Country of Origin: China

Appears in: This is an actual weapon developed for the Chinese PDW/SMG competition, but not approved.

Notes: The PLA is currently conducting a competition for a new submachinegun/personal defense weapon to be issued across the board from rear area troops to certain special operations forces. One of the competitors was in the competition for so short a time that it never had an official name, but is normally called simply the "208," for the company that designed it, the 208 Research Institute. The 208 is mostly a conventional-design SMG (in fact, it looks vaguely like an MP-5, and the external design was in fact influenced by the German SMG; it can even use steel MP-5 magazines). The guts of the 208 are, however, very different from the MP-5; it uses a telescoping bolt, blowback operation, and fires from an open bolt. The upper receiver is of stamped steel, while the lower receiver and collapsing stock are of aluminum alloy (virtually identical to the metal used in the AR-15/M-16 series’ lower receiver). Handguard, pistol grip, and the buttstock insert are of light-but-strong polymer. The charging handle is on top of the receiver (below the sight line of the front and rear sights), and if the 208 jams it may be rotated 90 degrees (locking it to the bolt) and used as a forward assist. Though the sights are not of unusual design (they are a simple hooded front post and an aperture rear); they are made of an unusual material: titanium alloy. The rear sight is removable and mounted on a short optics mounting rail. The selector lever is also unusual; in addition to conventional safe, semiautomatic, 3-round burst, and automatic settings, it also slides out, allowing the weapon to be broken open for cleaning in the same manner as an AR-15/M-16-series weapon. (This strikes me as slightly dangerous, but anyway…) A variety of accessories were designed for the 208, ranging from non-magnifying holographic reflex sights to laser pointers to a lightweight silencer.

Unfortunately, the 208 was dropped from the competition very early in the process; most sources cite the exotic construction materials and that unusual selector lever/breakdown pin. The 208 Research Institute tried to market the weapon elsewhere, but found no buyers. It remains an interesting "what-if" weapon.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Merc 2000 Notes: There is some limited use of the 208 (known in the Merc 2000 timeline as the Type 08 submachinegun) by a couple of Chinese warlords’ forces, but the primary users of the 208 are the troops of the Myanmar Army.

Notes: More commonly called the 18.5mm Rocket Submachinegun, this unusual weapon was the result of a DARPA-sponsored effort in the early 1970s to develop a short-barreled automatic weapon based on the rocket-powered projectile idea of the Gyrojet Pistol. Though the Rocket Submachinegun is thought by some as more of a short-barreled assault shotgun firing exotic ammunition, AAI always referred to the weapon as a submachinegun; and as its primary round does use a single projectile, I will keep it in this section of the site. The final design proved to be quite feasible, and AAI also felt that the Rocket Submachinegun could also be easily converted into submachineguns firing more conventional ammunition (though this was never actually done, except on paper). The military was reportedly very interested in the Rocket Submachinegun as a lightweight support weapon, but the post-Vietnam War drawdown and its sharp budget cutbacks killed the Rocket Submachinegun’s DARPA sponsorship, killing the development program after only a few prototypes had been built.

The Rocket Submachinegun looked basically like a typical compact submachinegun of the time, albeit with a huge-sized barrel and magazine. Due to the nature of the weapon and its ammunition, operation is a rather strange mix of gas and delayed blowback. The round itself is ignited by a standard percussion-type primer and using a firing pin. The Rocket Submachinegun fired from a closed bolt, with a retarding wedge holding the bolt closed until just after the round has left the barrel (roughly 25 milliseconds). This allows the gas pressure from the launching charge of the round to fall low enough so that the blowback part of the operation (which uses some of the gas from the launching charge as well as the slight kick from the primer) does not produce an excessive amount of recoil nor undue stress on the lightweight receiver. The entire round, including the casing, was fired from the Rocket Submachinegun, which made the use of any sort of extraction mechanism unnecessary unless there was a dud round or the weapon needed to be cleared for safety while a round was chambered. The firing mechanism, despite its unusual nature, was actually quite simple and required few moving parts. The receiver of the Rocket Submachinegun was of lightweight aluminum alloy, with steel used for the operating parts, barrel, and a few other parts that might be otherwise easily damaged. Sights consisted of an adjustable rear notch and a front blade. The 11.5-inch barrel was rifled, due to the intended operation of the rocket rounds. Though the prototypes had no stocks, they did have attachment points for both fixed and folding stocks, which would have been added later in the development.

