View source for Carl Gustaf m/45

{{about|the submachine gun|the electronic band|Kpist (band)}}
{{Infobox weapon
| is_ranged          = yes|
| is_UK              = yes
| image              = Kpist m 45B Jvm21378 (double).jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = Carl Gustaf m/45B
| name               = Kulsprutepistol m/45 (Kpist m/45)
| type               = [[Submachine gun]]
| origin             = Sweden
| designer           = Gunnar Johansson
| design_date        = 1944
| manufacturer       = {{ubli|[[Bofors Carl Gustaf|Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori]]| Maadi Factories, Egypt}}
| production_date    = {{ubli|1945–1964 (Sweden)|1965–1970 (Egypt)}}
| service            = 1945–present
| used_by            = See ''[[Carl Gustaf m/45#Users|Users]]''
| wars               = {{ubli|[[Suez Crisis]]|[[Vietnam War]]|[[Laotian Civil War]]|[[Congo Crisis]]|[[Salvadoran Civil War]]|[[Lebanese Civil War]]|[[Israeli-Arab conflict]]<ref name="Arabs">{{cite book |title=Arab Armies of the Middle East Wars 1948–73 |series=Men-at-Arms |volume=128 |first=John |last=Laffin |date=15 June 1982 |publisher=Osprey |isbn=978-0-85045-451-2 |pages=31–33}}</ref>|[[Soviet–Afghan War]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Afghanistan_%E2%80%93_Seized_Mujahideen_weaponry_008.jpg |title=Afghanistan – Seized Mujahideen weaponry 008.jpg |website=Wikimedia Commons}}</ref>{{unreliable source|certain=y|date=August 2024}}|[[First Congo War]]|[[Iraq War]]|[[Mali War]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.voaafrique.com/a/en-images-decouverte-un-lot-armes-ville-tombouctou-mali/3499041.html |title=En images : Découverte d'un lot d'armes dans la ville de Tombouctou au Mali |trans-title=In pictures: Discovery of a batch of weapons in the city of Timbuktu in Mali |language=fr |date=8 September 2016 |website=[[VOA]] Afrique}}</ref>|[[Russian invasion of Ukraine]]}}
| part_length        = 8.34 in (212 mm)
| cartridge          = [[9×19mm Parabellum]] (Known as 9×19mm m/39B in Sweden)
| feed               = 36-round [[Magazine (firearm)|box magazine]]
| action             = [[Blowback (arms)|Blowback]], Simple (straight)
| rate               = 600 rounds/min
| velocity           = 1395 ft/s (425 m/s)
| weight             = 7.38 lbs (3.35 kg) without magazine
| length             = 21.65/31.81 in (550/808 mm)
| variants           = m/45, m/45B, m/45C, m/45BE, m/45BET, m/45S, Port Said, Akaba, US Navy modification (no official designation) with suppressor.
| number             = approx. 300,000
| range              = ~273 yards (250 m)
}}

The '''Kulsprutepistol m/45''' ('''Kpist m/45'''), also known as the '''Carl Gustaf M/45''' and the '''Swedish K''' SMG, is a [[9×19mm Parabellum|9×19mm]] Swedish [[submachine gun]] (SMG) designed by [[Gunnar Johansson (arms designer)|Gunnar Johansson]], adopted in 1945 (hence the m/45 designation), and manufactured at the [[Bofors Carl Gustaf|Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori]] in [[Eskilstuna]], Sweden. The m/45 was the standard submachine gun of the Swedish Army from 1945 to 1965. It was gradually replaced in Swedish service by updated [[Automatkarbin 4]] battle rifles and [[Automatkarbin 5]] assault rifles. The last official user of the m/45, the [[Swedish Home Guard|Swedish Home Guard (Hemvärnet)]], retired it from service in April 2007.<ref name="militarhistoria">{{cite magazine |url=https://militarhistoria.se/vapen/kpist-m-45-trotjanare-med-skral-rackvidd |title=Kpist m/45 – trotjänare med skral räckvidd |trans-title=Kpist m/45 - faithful servant with a narrow range |first=Thomas B. |last=Andersson |date=2017 |magazine=Militär historia |publisher=Bonniers förlag |number=10 |language=sv}}</ref>

The m/45 SMG was developed in 1944–45, with a design borrowing from and also improving on many design elements of earlier submachine guns. The sheet metal stamping techniques used in making the German [[MP 40]], the British [[Sten submachine gun|Sten]], and the Soviet [[PPSh-41]] and [[PPS submachine gun|PPS-43]] were studied in detail.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} Two designs were tested in 1944, one from Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori and one from [[Husqvarna Vapenfabriks]] and the prototype from Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori was chosen for further development. The first production version was adopted in 1945 as the Kpist m/45. The Danish [[Hovea M/49 SMG]], although similar in appearance, is not a version derived from the m/45. The Hovea was a development of the failed test contender (fm44) from Husqvarna.

