In the mid-fifties, the Swedish army was armed with several types of small arms of different classes. There were both long-obsolete magazine rifles with manual reloading and newer self-loading systems. Modern automatic rifles were not yet available. In this regard, the command conceived a large-scale rearmament with the transition to modern models. Work in this direction began with attempts to improve and modernize the existing Ag m / 42 rifle.
Base sample
In the early forties, C. J. Ljungmans Verkstäder, under the guidance of designer Erik Eklund, has developed a new self-loading rifle. This sample successfully passed the tests and entered service in 1942 under the name Automatgevär m / 42 or Ag m / 42.
The rifle had the usual ergonomics with a long wooden stock on which all the mechanisms were fixed. Used a barrel caliber 6, 5 mm, length 620 mm. On the trunk, a system for exhausting gases was provided with their supply directly to the bolt carrier. Locking was carried out by tilting the shutter. The bolt group did not have its own cocking handle. Instead, it was proposed to use a movable receiver cover: when moving forward, the cover captured the bolt carrier, which made it possible to take it back and release it, loading the weapon.
Ag m / 42 used a standard Swedish rifle cartridge 6, 5x55 mm. Ammunition was housed in a box magazine for 10 rounds. Formally, the store was made detachable, but in practice it was not replaced. The weapon was reloaded with clips for 5 rounds. The magazine was withdrawn only when the rifle was serviced.
For its time, the Automatgevär m / 42 rifle was a very remarkable weapon with fairly high performance. She, at least, was not inferior to foreign self-loading systems, but by the mid-fifties such weapons were outdated and required modernization. Or replacement with a completely new sample. The search for new weapons for the army began precisely with an attempt to update the good old Ag m / 42.
New cartridge
The first proposal for the modernization of the Ag m / 42 touched on the issue of ammunition. The retention of the Swedish cartridge 6, 5x55 mm or its abandonment for a long time has been a topic of active discussion. Various arguments were made in favor of both positions, and one of the results of such disputes was a redesigned rifle. According to various sources, such a project was developed at the Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori enterprise.
Taking into account the current military-political situation in Europe and possible ways of cooperation with other countries, it was decided as an experiment to rebuild the Ag m / 42B under the new cartridge 7, 62x51 mm NATO. Perhaps, in the future, such a rifle could interest third countries and go for export.
To adapt the weapon to the new cartridge, it was necessary to replace the barrel, bolt and magazine. Also, the gas engine and the return system had to be reworked in accordance with the energy of the ammunition. The old wooden box remained in its place, but now smaller clamps were attached to it. The barrel lining was removed, and the gas pipe was covered with a metal casing. With the exception of other markings, this was the only significant external difference between the modified rifle and the base sample.
The project of reprocessing Ag m / 42B under the NATO cartridge in its original form did not interest the army. The resulting weapon could use a foreign cartridge, but there were no cardinal differences or advantages. At the same time, the characteristic shortcomings of rifles of that time remained. As a result, Automatgevär m / 42 under 7, 62x51 mm did not leave the testing stage.
It should be noted that another project of transferring the rifle to a different cartridge was crowned with success. At the very end of the fifties, Egypt bought a production line from Sweden for the production of the Ag m / 42 and set up production of its own version of the rifle called the Hakim. This product used the 7, 92x57 mm Mauser cartridge. Later, Egyptian gunsmiths once again finalized the design of the Swedish rifle. On the basis of "Khakim" they made a carbine "Rashid" for the Soviet cartridge 7, 62x39 mm.
Egyptian versions of E. Eklund's rifle were produced in large series and served for some time. However, the Swedish army was not interested in such ideas.
Ergonomics
Like any other rifle of the early forties, the Ag m / 42 was long, not too light and not very easy to carry. In addition, the conditionally detachable magazine added problems in operation. At the Karl Gustaf factory, they took all this into account and presented a variant of converting an outdated rifle into a weapon of a modern look.
The Ag m / 42B with a 7.62 mm barrel chambered for the NATO cartridge was taken as the basis for such a sample. The stock was cut vertically at the chamber level and its rear part with the butt was removed, leaving only the forend. A new L-shaped metal casing was attached to the existing receiver from below. Its front part served as the store's receiving shaft, and the rear part covered the details of the firing mechanism.
At the back, a pistol grip and a folding stock from a Kulsprutepistol m / 45 submachine gun were attached to the new casing. The shooter's hand was supposed to cover the beveled handle, to which a metal frame butt was hinged at the back. The latter folded by turning to the right and lay down along the weapon, without blocking access to the trigger.
An important difference from the basic sample was the presence of a full-fledged detachable box magazine. A magazine for 20 rounds 7, 62x51 mm could be placed in a mine with a rear latch. After the cartridges were used up, the magazine was simply removed and replaced with a new one - without lengthy manipulations with the bolt and clips.
Thus, the introduction of a couple of parts increased the ready-to-use ammunition and simplified the use of weapons. In addition, there was the possibility of a relatively simple and cheap modernization of existing rifles according to a new project - incl. in the interests of a foreign customer.
Nevertheless, the army did not like this version of the rifle either. For all its advantages, the improved rifle chambered for an imported cartridge and with detachable magazines was just a developmental option for the outdated Ag m / 42B. The military considered that the alteration of the existing rifles did not make practical sense and did not give the desired benefits.
Plans for the future
By reworking the original Automatgevär m / 42 rifle, it turned out to provide some new features and benefits, but there was no hope for a fundamental breakthrough. In this regard, attempts to modernize and alter the existing sample were curtailed. However, this did not prevent the use of E. Eklund's developments in new projects.
The next step was the launch of a competition for the development of a completely new automatic rifle, initially meeting the modern and relevant requirements of the Swedish army. The main arms factories in Sweden soon created and offered two new types of weapons. In addition, the potential contract has attracted the attention of foreign manufacturers. Swedish own developments for this competition are of great interest and deserve separate study.
