Carl-Gustav m/21-m37 (Kulsprutegevar KG m/21-m/37)

Light Machine Gun (LMG) / Squad Support Weapon

Sweden | 1921

"The Kulsprutegevar KG m/21 and m/37 guns were nothing more than modified Swedish Army versions of the famous American Browning Automatic Rifle."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/09/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image released to the Public Domain by the Swedish Army Museum.

The Belgian concern of Fabrique National began license production of the famous M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) in 1920 and its first export mark became the KG m/21 (or "Kulsprutegevar Model 21") developed to Swedish Army specifications. Like many other nations of the period, the Swedes looked to the M1918 to fulfill the squad automatic weapon role for its value in high volume suppression of enemy positions. The m/21 evolved the base M1918 (as the export "M1919" by Colt) design by adding a pistol grip (as opposed to integral grip along the shoulder stock) and a spiked bipod assembly for support fire. The largest change, however, lay in the conversion of the internals to fire the Swedish Army's 6.5x55mm "Swedish Mauser" cartridge. The 20-round detachable box magazine was retained - a limitation of the M1918 series as a whole.

Initial reactions were positive though the m/21 held a propensity to overheat its barrel assembly through prolonged fire. Thusly, Carl Gustafs Stads Gevarfaktori (now Bofors) took to developing a quick barrel changing function to the m/21 which allowed the operator to replace the barrel by managing a simple latch at the front of the receiver. The attached carrying handle facilitated handling of the hot barrel during the process. The wooden handguard of the original BAR was subsequently dropped. All other BAR functions remained intact. As such, Carl Gustafs ended producing the m/21 under its new designation of KG m/37 in 1937, promptly adopted by the Swedish Army in turn. Older m/21 marks were brought up to the new standard when possible.

By this point, the m/37 now truly fulfilled the light machine gun role, save for its limited 20-round magazine which was never addressed. A prototype belt-fed variant was experimented but never brought to service. Regardless, the m/37 remained in a frontline role until the adoption of the excellent Belgian Fabrique Nationale FN MAG General Purpose Machine Gun of 7.62x51mm NATO standard caliber during the post-World War 2 "Cold War" years. Even then, the m/37 existed in a reserve role within the Swedish Army inventory for a number of years. The FN MAG became widely available in 1958.

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Physical
The physical qualities of the Carl-Gustav m/21-m37 (Kulsprutegevar KG m/21-m/37). Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

1,168 mm
45.98 in
O/A Length

610 mm
24.02 in
Barrel Length

21.01 lb
9.53 kg
Weight

Gas-Operated; Tilting Breech Block
Action

6.5x55mm Swedish Mauser
Caliber(s)

20-round detachable box magazine
Feed

Iron Front and Rear
Sights

Performance
Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Carl-Gustav m/21-m37 (Kulsprutegevar KG m/21-m/37). Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

4,500 ft
1,371.6 m | 1,500.0 yds
Max.Eff.Range

500
Rounds-Per-Minute
Rate-of-Fire

2,450 ft/sec
747 m/sec
Muzzle Velocity

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Carl-Gustav m/21-m37 (Kulsprutegevar KG m/21-m/37) Light Machine Gun (LMG) / Squad Support Weapon family line.

KG m/21 - Fabrique National production of the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle; Swedish Army requirements included bipod assembly and dedicated pistol grip.

KG m/37 - Update of 1937; quick-change barrel functionality.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Carl-Gustav m/21-m37 (Kulsprutegevar KG m/21-m/37). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national small arms listing.

Contractor(s): Fabrique Nationale - Belgium / Carl Gustafs Stads Gevarsfaktori - Sweden

[ Sweden ]

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Image of the Carl-Gustav m/21-m37 (Kulsprutegevar KG m/21-m/37)

Image released to the Public Domain by the Swedish Army Museum.

Design Qualities
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to requirements.

AUTOMATIC FUNCTION

FIRE SUPPORT

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Going Further...
The Carl-Gustav m/21-m37 (Kulsprutegevar KG m/21-m/37) Light Machine Gun (LMG) / Squad Support Weapon appears in the following collections:

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