==Features==
[[File:US soldier with Carl Gustav SMG.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. Army soldier firing an m/45B SMG during special weapons training. The soldier is incorrectly holding the weapon by its magazine, which may cause the magazine to come loose as well as damage the magazine housing. The correct grip requires the user to place their supporting hand just in front of the magazine.|alt=|upright=1.2]]
The standard m/45 is a fully-automatic-only weapon without any option for semi-automatic fire. It weighs {{cvt|3.3|kg|lb}} unloaded, and {{cvt|4.2|kg|lb}} loaded with a 36-round box magazine. It is {{cvt|808|mm|in}} long with the stock extended, and {{cvt|550|mm|in}} long with the stock folded. The m/45 is an [[open bolt]] design with a fixed firing pin. The relatively slow cyclic rate of fire (550–600 rds/min) and low recoil of the bolt-mechanism actuation (straight blowback) makes it easy to control during full automatic fire. Single shots are also easy to achieve (with very little training) by letting go of the trigger before another round is cycled. The m/45 is fairly accurate up to 200 meters.

Accessories include a special sub-calibre barrel (painted silver) for firing blanks and low-powered gallery ammunition. When firing blanks, a cone shaped blank firing adapter must be attached to the threaded muzzle of the sub-calibre barrel (and secured by a clip) to ensure the mechanism has adequate pressure for its [[blowback operation]]. Other accessories include night sights (wartime use only) that attach to the fixed day sights (f: protected post, r: L-type), a [[brass catcher]] for collecting spent cartridges (peacetime use only, for reloading and recycling),<ref name="modernfirearms01">{{cite web |url=http://world.guns.ru/smg/smg48-e.htm |title=Carl Gustaf Kp M/45 submachine gun |website=Modern Firearms |access-date=17 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090308154241/http://world.guns.ru/smg/smg48-e.htm |archive-date=March 8, 2009}}</ref> a quick-detachable (by attached cord) ejection port cover (painted bright red) for guard duty which secures the bolt from accidental firing, and a [[magazine loader]] that loads a magazine from a cartridge tray in seconds. The m/45 was also issued with a standard cleaning kit containing a threaded cleaning rod, threaded jag and a container for the jag, lubricant and cleaning patches. The standard sling issued was made of leather, attached to the rear left receiver and left barrel-sleeve sling bars.

The 36-round straight detachable staggered row box magazine is wider at the rear than at the front, the extra space allows the tapered 9mm Parabellum cartridges to feed more efficiently. The [[trapezoid|trapezium]] design makes the magazine very reliable in dusty environments and sub-zero temperatures, because magazines of parallel-side design are more likely to jam under adverse conditions. The magazine was used post-war by Finland in the m/31 Suomi under the designation m/54, a distinguishing feature of the variation m/55 (made by Lapua) is a steel wire carrying loop mounted at the bottom front edge. The basic design idea of the m/45 magazine was also used for the magazines of the Czech model 23 and model 25 and the French MAS submachine guns.

The m/45 has no safety switch. Instead the m/45 is put in "safe" by sliding the cocking handle into a short side-slot above the main (lock) slot. In the example US Army photograph, this short safety side-slot is visible behind the rear L-sight. When the m/45 is unloaded the bolt is locked in place in the bolt-forward position by pushing the cocking handle inwards, engaging a hole in the lower left receiver wall.

