepower made them very popular with the Joes and Marines in the field.

Note wheels cranked out when stationay

Note wheels cranked out when stationary

That comfy gunner's chair

That comfy gunner’s chair. Note the engine.

Note the electronic solenoid for the M2s. Without electrical power via battery or engine, the Maxson was a lawn ornament

Note the electronic solenoids for the portside M2s. Without electrical power via battery or engine, the Maxson was a lawn ornament

IJM Restorations in the UK has been working on a vintage Maxson for several weeks and in the above images and below video shows it in working condition, able to elevate and traverse with the assistance of a small gasoline-powered engine.

Meet “Carlo”

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Authorities in the West Bank in two separate raids turned up gunsmithing tools and a small cache of 15 illegally made Swedish K type submachine gun clones.

The Times of Israel is reporting that Shin Bet, which is Israel’s equivalent of the FBI, together with troops from the Israeli Defense Forces is raids earlier this month on locations in the Palestinian cities of Yabad and Nablus, located a number of locally made burp guns with ammunition as well as the machinery to produce both.

According to the report, the guns were based off the Carl Gustav, though they appear to be updated with M4 style collapsible stocks because, hey, this is 2016.

Israelis capture underground gun maker cranking out K-gun clones (VIDEO)2
Produced by Carl Gustav SG for the Swedish Army, in its day the M45 submachine gun was well received and considered the top of the line when it came to compact power.

It was designed during World War II, put into production in 1945 (thus the M45 designation) and labeled Kulsprutepistol. While Sweden was its primary user, several examples were acquired for use by the  U.S. government for use in Vietnam and while in American hands, this long and near-unpronounceable text simply became “the K gun.”

k gun

The OG K-gun. About the only thing the Palestinians have kept is the tubular receiver, magazine release and inner workings

Sweden cut off the supply to Washington in protest over U.S. policies in Vietnam but the K went on to be produced by Smith and Wesson as the M76 domestically. Egypt produced them as the “Port Said” subgun and they keep turning up in old weapon’s caches in the West Bank dating back to the 1950s sometimes in pretty rough shape (link in Hebrew).

With a long history of using these simple to make subguns, Palestinian gunsmiths have been cranking out their own version for years. The first locally-made Carl G popped up in 2000 and models have been found that use threaded barrels and easily replaceable automobile oil filters as suppressors.

Even with the factory closed this month, there seem to be a few still left in circulation– or the possibility that there are other workshops still in operation.

The mag on this one would appear to look larger than 9mm-- though the ejection port does not

The mag on this one would appear to look larger than 9mm– though the ejection port does not. Note the AR pistol grip.

A stockless version with an abbreviated barrel similar was captured along with a vintage Beretta M1934 from two Palestinians attempting to ram an IDF checkpoint this week.

Israelis capture underground gun maker cranking out K-gun clones (VIDEO) 3

 

 

Marines New M45 Close Battle Pistol

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The US Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico Virginia made it official July 19, 2012. They are going back to the Colt .45ACP as a standard sidearm.

Kinda.

The US Army adopted, after an epic and legendary series of tests, the Colt prototype semi-automatic .45ACP pistol on n March 29, 1911 and dubbed it the M1911, a designation that it retains to this day. By 1913, the Navy Department likewise adopted the Army’s pistol to replace underpowered 38S&W caliber revolvers. This began a nearly 100-year love affair with the distinctive John Browning-designed hog leg. Through two world wars, the Korean conflict, Vietnam, and dozens of forgotten Banana Wars, the Marines carried the M1911 in combat and in peacetime service.

In 1985, with most of their inventory of Colts on hand being elderly WWII era remnants, the Marines along with the rest of the Department of Defense, adopted the Italian-designed Beretta 92-F as the M9 pistol. This ended 72 years of faithful service of the design to the Marines. Or did it?

Read the rest at my column at Firearms Talk