The ammunition, designed specifically for the Rocket Submachinegun, was about the size of a 12-gauge 3-inch magnum shell – but that is where the similarity ended. The rounds were rimless, with canted exhaust ports around the base to spin-stabilize the round after main propelling charge fires (except for the HE-FRAG round, which is spin-stabilized only by the rifling in the barrel). The rocket rounds used a large case of light steel alloy with a standard percussion-type primer, but the entire round left the weapon when fired. The rocket rounds had three charges in them. The first, the launching charge, fires in a near-instantaneous spurt to fire the round from the barrel before the main propelling charge fires. The main propelling charge fires after the round has traveled about 6 meters (about 48 milliseconds after the launching charge fires), which keeps the exhaust from the rocket motor from harming the shooter. The third charge depends upon the round that was fired, and is either a small sabot separation charge (for the Multi-Scimitar), a pellet ejection charge (for the buckshot round), or a conventional RDX filler (for the HE-FRAG round).

The intended primary round for the Rocket Submachinegun was the Multi-Scimitar. The Multi-Scimitar used a four-piece sabot that contains two stacks of seven Scimitar sub-projectiles; the Scimitar sub-projectile itself was an advanced-design flechette made from simple stamped sheet steel and weighing 0.81 grams (12.5 grains). The Scimitar was flat in shape, with a pointed nose that was sharpened to provide greater penetration as well as improve aerodynamics and stability in flight. The rear of the Scimitar has a pair of slightly-twisted fins to further improve flight stability by providing a slow rate of spin. A thicker cross-section at the nose also improved stability, ensures that the Scimitar flies nose-first, and somewhat improves striking power. The sub-projectile package was designed to diverge quickly so that it can effectively attack large groupings of enemy troops at close and medium range – the Scimitars give a grouping of about a 50mm at 15 meters range, increasing to about 400mm at about 30 meters range. The Scimitar projectiles were known to produce large, nasty wounds out of proportion to their size and weight. (In game terms, shots at short and medium ranges follow standard Twilight 2000 v2.2 buckshot/flechette rules – but at long range, Scimitar hits are only half as likely, and extreme range fire is effectively not possible with the Multi-Scimitar round.) The Scimitar projectiles would later show up again in the CAWS program, though ultimately they were rejected for use in the CAWS ammunition.

The second round designed for the Rocket Submachinegun is an HE-FRAG round, essentially a small grenade. The design of the HE-FRAG round was more or less conventional, and used a modified form of the rocket shell used for the Multi-Scimitar round. The fragments were produced by a thickened steel case wall, internally scored and producing 415 cubical steel fragments.

The third round is a rumored buckshot-type round that was essentially a rocket-powered shotgun shell; it may have been a planned type of rocket round that was never actually produced. The buckshot round was similar to the Multi-Scimitar round in design, but discharged 14 cubical tungsten pellets approximately 2.5mm in size, with the heavy, cubical tungsten pellets providing increased penetration and tissue damage.

*As the main propellant charge does not ignite until a Rocket Submachinegun round has traveled 6 meters, the velocity of the rounds are relatively low until this point. If any of these rounds are fired at a target 6.5 meters or less in range, the round will hit as a single, low-velocity round; rounds like the Multi-Scimitar or buckshot will not have time for the sub-projectiles or pellets to separate, and the HE-FRAG’s contact fuze will not have time to arm, and will not explode. Damage rating in this case is only 2, and penetration is Nil.

The Scimitar sub-projectile is essentially treated as a buckshot/flechette round for game purposes at greater than short range – except that it has a long range in addition to a medium range, the individual Scimitars have a damage rating of 2, and Penetration rating is 1.

**See the paragraph on the Multi-Scimitar round above for further information on range effects.

Country of Origin: United States

Appears in: Many such weapons are regularly designed here and there in the world -- particularly in the US -- mostly for use in specialist submachinegun competitions by licensed individuals, or simply as experiments.

Notes: The M-11/Suomi is a "frankenweapon" – a new weapon made by combining the parts of two or more weapons into a new whole, in this case the Ingram M-11 in 9mm (the SWD version) and part of the upper receiver of a Finnish Suomi submachinegun. The result looks sort of like a long-barreled M-11, with the magazine feed moved well forward of the grip, and now using Suomi-type magazines (including the 71-round drums). The rate of fire is drastically lowered by addition of a weight to the bolt, to 527 rpm. Due to the forward position of the magazine feed, the barrel is not actually as long as it might appear; it is in fact only 137 millimeters long. The primary advantage of Anthony Smith’s conversion is to decrease the wasteful rate of fire of the M-11, grant the ability to use the much better-made Finnish magazines (which are also common on the War Surplus market), and simply produce an interesting weapon. It is not known at this time whether Mr. Smith plans on any sort of production of the M-11/Suomi, though he does sell the plans for the weapon.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This submachinegun does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Country of Origin: United States

Appears in: Weapon experiments of the late 1960s to late 1980s, when several such weapons were designed in the US.

