×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Infantry Arms Warships & Submarines Military Pay Chart (2023) Military Ranks
Advertisements
HOME
INFANTRY
MODERN ARMIES
SPECIAL FORCES
COUNTRIES
MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE
BY CONFLICT
BY TYPE
BY DECADE
COLD WAR
VIETNAM WAR
Infantry Small Arms / The Warfighter

Smith & Wesson Model 76


Submachine Gun (SMG) [ 1967 ]



The Smith and Wesson M76 submachine gun was nothing more than an American copy of the Swedish m/45.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/26/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Advertisements
Entering the Vietnam War (1955-1975), the United States Navy SEALs (SEa, Air and Land) special forces employed all manner of weaponry for their various clandestine sorties in the region. The Teams utilized suppressed pistols, shotguns, experimental assault weapons and various submachine gun types when engaging enemies behind the frontlines. One weapon that found favor was the Swedish-originated Carol Gustav m/45 submachine gun line which promoted compactness, a proven man-stopping round and reliability in an otherwise unforgiving combat environment.

The m/45 was born during World War 2 (1939-1945) where Sweden managed to stay neutral during the conflict despite the invasions of Norway to its West and Finland to its East. Despite their neutrality, work was undertaken on several weapons of note including tanks and various small arms. The m/45 submachine gun, adopted in 1945, proved itself a highly-conventional submachine gun design utilizing a simple, straight blowback action while chambered for the widely available German 9x19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge firing from a 36-round detachable box magazine. Some 300,000 of the type were produced from 1945 to 1964 and additional stock emerged through local production in Egypt (as the "Port Said/Akaba") and Indonesia.

However, in 1966, Sweden halted its export of weapons to the United States in protest of the Vietnam War. This left the SEALs without a reliable stock of new m/45s and all-important spares, prompting famous American gunmaker Smith & Wesson to attempt a local copy based on the m/45 and sell this model to the US Navy. This work produced the local "M76" ("Model 76") which was made available by 1967. However, the US Navy held little interest in acquiring the weapon as the war had moved along, leaving the M76 as nothing more than a footnote in American firearms history. The limited batch of units that were produced between 1967 and 1975 eventually made up some of the US Navy stock and was procured by some US law enforcement branches and a few civilian owners. Clones of the weapon saw limited sale as the "M760" (under license by "MK Arms") and the "M76A1" (under gunmaker "Global Arms") for a time.©MilitaryFactory.com
Advertisements

As in the Swedish design, the M76 was chambered for the 9x19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge and utilized a basic blowback action. It offered a rate-of-fire of 720 rounds per minute. Feeding could be by way of a 14-, 24- or 36-round detachable box magazine. Sighting was through a front and rear iron installation. The weapon weighed 7.25 when unloaded and a manageable 8.75lbs when loaded. Its overall length measured 30.5 inches though, with its hinged, foldable stock, it would be collapsed down to a handier 22.5 inches. Its barrel was just 8 inches long.

Its receiver was tubular in shape with a threaded, perforated heat shield over the barrel. The charging handle was set to the right side as was the ejection port, the latter fitted over the magazine well. The trigger was mated to the pistol grip handle at the rear and featured a large ring guard suitable for a gloved hand. The rear iron sight was set over the grip area while the forward sight was just forward of the ejection port along the receiver. The shoulder stock was a thin, wired frame design and hinged to fold over the left side of the receiver. Magazines were straight, detachable boxes and inserted into the awaiting well, doubling as a vertical forward grip.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
Advertisements

Specifications



Service Year
1967

Origin
United States national flag graphic
United States

Classification


Submachine Gun (SMG)


National flag of the United States United States
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Special Forces
Qualities of this weapon have shown its value to Special Forces elements requiring a versatile, reliable solution for the rigors of special assignments.


Overall Length
774 mm
30.47 in
Barrel Length
203 mm
7.99 in
Empty Wgt
7.23 lb
3.28 kg
Sights


Iron Front and Rear


Action


Blowback-Operated

Blowback Operation
Gas pressure from the rearward movement of the ignited cartridge case provides the needed bolt movement, ejecting the spent case and stripping a fresh case from the magazine.
(Material presented above is for historical and entertainment value and should not be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation - always consult official manufacturer sources for such information)


Caliber(s)*


9x19 Parabellum

Sample Visuals**


Graphical image of a 9mm pistol cartridge
Rounds / Feed


14-, 24- or 36-round detachable box magazine
Cartridge relative size chart
*May not represent an exhuastive list; calibers are model-specific dependent, always consult official manufacturer sources.
**Graphics not to actual size; not all cartridges may be represented visually; graphics intended for general reference only.
Rate-of-Fire
720
rds/min
Muzzle Velocity
1,394 ft/sec
(425 m/sec)


M76 - Base Series Designation
M76A1 - M76 copies produced by Kennieth Dominick firm under the brand of Global Arms.
MK760 - License-production of the Smith & Wesson M76 as produced by the MK Arms company.


Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2


Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.

Images Gallery



1 / 1
Image of the Smith & Wesson Model 76
Right side view of the Smith & Wesson SW M76 submachine gun


Advertisements




Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies


2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons.

View day-by-day actions of the American Civil War with CivilWarTimeline.net. View day-by-day actions of World War II with SecondWorldWarHistory.com.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)