MP34
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Maschinenpistole 34 (MP34) | |
|---|---|
 MP34 |
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| Type | Submachine gun |
| Place of origin |  Austria |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1930-1970s |
| Used by | Austria, Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Louis Stange |
| Designed | 1929 |
| Manufacturer | Waffenfabrik Steyr |
| Produced | 1929 to 1940 |
| Variants | S1-100, MP30 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | Loaded 4.48 kg (9.9 lb) Unloaded 4.25 kg (9.4 lb) |
| Length | 850 mm (33.5 in) |
| Barrel length | 200 mm (7.9 in) |
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| Cartridge | 9x19mm Luger Parabellum; 9x23 Steyr; 9x25 Mauser Export |
| Action | open bolt blowback |
| Rate of fire | ~500 round/min |
| Muzzle velocity | ~410 m/s (1,345 ft/s) |
| Effective range | 150 - 200 m (490-650 ft : 160-220 yds) |
| Feed system | 32-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Hooded front, adjustable rear |
The MP34 (Maschinenpistole 34, literally "Machine Pistol 34") is a submachine gun (SMG) that was manufactured by Waffenfabrik Steyr and used by the Austrian police and subsequently by units of the German army in World War II. An exceptionally well-made weapon, it was used by some forces well into the 1970s.
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[edit] History
The MP34 was based on a design for the MP19 by the Rheinmetall company based in Düsseldorf. The weapon is similar in design to the MP28 Bergmann, which itself stemmed from the MP18 that saw service towards the end of the World War I.
Restrictions on the manufacture of certain armaments within the 1919 Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany from manufacturing certain types of weapons such as light automatic firearms (designated as SMGs with barrels in excess of four inches and magazines holding more than eight rounds). To circumvent the treaty Rheinmetall acquired the Swiss company Waffenfabrik Solothurn in 1929 and began secret production of a prototype. What was to become the MP34 was originally designated ‘S1-100’ using the company’s standard naming convention.
Due to the Solothurn company not being suited for mass production, Rheinmetall took a controlling interest in Waffenfabrik Steyr, an established arms manufacturer in Austria. Weapons manufactured by Steyr were sold via the Zurich-based trade company Steyr-Solothurn Waffen AG to both the commercial and military markets.
The MP34 was manufactured from the very best materials available and finished to the highest possible standard. It was so well manufactured that it has often been nicknamed the Rolls Royce of machine guns. However, its production costs were extremely high as a consequence.
[edit] Operation
The MP34 submachine gun was a selective-fire weapon (single shot or full auto), firing in blowback mode with an open bolt. The return spring was located in the wooden stock and was linked to the bolt via a long push rod, attached pivotally to the rear of the bolt. Easy access to the bolt and trigger assembly was via a hinged top cover with opened up and forward by depressing two release catches.
On the left-hand side of the stock was a sliding fire selector switch (marked by letters T and S). Initial production runs of the gun had a Schmeisser-style (Hugo Schmeisser) bolt-locking safety (similar to the MP40) in the form of hook-shaped cut which was used to engage the bolt handle when the bolt was cocked (which was notoriously unsafe). Later models included a manual safety on the top cover, just in front of the rear sight. This safety could lock the weapon in both a cocked or closed position.
32-round box magazines were fed in from the left side and the magazine housing was angled slightly forward to improve cartridge feeding to prevent jams. Additionally, the same magazine housing incorporated a magazine refilling feature. An empty magazine could be inserted from underneath and locked in place. From above stripper clips (of 8 rounds each) could be fed into the magazines.
All MP34s were equipped with a wooden stock with a semi-pistol grip. The barrel was enclosed into a perforated cooling jacket, and had a bayonet-fixing lug on the right-hand side. Front (hooded) and rear rifle-type sights were fitted – the latter marked from 100 to 500 meters.
The weapon could be fitted with a detachable tripod for stability.
[edit] Service
In 1930, the Austrian police accepted the S1-100 as the Steyr MP30, chambered for then standard Austrian 9 x 23 Steyr pistol rounds. The weapon was also exported to Chile, Bolivia, El Salvador, Uruguay and Venezuela, and was sold in limited numbers to China, in 7.63 x 25 Mauser calibre. Portugal adopted the S1-100 to 7.65 x 22 Luger calibre in 1938, and in 1942 purchased more S1-100's from Steyr, but this time in 9x19 Luger. Many examples carry a Portuguese crest just forward of the safety mechanism in combination with Waffenamt (WaA) markings.
For the South American markets, Steyr produced a version of the S1-100 in .45ACP calibre; this derivation can be identified by an additional pistol grip under the stock.
The Austrian army adopted the Steyr-Solothurn S1-100 as the Steyr MP34, chambered for the powerful 9 x 25 Mauser ammunition.
With the 1938 Anschluss between Germany and Austria, the German Army acquired most of available MP30s and MP34s. A number were then re-barrelled to chamber 9 x 19 ammunition and issued to German troops as the MP34(ö) - Maschinenpistole 34 Osterreich (literally Austrian Machine Pistol 34). It had a relative short-lived frontline service, and was allocated for use by behind-the-lines troops such as military police and feldgendarmerie units.
Production of the MP34 ceased in mid-1940, and manufacturing lines at Steyr moved over to the production of the MP40 submachine gun – a much simpler designed weapon and far less expensive to produce than the MP34.
Due to its high serviceability, the MP34 remained in service across the world after World War II. It was kept in service by the Portuguese into the 1970s.
[edit] References
- Gotz, Hans Dieter, German Military Rifles and Machine Pistols, 1871-1945, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. West Chester, Pennsylvania, 1990. OCLC 24416255
- Günter Wollert; Reiner Lidschun; Wilfried Kopenhagen, Illustrierte Enzyklopädie der Schützenwaffen aus aller Welt : Schützenwaffen heute (1945-1985), Berlin : Militärverlag der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik, 1988. OCLC 19630248
- Edward Clinto Ezell, Small Arms Of The World, Eleventh Edition, Arms & Armour Press, London, 1977
- Schweizer Waffen Magazin
- Internationales Waffen Magazine