Notes: The ARES Folding SMG is an ARES patent of the Warin SMG. It is a novel concept in weapons, capable of being folded to the size of a cigarette carton. One phase is required to ready the weapon when folded (or vice-versa). The magazines used are Uzi or MP-28 magazines. The cyclic rate of fire is adjustable between 650 and 950 rpm; this is more a continuous adjustment, rather than a selector lever (though only ROFs of 5 and 10 are shown below). There is also a 3-round burst setting. In reality, only two of these weapons were ever built, and they were withdrawn from sale without any buyers; it however makes an interesting "what-if."

Twilight 2000 Notes: Over 100 of there weapons were built for CIA and DIA agents.

Merc 2000 Notes: As Twilight 2000 Notes, except that the number was closer to 200.

Country of Origin: Italy

Appears in: This submachinegun was actually ready for full-scale production, but unfortunately Benelli had no buyers for whom to manufacture it.

Notes: This SMG fired a purpose-designed "semi-caseless" cartridge based on the 9mm Parabellum round. The round is semi-caseless in that the primer section is made of a combustible compound inside a ring made of a brass compound. However, there is nothing to be ejected when the weapon cycles, since the "semi-case" is also ejected with the round down the barrel. Several countries evaluated the weapon and liked it very much; however, the prospect of incorporating totally new ammunition into their supply chain was a stumbling block, and none were officially accepted into military service.  It therefore went into the dustbin of history.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The only people using the CB-M2 in the Twilight 2000 World are a few special ops personnel, and government agencies.

Country of Origin: United States

Appears in: Weapon experiments of the late 1960s to late 1980s, when several such weapons were designed in the US.

Notes: During the movie Robocop II, the public saw for the first (and only time) a folding submachinegun in the hands of the juvenile villain called the UC-9. This weapon was designed by Utah Connor for use by undercover police and clandestine forces. It never reached production (and the one in the movie was the only one made), but the design was later refined into the M-21. The UC-9 was a rather fragile weapon; the M-21 is far less so. An accidental discharge while folded was possible with the UC-9; the M-21 cannot be folded if the weapon is cocked or a round is in the chamber. The folded dimensions of the M-21 are 267x114x38mm.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Some 500 of these weapons were produced for MilGov after the split.

Merc 2000 Notes: Though reports of these weapons show up from time to time, no one is sure how many have been produced or who they were originally made for.

Country of Origin: Germany

Appears in: Candidates for Project 6.2 of the US JSSAP in the 1980s.

Notes: The US JSSAP (Joint Services Small Arms Program) in the 1980s was a large military small arms research project used to research and (if possible) procure new small arms for the US military. Some parts of the JSSAP included the well-known ACR program and the pistol project that eventually led to the adoption of the M-9 pistol. One of the lesser-known parts of JSSAP was Project 6.2, meant to produce a new submachinegun for US military special operations. As it was a small part of JSSAP, Project 6.2 was to use, as much as possible, off-the-shelf components or modified versions of them. US military special operations were already using several Heckler & Koch weapons, so they were contracted to work with several US military research agencies to work on Project 6.2, with the MP-5 submachinegun being the base weapon.

The first weapon produced by JSSAP 6.2 was the HK-54A1. The HK-54A1 was a highly-modified version of the MP-5, with numerous new features to make the HK-54A1 a more versatile submachinegun than the MP-5. The HK-54A1 has been dehorned to a large extent from its MP-5 base – without the silencer attached, it’s shorter than an MP-5, and most sharp contours have been rounded off or covered with a polymer shell. The sights, however are much more complex than those of the MP-5; the rear sight was a large drum-type diopter sight which can be adjusted to a finer point than typical submachinegun sights. The front sight was basically the same as found on the MP-5. Though the HK-54A1 could feed from standard MP-5 magazines, Heckler & Koch also designed a drum magazine made of polymer and light alloy, with a capacity of 50 rounds. (Despite the lightweight materials used in the drum magazine, the drum still weighed 0.68 kg empty, and it was rather clumsy.) The selector mechanism allowed for five settings – safe, semiautomatic, 3-round burst, automatic, and locked breech (explained in the next paragraph). The sliding stock was designed to be lighter and more streamlined, and the buttplate was much smaller in size. (Future development was to give the HK-54A1 an ability to mount a wide variety of attachments, but development of the HK-54A1 never got that far.)