==Variants==
* '''First production''': The SMG models Kpist m/45 and Kpist m/45S<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZ0eDAAAQBAJ&q=Kpist+%22m%2F45S%22&pg=PT52 |title=The Big Book of Gun Trivia: Everything you want to know, don't want to know... |first=Gordon L. |last=Rottman |author-link=Gordon L. Rottman |date=20 October 2013 |location=London, UK |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=978-1-78200-950-4 |access-date=2020-01-27}}</ref> (integrated suppressor, never used in Sweden) feature a detachable (via removable clip) magazine support. It accepts the kpist m/37-39 50-round "coffin" magazine and the later standard 36-round box magazine.<ref name="modernfirearms01" /> The m/45 has a dark gun metal finish.
* '''General production''': The m/45B model features a fixed magazine support, smaller holes in the barrel shroud, a strengthened bolt buffer (in the receiver-rear), and a hook securing the buffer cap in place.<ref name="Variants"/> Early m/45B models have the same metal finish as the m/45 but most have a dull green lacquer finish. Over time, most first production m/45s were converted by permanently riveting the magazine support to the receiver.<ref name="Variants">{{cite web |url=http://www.gotavapen.se/gota/artiklar/kpist/swede_45.htm |title=The submachine guns of Sweden |first=Olof |last=Janson |website=Gothia Arms Historical Society}}</ref><!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Irish UN soldier in Katanga 1961.jpg|thumb|right|Irish UN soldier in Katanga 1961, armed with m/45 SMG. Note bayonet attachment.]] -->
* '''UN/ONU and ceremonial''': The m/45C is an m/45B with a bayonet mount on the barrel sleeve which was used for parade and guard duties. During the [[Congo Crisis]] in the 1960s, the Swedish UN forces used the C version extensively. The standard m/45 and m/45B have no bayonet mount.<ref name="Variants"/>
* '''Police''': The Swedish Police used the m/45 as a reinforcement weapon, issued to specially trained police officers under exceptional circumstances like terrorist attacks and armed robberies. Unlike the military model it was equipped with a selector switch for full auto or semi-auto fire. The police model designation was m/45BE (E = {{lang|sv|enkelskott}} (single-shot)) and BET (T = {{lang|sv|tårgas}} (tear gas)). The BET model was later locked to semi-auto with a screw to the selector switch. The police model has an all black finish, in contrast to the slate grey phosphate and enamel green of the military versions. In the mid to late 1970s the BE version was retrofitted with a modified stock (m/75) with a removable upper cheekpiece allowing the operator to wear a visored riot protection helmet ({{lang|sv|Huvudskydd}} m/69). The BET model was only used to fire a [[tear gas canister]] ({{lang|sv|Tårgaskastspray}} m/74). To be able to fire the canister, a special blank cartridge (9mm lös ptr m/T) had to be used. A red sticker on the left side of the weapon reminded the operator that only blank ammunition could be used. The BET also had a high front sight and an adjustable rear sight (30, 45 and 60 meters). The m/45 BET was replaced by [[Heckler & Koch HK69A1|Heckler & Koch MZP-1]] (HP 40) in the early/mid 1990s because it was regarded unfashionable and also because new tear gas canisters became hard to obtain since they contained the hazardous substance: [[Dichlorodifluoromethane|Freon-12]].

==Manufacture and use==
[[File:Swedish troops detain white Katangese sniper.jpg|thumb|The Kpist m/45 in service (left) with Swedish soldiers during the [[Congo Crisis]].]]
The Swedish Army list price of the Carl Gustaf m/45 in the late 1970s was around 600 [[Swedish kronor]].<ref>Eric B. [https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2017/09/04/swedish-championships-carl-gustav-m45/ "The Swedish Championships with Carl Gustav M/45"]. Published 9/4/2017. Retrieved 3/20/25.</ref>

The Carl Gustaf m/45 was replaced as main infantry weapon in the Swedish Armed Forces during the mid-1960s with the [[Automatkarbin 4]] battle rifle in [[7.62×51mm NATO]], but remained in use for auxiliary troops like artillery gun crews, supply- and engineering troops and the like until starting in 1986 being replaced with the [[5.56×45mm NATO|5.56mm]] [[Ak 5]] assault rifle. On 2 April 2007 the kpist m/45 was officially declared obsolete when it was retired from the [[Home Guard (Sweden)|Home Guard]] who were the last users in the Swedish Armed Forces.<ref name="militarhistoria" />

In addition to Sweden, several other countries have used the weapon, with versions of the weapon being produced in Egypt and the United States.

