Vollmer M35

Series of German experimental automatic rifles

The Vollmer M 35 (also known as Vollmer-Maschinenkarabiner or MKb 35) consisted of a series of experimental automatic rifles developed by Heinrich Vollmer in the 1930s. The Vollmer rifles were chambered in an intermediate cartridge that was co-developed with Gustav Genschow and Co. (GECO) starting in 1934, under a Heereswaffenamt contract.^[1]^[2]

Design

The M 35 was a gas-operated design, reminiscent of an earlier semi-automatic design of Vollmer—the 7.92×57mm Selbstladegewehr 29 (SG 29). Trials with Vollmer's Maschinenkarabine were conducted as early as 1935 at Biberach and later at Kummersdorf. The early version had a 20-round detachable box magazine and could fire at a rate of about 1,000 rpm. Development continued with the improved versions M 35A, M 35/II (1937) and M 35/III through 1938. The later versions had intentionally reduced rate of fire to only about 300–400rpm.^[3] It weighed about 9.5 pounds (4.3 kg) and was about 38 inches (97 cm) long. About 25 prototypes were manufactured for testing.^[1] The gun was apparently very expensive to manufacture, costing 4000 Reichsmarks,^[2] although this was the unit cost for the prototype series.^[4]

The cartridge developed also had several variants including 7.75×40.5 mm, 7.75×39.5mm, and possibly a 7.62mm version as well, and had a total length of approximately 55 mm. (The actual calibre was apparently 7.9mm, with a bullet 8.05mm in diameter.^[5]) Muzzle velocity was about 700 m/s (2,280 feet per second). The boat-tailed bullet weighted 140 grains (9 grams).^[6]

Ultimately, Nazi Germany would adopt a different intermediate cartridge and service assault rifle: the MKB 42 series leading to the Sturmgewehr 44. The later Soviet 7.62×39mm M43 cartridge bore more dimensional similarity to the GECO M 35 cartridge than it did to the German 7.92×33mm Kurz that was used in the Sturmgewehr.^[1]^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c C. J. Chivers (2010). The Gun. Simon & Schuster. pp. 162–163 and 166. ISBN 978-1-4391-9653-3.
^ ^a ^b ^c Chris McNab (2001). The AK-47. MBI Publishing Company. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-0-7603-1025-0.
^ Chris McNab (2013). German Automatic Rifles 1941-45: Gew 41, Gew 43, FG 42 and StG 44. Osprey Publishing. pp. 10–11. ISBN 978-1-78096-387-7.
^ O. Janson, "Utvecklingen av stormkarbinen och de moderna automatkarbinerna", 2005-10-12, retrieved 2013-7-19
^ Anthony G Williams, ASSAULT RIFLES AND THEIR AMMUNITION: HISTORY AND PROSPECTS Archived 2014-06-02 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2013-7-19
^ P. Labbett, German Assault Rifle Ammunition Developments 1935–45, Guns Review, Volume 24, No. 4, April 1984.