Perhaps the largest amount of modification to the MP-5 design was made for silenced operation. The HK-54A1 was designed from the start to use a silencer better than any on the market, and yet still be completely effective without a silencer attached. Heckler & Koch used part of the MP-5SD design to do this – the HK-54A1 has gas ports near the breech similar to those on the MP-5SD. Unlike the MP-5SD, the 7.06-inch barrel of the HK-54A1 is strong enough for use without the silencer attached, and the ports can be closed with using a switch under the fore-end of the weapon in front of the magazine well. The silencer is of the screw-on type, and more than doubles the length of the HK-54A1; with no silencer attached, the HK-54A1’s barrel does not extend beyond the handgrip and barrel shroud. The HK-54A1’s silencer, like that of the MP-5SD, demands the use of full-power 9mm Parabellum ammunition of standard military weight and propellant charge; without the silencer, the HK-54A1’s shooter has a much wider choice of 9mm Parabellum ammunition types. Silent operation could be further enhanced by a selector lever setting that locks the breech back after each shot, eliminating bolt clatter. (In game terms, the HK-54A1 has better than Class 3 noise suppression when fired on the locked breech setting, but also has a BA fire rate.) Used with a locked bolt and silencer, the HK-54A1 was at the time possibly the quietest silenced weapon yet designed.

The HK-54A1 was given a lot of testing by the US military, including range, field, and some combat testing in unspecified places. The troops that used the HK-54A1 felt that it was a very effective weapon and an improvement over both the MP-5 and MP-5SD – but not a big enough improvement to merit large-scale procurement. The mechanism of the HK-54A1, particularly with the barrel porting system, often caused problems, as they could be jammed, even when closed, by dirt – in a closed, open or partially-open position. Unit armorers sometimes felt that maintenance was a real pain in the butt due to the complex mechanism. The large 50-round drum designed by Heckler & Koch turned the HK-54A1 into a relatively clumsy weapon. When the silencer was attached to the HK-54A1, the length of the weapon suddenly became 7.2 inches longer, and the HK-54A1 became very front-heavy with the silencer attached. Add the drum magazine and the silencer to the HK-54A1, and the user ended up with a very clumsy weapon. The special operations troops that used the HK-54A1 didn’t think the HK-54A1 was necessarily a bad weapon, but they did feel there was considerable room for improvement; therefore, they couldn’t recommend any large-scale buys to their superiors. Heckler & Koch did more work with the HK-54A1 design, producing the submachineguns commonly known as the SMG I and SMG II. These are detailed later in this section of this site.

Country of Origin: Germany

Appears in: Candidates for Project 6.3A of the US JSSAP in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Notes: Though the HK-54A1 was rejected by the US military, US special operations units (especially the Navy’s SEALs) still felt that the HK-54A1 was a promising design; it just needed more work. The Pentagon therefore authorized the JSSAP 6.3A submachinegun project, and asked Heckler & Koch to further develop the HK-54A1 with input from the US special operations community as well as selected US firearms designers. The aim was to produce a submachinegun that could be placed in service by the mid-1990s, and possibly also usable by other troops as a PDW.

Though commonly called the SMG I, the first weapon produced under JSSAP 6.3A was referred to by the military as the JSSAP 6.3A SMG; Heckler & Koch gave it the unusual developmental designation of HK-94054. The SMG I was a lightweight, short-barreled submachinegun, barely larger than an MP-5K, but much more streamlined in appearance and in most ways more versatile. The lower receiver, magazine well, pistol grip, a non-folding foregrip, handguard, trigger guard, and trigger group housing were a single unit, made from strong and lightweight polymer/plastic. The upper receiver was of stamped steel; in addition, steel or light alloy reinforcement was used for the operating parts as well as to provide reinforcement in some areas of the lower receiver. The sliding stock was even more streamlined than that of the HK-54A1, and when completely collapsed, it was almost completely flush with the receiver and barely visible. The stock could also be completely removed. The 30-round magazine, modified from the standard MP-5 design, was a bit more curved than that of the standard MP-5 magazine to improve feed characteristics when loaded with unusual ammunition types; it was also made from the same lightweight polymer/plastic as the SMG I’s lower receiver. (This magazine will not fit into other MP-5-based designs, though the SMG I can also use standard MP-5 magazines.) The SMG I was tested with the HK-54A1’s 50-round drum as well as several variations on that theme, but the drum magazine idea was quickly rejected since the drum did make the SMG I into a clumsy weapon.