===Licensed production in Egypt===
[[File:Weapons and military equipment found in Timbuktu, Mali, 8 September 2016 04.jpg|thumb|A Carl Gustaf m/45, probably a ''Port Said'' variant, seized in 2016 during the [[Northern Mali conflict]].]]
The m/45 has been manufactured under license in Egypt as the ''Port Said'' and the ''Akaba''. The tooling needed for production, as well as technical assistance, was sold by Sweden to Egypt during the 1950s. The ''Port Said'' looks and functions exactly as the m/45 (first version while the Akaba is a modified and simplified version). The ''Akaba'' has no barrel jacket and a slightly shorter barrel and the folding butt stock has been replaced by a telescoping wire butt stock similar to the one used on the US [[M3 submachine gun|M3A1]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vhu.cz/exhibit/egyptsky-samopal-akaba/ |title=Egyptský samopal Akaba |trans-title=Egyptian Akaba submachine gun |website=Vojenský historický ústav Praha |date=25 March 2013 |language=cs}} See also {{ill|Vojenský historický ústav Praha|cs}}.<!--Per documentation don't use this template directly in CS1--></ref> The simplified sights of the ''Akaba'' were moved to the front (unprotected post) and back (protected peep) of the receiver.

===Use by the United States in Southeast Asia===
During the [[Vietnam War]], the [[United States Navy SEALs|US Navy SEALs]] used the m/45 extensively. One of the gun's qualities which appealed to the US Navy was that the m/45 can fire almost immediately out of the water (over the beach). It also saw use by CIA operatives and advisers. In US service it was largely known as the "Swedish-K" or "K-Rifle".<ref>{{cite web |last=Bishop |first=Paul |title=Karl Gustav M/45 'Swedish K' |url=http://www.modernforces.com/weapon_swedish.htm |website=MACV-SOG Living History Group |access-date=10 September 2013}}</ref> The US Navy was so impressed by the m/45 that when Sweden embargoed the export of weapons to the United States in 1966, [[Smith & Wesson]] was given the task of producing a copy. This was designated the [[Smith & Wesson M76]]. However, by the time the M76 was ready for combat deployment, the US Navy interest had largely evaporated.<ref name="modernfirearms02">{{cite web |url=http://world.guns.ru/smg/usa/smith-wesson-m76-e.html |title=Smith & Wesson M76 |website=World Guns|date=27 October 2010 }}</ref> Many of the m/45s used by US forces and agencies were devoid of markings, implying clandestine use ("sanitized").<ref>{{Cite magazine |first=John L. |last=Plaster |publisher=National Rifle Association |title=Behind Enemy Lines: Guns of Vietnam's SOG Warriors |url=https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/behind-enemy-lines-guns-of-vietnam-s-sog-warriors/ |access-date=2024-02-04 |magazine=American Rifleman |language=en}}</ref>

===Illegal production in South America===
In 1975, the [[Revolutionary Coordinating Junta]], a Cuban-backed far-left internationalist organization, established a clandestine military factory in [[Buenos Aires]]. Although it was easy to produce explosives, there was a severe lack of materials to make firearms. In order to revert this, a Bolivian engineer, nicknamed "Comrade N", aiming to design "a submachine gun with the characteristics of an [[Uzi]], but easier to build and disassemble and using 9mm ammunition" came out with the JCR-1. It was presented by the Argentinian [[People's Revolutionary Army (Argentina)|People's Revolutionary Army]] through its newspaper {{lang|es|Estrella Roja}} as a lightweight and concealable weapon.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/details/estrella-roja-n-49.-1975-marzo-10/page/n15/mode/2up|title=JCR Modelo 1 |date=10 March 1975 |newspaper=Estrella Roja |number=49 |via=<!--El Topo Blindado – not in evidence at this URL-->Internet Archive}}</ref> Approximately 5,000 units were manufactured, though only a few hundred could be assembled until the [[Argentine Army]] dismantled the factory in late 1975.

