Hovea

     Notes: This weapon was originally developed by Husqvarna of Sweden during World War 2 to fulfill the requirement for a submachinegun that eventually went to the Carl Gustav M-45.  In 1947, the Danes let it be known they were looking for a new submachinegun, and Husqvarna sold the rights to them.  It is an unremarkable design, except for a magazine well designed to take a modified Finnish PPSh-41 drum magazine (a magazine that was never actually built).  Barrel length is 8.5 inches.  It was eventually replaced by weapons such as the MP-5.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These weapons were issued in large numbers to Danish reserves, and later, to Luxembourg partisans. 

     Merc 2000 Notes: The Hovea can be encountered all over the globe.

Weapon

Ammunition

Weight

Magazines

Price

Hovea

9mm Parabellum

2.34 kg

36

$310

 

Weapon

ROF

Damage

Pen

Bulk

SS

Burst

Range

Hovea

5

2

Nil

4/5

1

2

22

 

Madsen

     Notes: This weapon became quietly, after the 1945 introduction of its first version, one of the most common submachineguns in the world, used in over half a dozen variants by about 20 African, South American, and Southeast Asian countries.  They established a reputation for ruggedness early on. The Madsen submachineguns (particularly the M/50) were often used by covert spy and military units who needed sanitized weapons, and they have made many appearances in films, most notably in the Planet of the Apes (the original, not the new one, where they used M/50s with the folding stocks replaced by wooden stocks).

     The Danish variants include the M/45, one of the last wooden-stocked submachineguns to be built in large numbers; it had a tendency for barrel overheating and weakening, and was sold only in small numbers to some Central American countries.  The M/46 is completely redesigned for ease of operation and strength; it has an unusual safety that requires grip safeties on both the pistol grip and magazine well to be grasped.  (M/50s used by the CIA in Vietnam and other places usually had the magazine well safety disabled and removed, allowing for one-hand firing if necessary.) It also has a cocking lever that is difficult to use.  From the M/46 forward, the wooden stock was replaced by a tubular side-folding stock; this stock will fold accidentally if care isn’t taken to ensure that the stock retaining bolts are fully tightened. It was replaced by the M/50 and M/53; they use a knob on the cocking lever that makes it far easier than putting one’s finger in a hole to cock the weapon.  The M/53 is the same, but uses curved magazines for a more reliable feed.  (M/50 magazines will fit into an M/53, but M/53 magazines will not fit into an M/50.)  One good design feature is noticed during field cleaning and stripping; the barrel nut is removed, and then the upper receiver simply hinges back, exposing the interior and working parts for cleaning in place or stripping.  Few parts actually need to be removed for cleaning by the average user. All Madsen submachineguns used a 7.87-inch barrel except the M/45, which was equipped with a 12.4-inch barrel.  M/50s and M/53s were sometimes found with a threaded barrel for use with a silencer.  For the most part, sights consist of a crude rear aperture and front low blade; a very few have an adjustable iris on the rear sight.  Cyclic rate of fire for the M/45 is 850 rpm; squeezing off short bursts and even single shots is possible with practice.  The cyclic rate for the M/46 is 480 rpm, and for the M/50 and M/53 550 rpm, making the squeezing off of single shots and short burst quite easy.

     Later, the design was sold to INA of Brazil, and that’s where the design really took off in popularity.  (See Brazilian Submachineguns.)  Parts for the Madsen are currently made by Sarco and Gun Parts Corporation in the US (though not complete weapons).

Weapon

Ammunition

Weight

Magazines

Price

M/45

9mm Parabellum

3.22 kg

50

$323

M/46

9mm Parabellum

3.17 kg

32

$300

M/50

9mm Parabellum

3.17 kg

32

$305

M/53

9mm Parabellum

3.17 kg

32

$308

 

Weapon

ROF

Damage

Pen

Bulk

SS

Burst

Range

M/45

10

2

1-Nil

5

1

4

32

M/46

5

2

Nil

4/5

1

2

20

M/50

5

2

Nil

4/5

1

2

21

M/53

5

2

Nil

4/5

1

2

22