Perhaps the most dramatic change in the SMG I was to the internal operating system. The roller-locking delayed-blowback operation of the MP-5 was totally replaced; the SMG I used simple blowback operation and fired from a closed bolt. The blowback operation was only slightly modified, using an integral safety lock that delayed the release of the firing pin for a few milliseconds; this prevented most cook-offs from happening in the first place. The simplified operation also allowed for a much wider choice of 9mm Parabellum ammunition types, weights, and propellant charges. The SMG I was designed and presented to the US military with the capability for only semiautomatic and automatic fire, though Heckler & Koch could easily have added in burst capability if desired. The SMG I also included a bolt hold-open device at the request of the JSSAP committee, with the release being a button above trigger guard. The selector group and magazine release were also ambidextrous. The drum-type diopter rear sight was more complex than those of the HK-54A1 (it was derived from the rear sight of the HK-21 machinegun), and included a feature allowing the shooter to easily switch between standard and suppressed fire while keeping the same zero. Both the front and rear sights could be raised in height, making them easier to use when the shooter was wearing a protective mask. Unusually, the SMG I was equipped with a forward assist; though it could be used to fully seat the bolt in a dirty weapon (which is really not a good practice in the first place), it’s primary use was to quietly close the bolt after loading and charging the SMG I.

The 5.63-inch barrel did not have the complicated barrel porting system of the HK-54A1, but the silencer designed for use with the SMG I was far better than the typical removable silencer. The silencer was not only useable with both full-power and subsonic ammunition, it could be used with a much wider variety of bullets and propellant charges (though not as large a selection as when the SMG I was used without its silencer). The silencer is secured by latches instead of threads, and can be quickly and easily removed and mounted by the user. A gas adjustment valve was included to allow for more efficient use of rounds with larger-then-normal propellant loads as well as subsonic propellant loads. In addition, the bolt lock of the HK-54A1 was retained, further quieting the SMG I if desired. The silenced SMG I wasn’t as quiet as the HK-54A1 or MP-5SD, but it was still one of the quietest submachineguns ever devised.

In the end, the Pentagon decided against the SMG I. This had nothing to do with the design of the SMG I – the troops were almost completely satisfied with it. The JSSAP committee simply decided that while the SMG I was a great submachinegun, it just wasn’t really a necessary acquisition at the time, given that the SMG I would be produced only in small batches – the SMG I would be an expensive weapon due to the limited production alone, and the US defense budget was also experiencing a drawdown. The MP-5-series weapons that US special operations units were already using were deemed adequate. Nonetheless, some 60 SMG I’s were built, and they have largely been retained (stored in an operating condition) by the US military; in addition, the Pentagon elected to retain complete copies of the specifications and associated engineering package – supposedly for possible future use, though as far as is known, the SMG I has not seen the light of day since 1985.

Heckler & Koch, however, felt that they had a winner in the SMG I (and US special operations troops agreed), and that sales to other countries were a real possibility. Heckler & Koch tweaked the SMG I a bit more, combining some of the best features of the SMG I and SMG II (see below) with those of the MP-5 series. This led to the MP-2000. The MP-2000 was very similar to the SMG I in appearance and operation, though a pair of slots are cut into both sides of the fore-end on either side of the barrel. A pair of cooling slots are cut on either side of the handguards. The trigger guard was about twice the length of that on the SMG I; at the front of the MP-2000’s trigger guard is a lever, which is the magazine release. Below the handguard was a mount for a foregrip similar in shape to that of the MP-5K; this foregrip was not only removable, but could be adjusted in position along the handguard and (to a limited extent) adjusted for length. The MP-2000 had charging handles on both sides of the receiver, further enhancing its ambidextrous features. The barrel was a bit longer at 5.87 inches. The MP-2000 was reportedly tested in and out of combat by a number of special operations units worldwide, but not officially adopted by anyone; it’s uncertain how many MP-2000s were actually built. It is possible that the MP-2000’s biggest marketing problem was that it was competing against its own father – the MP-5 series – and a new (and more expensive, in real-life terms) version of the MP-5 series couldn’t compete against the already-existing versions of the MP-5 series and the greater availability of parts, weapons, and support.

In between the SMG I and the attempted marketing of the SMG II, Heckler & Koch designed the SMG II. Designed in 1984, the SMG II is sort of a product-improved SMG I. The SMG II was designed for a still-unknown customer that liked the SMG I, but wanted a few more changes to the design of the SMG I. The customer for the SMG II is still undisclosed, but the SEALs are believed to have at least tested the SMG II. Most sources say that at least 60 examples of the SMG II were built, but as many as 200 may have been made. The SMG II was, however, close to handmade; no special production line, machinery, or tools were set up at Heckler & Koch for the SMG II.

