Submachine Guns

Saco Defense M683: A Super-Simple SMG for the US Army

September 2, 2026 Ian McCollum 1

During the 1980s, the US ran the Joint Service Small Arms Program to reduce the number of different small arms in US inventory. The most significant outcome of this program was the M9 pistol, but […]

MAS SE 1935 SMG: Emblematic of French Interwar Gun Development

August 26, 2026 Ian McCollum 24

Submachine guns made their entrance into military thinking during World War One. The French military saw this and decided to adopt one in the years after the war, although they saw it in a bit […]

FNA Brescia’s Last Project: The X4 and X5 SMG and Machine Pistol

August 10, 2026 Ian McCollum 8

FNA (Fabbrica Nazionale d’Armi) Brescia was a factory in the Val Trompia in northern Italy, the same valley that is home to Beretta and many other, smaller Italian arms shops. During World War Two the […]

Only for Algerian Terrorists: The Sola Super and Sola Leger SMGs

July 27, 2026 Ian McCollum 19

Sola (Société Luxembourgeoise d’Arms) was a company in Luxembourg that attempted to get into the arms business in the 1950s making simple, stamped 9mm open-bolt submachine guns. They produced two models, the Solar Super and […]

MAT 54 SB: A Semiautomatic SMG for Banks and Cash Trucks

July 3, 2026 Ian McCollum 4

The MAT 54 SB is a variation of the MAT 49/54, which was in turn the police model of the French MAT 49 submachine gun. Chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum, it uses MAT 49 magazines and […]

Isotta Fraschini (Albertini) Bent & Riveted SMG (MP40 Mag Version)

June 17, 2026 Ian McCollum 13

Isotta Fraschini was an Italian firm in Cavaria best known for making luxury automobiles before World War Two. It entered the arms industry during the war. It made mostly heavy weapons like aircraft cannons, and […]

Franchi LF-57 vs Colt SMG (w/ John Keene)

April 17, 2026 Ian McCollum 12

LF-57 Available from Morphys here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_N__MARS_EQUIPMENT_CORP_FRANCHI_M1962_MACHINE_GUN_-LOT667044.aspx Today John Keene and I are comparing and contrasting a pair of quite different submachine guns. One is a Franchi LF-57, a rare second generation stamped Italian design very […]