Carl Gustav m/45 Submachine Gun – Unwilligly Famous
Introduction
Like many people of my generation, I first discovered MACV-SOG through Major John L. Plaster’s book SOG: The Secret Wars of America’s Commandos in Vietnam (1997), published after the organization’s existence and missions were declassified.
MACV-SOG (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group) was a highly classified, joint U.S. special-operations organization created in 1964 to conduct covert and unconventional warfare operations during the Vietnam War. Its missions encompassed strategic reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, psychological warfare, personnel recovery, raids, and other clandestine activities. Although headquartered in South Vietnam, MACV-SOG operated across a much wider area, conducting missions in North Vietnam and, most notably, highly sensitive cross-border operations in Laos and Cambodia.
MACV-SOG employed a remarkably diverse array of weapons, many of them of non-American origin. Foreign-made weapons were particularly useful during clandestine cross-border operations, especially in Laos and Cambodia, where avoiding an obvious American signature and maintaining plausible deniability were important considerations.
One of the weapons used by MACV-SOG was the Swedish Carl Gustaf m/45 submachine gun, commonly known in U.S. service as the “Swedish K.” According to Major John L. Plaster, it was initially the standard submachine gun carried by SOG reconnaissance personnel: “Initially the Swedish K submachine gun was SOG’s standard recon weapon. Only 21 inches long with its stock folded and weighing 6.1 pounds empty, it was a superbly balanced and 100-percent reliable weapon. With its generous 36-round magazine, a recon man carried a basic load of 12 magazines, plus one in the weapon, for a total of 468 rounds. Its basic shortcoming—as with all 9mm submachine guns—was the inadequate terminal ballistics of its projectile.”
An integrally suppressed version of the Carl Gustaf m/45 was also developed and became particularly popular among CIA personnel, U.S. Naval Special Warfare units, and, of course, MACV-SOG, whose clandestine operations placed a premium on compact, quiet weapons.
As the Vietnam War continued, public and political opposition to the conflict grew in Sweden, and by 1966 the Swedish government had halted further sales of the Carl Gustaf m/45 to the United States. Faced with the limited availability of weapons and spare parts, the U.S. Navy approached Smith & Wesson to develop an American-made alternative. In only nine months, Smith & Wesson developed the Model 76 (M76), a submachine gun whose overall configuration and appearance closely resembled that of the Swedish Carl Gustaf m/45.
Description
The Carl Gustaf m/45 was developed in 1944, towards the end of the Second World War, and adopted by the Swedish Army in 1945 following comparative trials against a competing design from Husqvarna Vapenfabrik. Designated Kulsprutepistol m/45 (Kpist m/45), it served as the Swedish Army’s standard submachine gun until the mid-1960s, when it began to be replaced by the Automatkarbin 4 (Ak 4) battle rifle. However, the m/45 remained in service with support units and the Swedish Home Guard for several more decades, finally being officially withdrawn in April 2007.
The Carl Gustaf m/45 was also produced under licence in Egypt as the Port Said, alongside a simplified variant known as the Akaba.
The weapon’s design incorporated features already found on several earlier submachine guns, including the German MP 40, the British Sten, and the Soviet PPSh-41 and PPS-43. Like these weapons, the m/45 was largely constructed from stamped steel and operated by simple blowback from an open bolt. It was also fitted with a tubular metal stock that folded forward along the right side of the receiver, making the weapon considerably more compact for transport and carrying.
The standard m/45 was capable of fully automatic fire only, at a relatively slow cyclic rate of approximately 550–600 rounds per minute. Its safety mechanisms were relatively simple: a safety notch at the rear of the charging-handle slot allowed the bolt to be secured in the rear position, while the bolt could also be locked in the forward position by pressing the charging handle inwards.
The m/45 weighs 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) unloaded with an empty 36-round magazine fitted, and approximately 4.2 kg (9.3 lb) fully loaded. It measures 808 mm (31.8 in) in overall length with the stock extended and 550 mm (22 in) with the stock folded.
The original m/45A featured a removable magazine well, allowing it to use both the Finnish Suomi KP/-31 40-round box magazine and 71-round drum magazine. In 1954, the improved m/45B variant was introduced with a permanently welded magazine well designed specifically for the m/45’s 36-round magazine.
The 36-round magazine uses a double-column, double-feed configuration and has a distinctive trapezoidal profile, being wider at the rear than at the front. This additional space accommodates the taper of the 9×19 mm Parabellum cartridges and promotes reliable feeding. The magazine was particularly well suited to adverse conditions, including dusty environments and sub-zero temperatures, where conventional parallel-sided magazines could be more susceptible to feeding problems.
The m/45 is fitted with simple mechanical iron sights, consisting of a protected front blade and a protected flip-type rear aperture notch sight with settings for 100 and 200 metres.
In my view, the m/45 can essentially be regarded as a refined development of the basic concept embodied by the British Sten. It retained much of the same mechanical simplicity, but combined it with a more reliable vertically mounted magazine and a folding stock. The similarities are particularly apparent in the bolt and safety mechanisms, as well as in the general method of disassembly, including the removable barrel assembly.
At the range
When first handling the Carl Gustaf m/45 (the example available for my test-firing session was a Model m/45A), the weapon feels surprisingly light and well balanced. Its handling is broadly similar to that of the STEN, although the vertically mounted magazine is noticeably easier to insert and remove. Overall, the m/45 gives the impression of a more refined and ergonomic weapon while retaining the mechanical simplicity that characterises the STEN.
Loading the magazine is straightforward thanks to its double-column, double-feed configuration.
The folding buttstock is released by pressing the retaining latch located near the rear of the receiver, allowing the stock to be folded or extended as required.
The flip-type rear notch sight is simple and robust and is reminiscent of the arrangement found on the Soviet PPS 43. Personally, however, I still prefer the STEN's ghost-ring aperture sight, which I find quicker and more intuitive to use.
Lets load and fire!
The Carl Gustaf m/45 is a remarkably pleasant and controllable submachine gun to shoot. One of its most distinctive characteristics is its relatively low cyclic rate of approximately 550–600 rounds per minute, which not only makes fully automatic fire surprisingly manageable but also allows an experienced shooter to fire single shots with relative ease, despite the absence of a semi-automatic firing mode.
The folding metal stock provides adequate stability, while the weapon’s straightforward ergonomics, simple controls and reliable 36-round double-column, double-feed magazine further contribute to its ease of handling and overall practicality.
The shooting experience is very similar to that of the STEN, but with improved ergonomics, particularly the pistol grip and magazine placement, as well as better sights, all reminiscent of those found on the Soviet PPS-43. In my opinion, the STEN and PPS-43 rank among the finest submachine guns of the Second World War.
Conclusion
Researching and test-firing the Carl Gustaf m/45 was a fascinating experience that gave me a much better understanding of why it became one of the weapons of choice for MACV-SOG operators during the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to test-fire a suppressed version.
Overall, the Carl Gustaf m/45 demonstrates how a relatively uncomplicated design can deliver excellent practical shooting characteristics. While it lacks the sophistication of some later submachine guns, its controllability, reliability and simplicity make it one of the most enjoyable submachine guns of its generation to shoot.
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