The HK-21-derived sights used on the SMG I were exchanged for something in-between those of the SMG I and MP-2000 – derived from those of the standard MP-5, they were smaller and less complicated, but had the ability to switch between settings for full-power ammunition and subsonic ammunition. The sights also had brighter tritium inlays. A minor change was made to the trigger group; the normal H&K selector lever position markings (designed to be easily-understood whether the shooter uses the Latin alphabet or not – or even whether or not he can even read) were replaced by numerical markings instead. The major change to the trigger group was that a four-position selector was used, allowing for safe, semiautomatic, 3-round burst, and automatic fire; bolt-locking was also retained from the SMG I, though it is done with a separate switch. The MP-2000-type cooling slots are mounted a bit further forward on the SMG II. The charging handle of the SMG I was replaced with a knob above the barrel, similar to that on the Uzi. The folding stock design was further refined; the buttplate is even smaller than that of the SMG I, and when folded, is indistinguishable from the rest of the receiver at first glance. Some internal changes to the SMG II also led to an ejection port positioned a bit higher than that of the SMG I, and the rails of the sliding stock have a slight cutout on the right side so that the ejection port is not blocked by the stock rails when the stock is folded. Atop the receiver are a pair of brackets for the mounting of various optics or mounting devices. The hollow pistol grip has a hinged endcap, which can store various small items (usually batteries or a small cleaning kit).

Twilight 2000 Notes: In the Twilight 2000 timeline, the MP-2000 was put into limited production starting in 1995; it was used by the US Navy SEALs, US Army Special Forces, German Fernspah troops and the German GSG-9, among others. The SMG I itself saw far more limited production and use, primarily by US Navy SEALs; less than 200 were built in the Twilight 2000 timeline. In the Twilight 2000 timeline, the "unknown customer" for the SMG II turned out to be the ISA (Intelligence Support Activity), a little-known composite CIA/military special operations unit. As the Twilight War went on, spare parts for those SMG IIs got progressively more difficult to get (despite the ISA having several alternate sources for parts), and their SMG IIs had largely fallen into disuse after 1999.

Country of Origin: United States

Appears in: Experiments conducted in the 1960s.

John L. Hill began thinking about the H-15 design in 1948; however, it wasn’t until the early 1960’s when, caught in a snowstorm in Denver in a machine shop with nowhere to go and nothing to do that the first H-15 was made. It is a shot-barreled submachinegun designed to be used in one hand or fired two-handed like a large pistol, though a folding wire stock may also be attached to the weapon. The most striking aspect of the H-15 is the magazine; it is a large clear plastic box that sits atop the weapon with the rounds contained sideways within it, in exactly the same manner that the FN P-90 PDW would use some 30 years later! It is sort of a "semi-bullpup" design, with the magazine behind and above the pistol grip, and with a barrel which, though short, is longer than one might expect from looking at the weapon. The experimental weapons he produced had no manual safeties of any sort, though there were some automatic safeties. Unfortunately, the rather draconian gun regulations present in the US at the time prevented Mr. Hill from making many fully-automatic versions of the H-15, and he could not interest any police or military agencies in the rather novel weapon. He was basically ahead of his time. Perhaps 90-100 of these weapons were built, mostly semiautomatic, and only 10 or 11 examples remain in existence today. (The status of Frankford Arsenal’s H-15 is unknown at this time.) Most of these were made to fire 9mm Parabellum, but some .380 ACP versions were also built. The H-15 remains a great example of how ingenious a private arms manufacturer can be.

Country of Origin: United States

Appears in: Tests for new submachinegun to use the .30 Carbine round conducted in the mid-1940s.

The JE-1 (with "JE" standing for "Japeradicator") was a submachinegun designed by a worker at Douglas Aircraft named C.C. Howlett. While his weapon would now be regarded more as a PDW (Personal Defense Weapon), at the time of its inception it was meant to be a small stockless submachinegun to use the then-new .30 Carbine cartridge, which the US Army hoped would be a round which was lighter and more effective than the .45 ACP when fired from longer-barreled weapons. The JE-1 was a selective fire weapon based on short blowback operation, with a barrel that recoiled slightly much like that of a pistol, but not as far. The upper receiver of the weapon was fashioned largely of stamped steel, with a lower receiver of aircraft aluminum. And a wooden pistol grip and fore-end/heat shield. A simple thumb lever controlled the operation of the weapon, and the barrel was a short 12-inches, finned on the rear third of the barrel for cooling. As stated before, the barrel had a lower wooden foregrip/heat shield, with a steel, ventilated shield on top of the barrel; the barrel protruded only a fraction of an inch from this affair. External steel parts were blued, the aluminum was left in natural metal, and the wood laminated. No tools were required for stripping. The weapon was designed to be used with two hands, but could be fired with one hand. For a prototype, the JE-1 was exceptionally well-made, but it was a bit on the heavy side.

