Lahti L-35 and Husqvarna M/40

Lahti M-35 - Finnish military model.

Husqvarna M/40 - Swedish military model (simplified L-35, manufactured under license).

Husqvarna M/40 - major parts.

Characteristics - Data for original Lahti L-35 pistol

Type: Single Action
Chamber: 9x19mm Luger/Parabellum
Weight unloaded: 1220 g
Length: 245 mm
Barrel length: 107 mm
Capacity: 8 rounds

The L-35 pistol had been developed by the Finnish designer Aimo Lahti and manufactured by Finnish company VKT from 1935 until 1985 or so. It was adopted as a standard sidearm for Finnish army in 1935. In 1940, Sweden purchased a license for Lahti pistol, simplified it and began production as a Husqvarna M/40 pistol. Due to simplification and poor quality of steel used in M/40, these guns tended to crack when fired 9mm "submachinegun" ammunition, and also M/40 were less reliable than original L-35s, so in the 1980s almost all M/40s were recalled from military service and replaced by older m/07 pistol (licensed Browning M1903 pistols) as an emergency feature. Later, Sweden forces adopted the Glock 17 as a standard service sidearm.

Techically, L-35 is a recoil operted, locked breech pistol. It uses short recoiling barrel with barrel extension of rectangular cross-shape. Inside that extension the bolt is located, also of squared cross-section. Bolt and barrel extension are intrlocked by wertically movable locking lug, which is cammed out of engagement when hitting the frame after a short recoil. The L-35 is a concealed hammer fired, single action gun, that featured manual safety at the left side of the frame. On the top of the barrel extension there is a loaded chamber indicator. another intersting feature of the L-35 is a bolt accelerator, which gives to the bolt additional energy to operate in extreme cold or dirt.

The Husqvarna M/40 was diifferent from the L-35 in some respects: first, it has larger trigger guard; second, M/40 had no loaded chamber indicator; third, and most important, M/40 lacked the bolt accelerator, which lead to the decreased reliability. The backstrap of the grip of M/40 also had been cut for removable shoulder stock / holster. The M/40 pistol had been manufactured during the 1940-1946, with total of less than 100.000 pistos.

On the other hand, the original L-35 was extremely reliable and robust gun, with the only drawback of being slightly too heavy.

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Carl Gustav pvg m/42 recoilless anti-tank rifle

Carl Gustav Pvg fm/42 recoilless anti-tank rifle.

Type / action	single shot, recoilless
Caliber	20x180R
Weight unloaded	11 kg
Length	1450 mm
Barrel length	mm
Magazine capacity	-
Armor penetration (Range / Angle / Penetration)	100 m / 90o / 40 mm

Carl Gustav m/42 recoilless anti-tank rifle (Swedish designation Pansarvärnsgevär fm/42, or Pvg fm/42 in short) was developed in Sweden between 1940 and 1942. It was the world's first shoulder-fired recoil-less weapon, and its main achievement is that this weapon served as an important step in development of the famous 84mm Carl Gustav recoilles rifle, which is now being used by many countries around the world. Only about 1000 of the Carl Gustav Pvg fm/42 recoilless anti-tank rifles were delivered to Swedish army before it was found that the concept of relatively small-bore solid steel penetrator is obsolete for an shoulder-fired antitank weapon, and focus of development was moved toward the weapons of greater caliber, firing HEAT warheads at lower veocities. Despite that fact, the Carl Gustav m/42 recoilless anti-tank rifle is one of the lightest 20mm anti-tank weapons (it is even lighter than some rifle-caliber weapons of same class), yet it delivered significant armor penetration (again, for its class). The cost of these achievements were relatively big size and weight of ammunition, and significant backblast when firing the gun. Standard ammunition types included AP and HE loadings.
The Carl Gustav m/42 recoilless anti-tank rifle is breech-loading single shot weapon built to use Davis recoil-less principle. Its barrel is open at the rear and fitted with swing-out breechblock / venturi nozle, which allows some powder gases to escape to the rear and counter the recoil of the discharge. Specially designed cartridges have 'blown-out' bases that allows the hot gases to escape both ways - to the front, pushing out the projectile, and to the rear and out of the funneled breechblock / nozzle, to provide reactive force and countering recoil. Unlicke most other anti-tank rifles, Carl Gustav m/42 recoilless anti-tank rifle is designed to be be fired from the shoulder. It is provided with shoulder rest, located below the barrel and near the point of balance, and a pistol grip with trigger. It also can be fitted with light bipod to be fired from prone position. Standard iron sights are calibrated to 300 meters range, and an optional telescope sight was available for this gun.

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