"EROP" was a small company based in Paris, which produced about 18 submachine gun prototypes between 1954 and 1956. These were submitted to French military trials in several different configurations first in 1954 and later in 1956, and none of them were given any further consideration after that....

The Vigneron was Belgium's standard submachine gun during the early years of the Cold War. It was originally adopted as the M1 in 1953, and about 21,300 were made. In 1954, several modifications were made, resulting in the M2 pattern. Many of the original M1s were converted to M2 specification, a...

We quite literally peak behind the curtain in this week's episode to examine why making a semi-automatic firearm (like the Sten) is so much more difficult than one that's purely automatic (like the MP 40).

Join Jonathan as he takes this real-life World of Guns cross-sectional look at one of Brit...

Gevarm was the gun-making subsidiary of Gevelot, a long-standing French ammunition manufacturer. In 1956 they brought a simple new submachine gun to market. It was chambered for 9mm Parabellum, with a simple blowback action. The construction was very basic, a combination of a tube receiver, stamp...

The Zastava M51 is a prototype Yugoslav submachine gun developed before the adoption of the M56. It uses elements of the Beretta M38 (namely the captive recoil spring system) and PPSh-41 (the selector switch and magazine well) along with a collapsing stock reminiscent of the Polish PM63 machine p...

At the end of September it was confirmed that Russian aircrew survival kits will now include PP-2000 submachine guns. Sources suggest that the PP-2000 and PLK pistol will replace the Makarov and Stetchkin APS currently in service.

Be sure to check out our accompanying article for this video her...

In this video Matt looks at the history of Australia's attempt to improve the British STEN gun - the AUSTEN. Despite efforts to improve on the austere STEN, the Australian Army quickly discovered their other indigenous design, the Owen Machine Carbine, was superior. Production Note: This video is...

In this episode Matt takes a look at an interesting hybrid Sten gun that takes parts from both the MkII and MkIII. It's origins are uncertain but it seems to have been an interesting project gun. This gun may be related to the T42 Sten prototype, part of the Sten MkIV development program. Check o...

In this episode Matt takes a look at a rarely seen South American submachine gun, the FAMAE PAF. The PAF was FAMAE's first attempt at submachine gun production, they chose an excellent weapon to copy, basing the PAF on the British Sterling Mk4 (L2A3). Check out our website https://armourersbench....

In this episode Matt takes a look at an Australia's last general issue submachine gun, the F1. Taking cues from both the Australian Owen Gun and the British Sterling submachine gun, the F1 is a fascinating but relatively unknown Cold War submachine gun. Check out our website https://armourersbenc...

In this episode we bring you our first live fire and slow motion footage! Matt had the opportunity to fire a British L2A3 Sterling submachine gun and Vic captured some great video. The Sterling was adopted by the British military in 1954 and standardised as the L2A3 in 1956. The gun featured in t...

When we think of Winchester we think of lever actions and timeless John Browning designs, we don’t usually think about submachine guns. In this episode Matt brings us the very first look at Winchester’s Experimental Submachine Guns developed during the mid-1950s. Very little is known or written a...

The British Army tested the Sterling SMG all over the world, one of the most hostile environments it was tested in was the Malayan jungle. Troops there fitted several trials guns with a shotgun-style rib sight. It was hoped this would improve fast snap shooting during jungle patrols when contact ...

In this TAB Short Matt discusses how historically accurate COD:WWII's Sterling model is and whether early Sterling SMG prototypes saw action during World War Two. This is something a little different to our normal content, Matt decided to discuss it as he's just written a book about the Sterling ...

We're very excited to take a privileged look at the Type 64, an integrally suppressed submachine gun designed in China in the early 1960s. Taking several design elements from other Combloc small arms, it fired a special subsonic, spitzer 7.62x25mm round. Check out Matt's accompanying article abou...

In 1946 the French military began the search for a new submachine gun. They were looking for a compact 9x19mm weapon and examined submissions from the French state-owned arsenals and private companies. Today, we're looking at Hotchkiss' entry - the 'Type Universel', a unique weapon with a folding...

The Hotchkiss Type Universel has a unique folding stock and telescoping barrel - here's how it works. Be sure to check out our full video & the accompanying article on the Hotchkiss here - http://armourersbench.com/2020/04/27/hotchkiss-type-universal If you enjoy our work please consider supporti...

We begin our in-depth series on the Sten Gun by looking at the men behind the design and examining just how it got its unusual name. Does the 'EN' of Sten really stand for 'Enfield'? Perhaps not. Check out our accompanying article for this video here - http://armourersbench.com/2020/05/17/the-ste...

The Madsen M50 is one of the quintessential early Cold War submachine guns. Cheap, simple and utilitarian. Be sure to check out our accompanying for this video here - https://armourersbench.com/2020/07/12/madsen-m50-live-fire/ If you enjoy our work please consider supporting us via Patreon, TAB i...

We continue our STEN gun series by looking at the various magazine loading tools developed to help load the STEN's difficult to load magazines. Check out Richard's channel - https://www.youtube.com/VickersMGCollectionResearchAssociation And for more about his work with the Vickers Machine Gun Res...

The 1942 British Thompson Submachine Gun manual. Let's take a look inside. It's essential for soldiers to know how to use and maintain their weapons properly. We've been collecting training manuals, pamphlets and handbooks to give us a wider understanding of how troops were trained and how they u...

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of filming some segments on small arms for the new documentary on the Rhineland Campaign – ‘Rhineland 45‘. Not all of the segments I filmed discussing weapons could be included in the finished documentary – I filmed quite a few – so I’m pleased to share a coup...

This copy or clone of a Sterling Mk4 / L2A3 submachine gun is believed to have been assembled during The Troubles by Loyalist paramilitaries. Although which group made it is unknown and its origins are unclear, it's a fascinating example of clandestine engineering which shows considerable skill i...

The iconic submachine gun has been seen with Ukrainian forces on a number of occasions over the last few months. In this video we look at some sightings of the Uzi in Ukraine. Be sure to check out our accompanying article for this video here - http://armourersbench.com/2023/05/14/uzi-in-ukraine/ ...