Sudayev's PPS-43: Submachine Gun Simplicity Perfected

This review of the Madsen Model 1945 submachine gun, presented by Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons from the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, highlights its unique design and historical context. The firearm is noted for its quality construction, pistol-like reciprocating slide, and use of Suomi magazines. Despite its advanced features for the time, its complexity and cost led to commercial failure, making it an extremely rare collector's item.

This review of the WWII PPSh-41 submachine gun covers the practical aspects of loading its distinctive 71-round drum magazine. The video demonstrates the winding mechanism and spiral loading technique, followed by a live-fire sequence showcasing the weapon's operation, muzzle flash, and recoil. It provides a hands-on look at a classic firearm's functionality.

This review delves into the Walther MPK submachine gun, a competitor to the Uzi and MP5. Key features include an open bolt design, a non-reciprocating charging handle with a manual forward assist, and a secondary safety sear catch to prevent accidental discharges. The MPK offered selector options for full-auto and, in some variants, semi-automatic fire.

Gearhead Guns is producing a Type 100 Nambu PCC recreation, with the first batch shipping around March. It's available in 9mm Parabellum with 9-inch or 16-inch barrel configurations for SBR compliance. Customization options include various metal and wood finishes, with optional bayonet lugs.

This review of the Hungarian K1 Kucher light submachine gun highlights its economical and efficient, albeit aesthetically challenging, design. The firearm utilizes a simple blowback, open bolt action and features a PPSh-style safety mechanism with a distinct semi-auto selector. Notably, its magazine shares similarities with the PPS-43 Sudayev but has unique catch designs, and the ejector is integrated into the sheet metal magazine well.

The Beretta Model 57 is a rare select-fire carbine chambered in .30 Carbine, developed in the late 1950s specifically for Morocco. It features a unique dual trigger system for semi-automatic and full-automatic fire, a gas tappet operation, and a tilting bolt mechanism. The rifle's 30-round magazines are noted for their superior construction compared to standard M1 Carbine magazines.

This video details the unique 'French Finger Trap' issue with the MAS-36 rifle's bayonet, where two rifles can become unintentionally locked together. A 1951 French arsenal memorandum identified this problem, proposing a simple modification to the bayonet handle. Drilling a small hole allows a tool, like a firing pin, to depress the internal spring, enabling the separation of locked rifles.

The M134 Minigun is a scaled-down 7.62 NATO rotary cannon, requiring 24V DC power and consuming 1.5 kW. Its high rate of fire (3,000+ RPM) is essential for aircraft engagement windows. The complex delinker mechanism is critical for feeding ammunition, and practical hand-held use is impossible due to weight and recoil. Live fire demonstrates rapid ammunition consumption and the need for indirect aiming.

The H&K G11 is a revolutionary prototype assault rifle designed in the late 20th century, notable for its caseless ammunition and unique rotating drum bolt mechanism. Despite advanced features like a 2000 RPM burst fire rate and integrated optics, its development was ultimately halted by geopolitical shifts and cost concerns.

This video demonstrates the assembly and live-fire of the German 1936 pattern light mortar (L.Gr.W.36). It highlights the mortar's leveling mechanism for accuracy and the difficulty in visually tracking its 50mm projectiles after firing. The content showcases historical military hardware and its operational use.