Unfortunately, though the Army took a long, hard look at the JE-1, and even extensively tested it, they requested several changes – something Mr. Howlett had little money to do. It was later determined that the JE-1 offered no significant advantages over the M-1 Carbine, and furthermore could not have a grenade launcher or bayonet mounted. Though the OSS was reportedly quite interested in the JE-1, the Army dropped interest in the weapon, and the end of World War 2 effectively killed the JE-1 completely.

Country of Origin: United States

Appears in: Literature of the Lightning Arms Corporation of Post-World War 2.

Notes: The Model 5 was one of Gordon B Ingram’s first submachinegun designs (Ingram would later become famous for the invention of the M-10 and M-11 submachineguns). Though the Lightning Arms Corporation fully intended to mass-produce the Model 5, and in fact had what they though was a firm order from Nicaragua in 1946, ultimately only one prototype was produced.

Though somewhat superficially resembling the Thompson M-2 submachinegun from the outside, internally the M-5 is a quite different weapon; it is not nearly as complicated a weapon as the Thompson (nor would its real-life price been anywhere as expensive), built primarily from steel stampings and having an internal firing mechanism with only 3 moving parts. The furniture was of simple hardwood, and the weight of the M-5 was far less than that of the Thompson. The M-5 also employed a fairly efficient (and advanced, for its time) buffer system which reduced felt recoil despite the lack of any sort of muzzle device. (In fact, Lightning’s representatives in Nicaragua demonstrated the simplicity and low recoil of the M-5 by having the daughter of a high-ranking political figure fire the weapon on full automatic, which she did quite well!) Perhaps one of the smallest submachineguns of its time, the M-5 was a mere 25 inches long, yet had a 10-inch barrel, with the barrel being covered by a ventilated barrel shroud. Feed was from Reising-type magazines, though Lightning advertised (but never made) a 25-round magazine. The prototype had no provision for semiautomatic fire, though production examples were to have selective-fire capability.

Ultimately, it appears that the M-5 was a victim of the post-World War 2 – as happens after any large war, the world suddenly gets flooded with large amounts of cheap surplus firearms, and Nicaragua found its firearms elsewhere instead of buying the M-5.

Country of Origin: United States

Appears in: Various Ingram designs of the early 1950s.

Notes: Though the Ingram M-6 enjoyed moderate success in 9mm Parabellum, Gordon always preferred the .38 Super cartridge, believing it to be superior 9mm Parabellum and approaching the .45 ACP’s power without having quite the recoil of that cartridge. He therefore developed an improved version of the M-6, chambered exclusively for the .38 Super cartridge; this submachinegun was known as the M-7. The M-7 was similar in configuration to the M-6, but had a number of differences internal and external that made it a new gun. The M-7 fired from a closed instead of an open bolt, and had a receiver made from an aluminum alloy, which was quite unusual at the time. (Internally, there were steel strengthening spars.) The M-7 had a slightly higher cyclic rate than the M-6, even in the M-6’s rare .38 Super version (though not high enough to count for game purposes). The barrel was heavy and finned for cooling and to stiffen the barrel; underneath the barrel was a wooden foregrip, and the stock and pistol grip were made from a single piece of wood. Unfortunately, POC found no buyers for Ingram’s creation, and only one prototype M-7 was ever built.

Ingram then slightly modified and improved the M-7, producing the M-8. The M-8 was again chambered for 9mm Parabellum as well as .45 ACP, and the entire weapon was far easier to field-strip and resistant to dirt. The charging handle slot had a dust cover added, and the safety would work whether the bolt was forward or back. By this time (1955), Ingram had left POC, and could not find another US manufacturer to make the M-8. For a while, it looked like Thailand’s state arms manufacturer was willing to produce the M-8 for both Thai and export purposes, but this deal fell through. Again, only one prototype was built.

Ingram returned to the US, where he modified the M-8 to use the sliding stock of the M-3 submachinegun, calling it the M-9. Again, Ingram was not able to attract any manufacturers, and again only one prototype was built.

Country of Origin: Brazil

Appears in: A weapon designed to replace Brazilian submachineguns in the early 1980s.

Notes: This Brazilian-made SMG was designed as a companion weapon to the LAPA FA M-03 assault rifle. It is a modern design, perhaps ahead of its time, with the entire body made of high-impact plastic with smooth surfaces. It is short, light, and easy to use. However, Brazilian troops found it, like the FA M-03, a bit strange looking and the Army found training troops to use a radically different sort of weapon costly. It was thus never adopted, and now is firmly in the prevue of exotic weapons collectors and museums.