==Users==
<!--READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you.-->
*{{flag|Algeria}}<ref name="jones2009">{{cite book |editor1-first=Richard D. |editor1-last=Jones |editor2-first=Leland S. |editor2-last=Ness |title=Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010 |date=January 27, 2009 |edition=35th |publisher=Jane's Information Group |location=Coulsdon |isbn=978-0-7106-2869-5}}</ref>
*{{CAF}}: ex-Zairan ''Port Said''s<ref name ='SAS 2005'/>
*{{flag|Egypt}}: Manufactured locally under license as the ''Port Said'' and ''Akaba''.<ref name="jones2009"/>
*{{flag|Estonia}}: [[Estonian Defence League]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mil.ee/kaitsevagi/tehnika/relvad/kasitulirelvad/#t-9-mm-pustolkuulipilduja-m-45-b |title=Käsitulirelvad: 9 mm Püstolkuulipilduja M/45 B  |trans-title=Small Arms: 9 mm submachine gun M/45 B |language=et |publisher=[[Estonian Defence Forces]] |access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref>
*{{flag|Indonesia}}: Manufactured locally under license.<ref name="carl-gustaf-m45-e">{{cite web |url=http://world.guns.ru/smg/swed/carl-gustaf-m45-e.html |title=Carl Gustaf M/45 |date=27 October 2010 |website=Modern Firearms}}</ref>
* {{flag|Iraq}}: ''Port Said'' variant used by Iraqi insurgents<ref name="SAS 2012 10">{{cite book |url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2012.html |chapter-url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2012/eng/Small-Arms-Survey-2012-Chapter-10-EN.pdf |chapter=Surveying the Battlefield: Illicit Arms In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia |title=Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2012 |author=Small Arms Survey |author-link=Small Arms Survey |page=321 |isbn=978-0-521-19714-4 |access-date=2018-08-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831002411/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2012.html |archive-date=2018-08-31 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flag|Ireland}}:<ref>{{cite book |title=Jane's Guns Recognition Guide |last=Hogg |first=Ian |year=2002 |publisher=Harper Collins |isbn=0-00-712760-X |page=223}}</ref> The [[Irish Army]] used the Carl Gustaf until it was replaced by the [[Steyr AUG]].
*{{flag|Jordan}}: ''Port Said'' variant<ref name="Arabs"/>
*{{flag|Paraguay}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
*{{flag|Sweden}}<ref name="modernfirearms01" />
*{{flag|United States}}<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/sealsudtsealoper00bosi/page/114 |title=SEALs: UDT/SEAL operations in Vietnam |first=T. L. |last=Bosiljevac |year=1991 |publisher=[[Ballantine Books|Ballantine]] |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/sealsudtsealoper00bosi/page/114 114] |isbn=080410722X}}</ref>
* {{Flag|South Vietnam}}: [[Civilian Irregular Defense Group program]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Green Beret in Vietnam 1957–73 |series=Warrior |volume=28 |first=Gordon L. |last=Rottman |date=25 July 2002 |isbn=978-1-85532-568-5 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing|Osprey]] |page=41}}</ref> and [[ARVN]]<ref name="VietnamPers">{{cite book |title=Personal Firepower |first=Edward Clinton |last=Ezell |publisher=Bantam Books |year=1988 |series=The Illustrated History of the Vietnam War |volume=15 |oclc=1036801376 |url=https://archive.org/details/personalfirepowe00ezel |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/personalfirepowe00ezel/page/60 60] |isbn=978-0-55334-549-0}}</ref>
*{{flag|Ukraine}}<!--Social media is not a reliable source: <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://twitter.com/CalibreObscura/status/1590763291583733760/photo/3 |author=@CalibreObscura | date=10 November 2022 | title=Ukrainian forces on the border with Belarus using... Carl Gustaf m/45! |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110201825/https://twitter.com/CalibreObscura/status/1590763291583733760|archive-date=November 10, 2022}}</ref>--><ref>{{Cite web |last=TAB |date=2024-03-10 |title=Swedish K In Ukraine – Update |url=https://armourersbench.com/2024/03/10/swedish-k-in-ukraine-update/ |access-date=2024-04-07 |website=The Armourers Bench |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=TAB |date=2024-01-21 |title=Vintage Weapons In a Modern War: Swedish K in Ukraine |url=https://armourersbench.com/2024/01/21/vintage-weapons-in-a-modern-war-swedish-k-in-ukraine/ |access-date=2024-04-07 |website=The Armourers Bench |language=en}}</ref>
* {{flag|Zaire}}: used ''Port Said'' variant<ref name ='SAS 2005'>{{cite book |url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2005.html |chapter-url= http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2005/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2005-Chapter-11-EN.pdf |chapter=The Central African Republic: A Case Study of Small Arms and Conflict |title=Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2005 |author=Small Arms Survey |author-link=Small Arms Survey |page=318 |isbn=978-0-19-928085-8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109192749/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2005.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 9, 2010}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Madsen M-50]]
*[[New Nambu M66]]
*[[Smith & Wesson M76]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{YouTube|gAPqM0M2Vec|Swedish K Comparison: Model m/45 v m/45B}} ([[Forgotten Weapons]])

{{commons}}

{{Weapons made in Sweden 1914–1945|style=wide}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carl Gustaf M 45}}
[[Category:9mm Parabellum submachine guns]]
[[Category:Submachine guns of Sweden]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1945]]