Twilight 2000 Notes: An initial production batch of about 275 of these weapons was placed into the hands of Brazilian special operations forces, who liked their resistance to dirt and damage. Factories could not be geared up quickly enough to produce this weapon in large quantities, and after the November Nuclear Strikes, the materials to produce it were almost unobtainable. However, the troops who did use the LAPA loved it, since it was virtually indestructible and idiot-proof.

Merc 2000 Notes: This is a Brazilian submachinegun that was adopted for a short time by Brazilian armed forces, and also had some success with foreign sales.

Country of Origin: United States

Appears in: Experiments began by DM ("Carbine") Williams in the 1930s and continued by LE Lisk in the early 1970s.

Notes: David Marshall "Carbine" Williams (the nickname is from his greatest invention – the M-1 Carbine) began designing a .22 Long Rifle submachinegun soon after selling the M-1 Carbine to the US government. The idea was to use the weapon as a testbed for a weapon firing a larger caliber. The weapon, known as the Model 7, had a design which was jealously-guarded by Williams, as he believed it was so innovative that it would be immediately stolen if its plans were known. Unfortunately, Williams died in 1975 before he was able to make a working prototype of the Model 7 – but not before writing a document giving Williams’ widow permission to allow LE Lisk (and only LE Lisk) to copy or improve upon the design.

Lisk did improve upon the design, and the eventual prototype produced was called the LEL-1. It is, essentially, a belt-fed rimfire submachinegun. Crude and rather lumpish in appearance, it looks like what it is – a first prototype – in software terms, an "alpha" version. The operation is very similar to that of the M-1919A4, firing from a closed bolt, pulling the belt in from the right side, and ejecting brass from the bottom of the receiver. The charging sequence is unusual in that the bolt must be cycled twice before the weapon is ready for operation. Unlike the M-1919A4, however, the barrel does not move during operation; instead, the LEL-1 has a "floating chamber" which moves by itself instead of taking the barrel with it. The belts themselves are made from cloth, and since no loading machine (Williams designed one, but neither Williams nor Lisk ever built it) was ever made for them, loading the belts is quite a bear of a job that tends to put blisters on one’s fingers. There are no sights of any kind; they were to be designed and placed on later models. The LEL-1 has a sliding wire stock, but no sort of safety mechanism (again, this was to be added later). Most of the weapon is made from aluminum. Like alpha software, the LEL-1 has a number of features which don’t actually work, but were meant to be working in the final examples of the weapon. The LEL-1 has a cocking knob, but it was left disconnected; instead, one must open the top cover, pull the bolt back with a finger (like the M-3A1 Grease Gun), then do it again. The LEL-1 also has a knob-like protrusion at the rear of the receiver. In later examples, this would have adjusted the cyclic rate, but the actual feature is not present in the LEL-1.

LE Lisk demonstrated the weapon to the US Army at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. The Army was not really as interested in the weapon as they were to see how it works; however, Lisk would not permit an internal inspection of it, fearing the Army would steal the design before any contracts were signed. Lisk went as far as taking the LEL-1 with him to lunch, keeping his foot on it the entire time. (This secrecy continues to this day.) The Army refused to even consider any sort of contracts before they made a full, disassembled inspection of the LEL-1. Thus there was a classic standoff, with the Army and Lisk parting ways rather quickly, and no one ever manufacturing the LEL-1. Lisk also never continued work on the design (as far as is known). Lisk seems to have lost interest in firearms design after the death of his wife in 2002. Thus the LEL-1 remains an interesting design seemingly with much unrealized potential.

Country of Origin: United States

Appears in: An experimental weapon made by Len Savage.

Notes: This "Frankenweapon" is the result of one of those "what the hell" moments of inspiration that often lead to something strange and/or innovative. The Calico/MAC is pretty much what it sounds like – a combination of the Calico M-900 pistol and the M-10 submachinegun in 9mm Parabellum. Though the result does look primarily like a modified M-10 with a Calico magazine atop the receiver, looking closely will reveal many other Calico elements. The M-10’s upper receiver is heavily modified to feed from the Calico’s helical magazine, and internally a number of Calico parts are also used. His original version used a fixed wooden stock, but later he removed the wooden stock and replaced with a folding Calico stock. In addition, the foregrip and protector of an MP-5K was also used. Behind that is a short MIL-STD-1913 rail. The M-10’s bolt is essentially flipped upside down, and mated with elements of the Calico, particularly the magazine "well" and feed chute. The barrel is a mere 5.4 inches. Though Mr. Savage hopes for sales to the military and police, he is not necessarily optimistic in this regard, and the Calico/MAC may remain simply a "one-off."