Schmeisser's MP-18,I - The First True Submachine Gun
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ส.ค. 2017
- When Germany began looking in late 1915 for a new weapon ideally suited for the “last 200 meters” of a combat advance, Hugo Schmeisser’s blowback submachine gun would prove to be the weapon that would set the standard for virtually all submachine guns to come. It was a fully automatic only weapon with a simple blowback action and a rather slow 400 rpm rate of fire. Although relatively heavy, the only real shortcoming of the MP18,I was its use of 32 round Luger snail drum magazines, which was dictated by the German military. These magazines were unreliable and difficult to load, but they were already in production and were a reasonable logistical answer in a time when material and production shortages were an endemic problem in Germany.
The MP18,I managed to see frontline combat only in the closing few months of World War One (50,000 were initially ordered, 17,677 were produced before the Armistice, and only an estimated 3,000 actually saw frontline combat use). During that time, however, it made a significant impression, easily convincing anyone with an open mind that this new type of weapon would play a major role in future wars.
After the end of the war, the Germany Army was prohibited from using submachine guns, so most of the existing ones (including the example in today’s video) were transferred to police organizations instead.
/ forgottenweapons
Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! shop.bbtv.com/collections/forg...
If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! / inrangetvshow
how shitty would it be to get to the front in WW1 and instead of being handed a gun you get a bag of tromel mags and are told "here, follow this guy, hes got the gun" lol
at least you were not the target of snipers
@@pengstirbkuchen5987 hello
Justin Mckay huh
@@blankblank5409 hello
Justin Mckay hello
The salt that came from Ian as he said "Everyone in WWI was right handed"
Maybe back when eugenics was in its top being left-handed was considered as a disability thus left-handed people were not conscripted into the army when mobilizing? Just guessing.
@@vladimirye547 They were retaught, both my mother and uncle were natural lefties but were retaught to being righties
Thats just historical fact. Everyone in the world was right handed until 1920
@@sashaokoh2344 This. I don't think he was sarcastic because you were punished for using your left hand back then.
JonatasAdoM It is true, my left handed uncle was forced to be right handed during his childhood. I'm also left handed, but I chose what time to be born well.
If EA is to be believed, these were the most common firearms of World War 1 ...
never believe anything ea sais.
those fucktards dont know shit about anything anyway.
Bruh it's an arcade video game
@@conor1940 r/woosh
Uteriel r/woosh
@@uteriel282 Why are you saying that? Bf1 is truly a great game!
What I think the purpose of a separate firing pin part is that the designer assumed that firing so fast could damage the firing pin so he designed a firing pin that is easily replaceable and can be replicated by any decent metal lathe operator rather than having to repair the much more complex bolt
Seems very plausible indeed
It could also be a way to help reduce pierced primers. Ammunition technology was nowhere near as good as it is today. Pierced primers and ruptured cases were real concerns. The firing pin being a separate piece like that means it doesn't have the entire mass of the bolt slamming against the primer, possibly piercing it. Such a setup also allows a longer firing pin that can reach primers that might be seated deeper than spec that a fixed firing pin would not ignite.
Post war, ammunition quality either improved that it wasn't necessary or other designers determined that it wasn't a big enough problem to be worth the trouble.
After watching a rebuild video that touches on the topic, I believe that the floating firing pin is to allow you to ride the bolt forward manually to use the extractor on a live round without punching the primer. I also like your explanation and am perfectly happy to believe the designer saw two functions in one design choice.
As a machinist, I'm guessing it's ease of manufacture. Instead of adding complicated milling procedures on the bolt, it's a few simple lathe operations to make the striker and the turning and milling of the bolt is easier and faster.
@Michael French I believe you are right, plus a firing pin which "wears out" or gets damaged is far cheaper than a new bolt
It was nicknamed by German soldiers the "Grabenfeger" ("trench cleaner")
(-feger: sweeper, as in broom, because you "sweep" the trench clean, from side to side, like sweeping with a broom.
We get it no explanation needed guy
So it was litterarily the thing Thompson copied, all the way to the nickname.
But they bitch about shotgun sweepers 🤔
@@zakharlock2162 Hey I did like the explanation.
I'm strangely attracted to sidemounted magazines.
Allow me to kill that for you. *ahem* sten mk1
Same. Wish someone made a 10/22 that took a side magazine. Or a PCC that took 9mm Glock magazines.
It takes courage to come out of THAT closet.
Strange fetish but i respect that
I would have to agree, theres just something aesthetically pleasing about them
As someone who damaged their hearing in combat, I really appreciate the effort put in to accurate subtitles (including punctuation haha) so that i can really understand the details in ian’s videos. People with perfect hearing take for granted the auto generated closed captions that are only about 50% accurate, and the rest being an ad-libs-esque mix of meaningless garbage. “Welcome to Forgotten Weapons, I’m Ian…” VS. “We come two for got ten when pins eye am Jan…”
I have perfect hearing but oml subtitles are my life, istg i go deaf when i watch shit like this 😭
Having accurate subtitles is usually a sign of a good channel that likes their audience
All matching numbers and in incredible condition for a firearm over 100 years old.
It's strange that the first sub-machine gun is also one of the best looking ever built. The beautiful drum magazine, the way it is angled against the gun, the holes around the barrel for cooling, the beautifully shaped wooden stock. It's just too damn sexy.
german design is german...
It was initally designed with a stcik mag. They had to put the drum on because they did not wnat to make another mag design. That mag and angle belong to the luger, so that is why it looks cool
German guns are like german cars. High quality and good looking.
That drum makes the gun stand in a perfect angle on the table, though.
Also, Schmeisser did a really good job. For being the first real SMG, this is excellent. It's almost like someone had an SMG from the future and described it on the phone, everything important is there. Same thing with the STG44, later guns are just refinements of the design.
I'd disagree about the STG-44, though. Whereas SMG designs still follow the same basic principles, assault rifles have a variety of mechanisms and have undergone pretty substantial evolution. I mean, hell, compare the Tavor/AUG or AN-94 to the STG-44--big differences.
SaltyWaffles Well, the AN-94 is a whole different can of worms.
Schmeisser should have designed a grenade launcher. "Schmeiss" means throw, so a schmeisser grenade launcher would actually mean thrower grenade launcher and i think thats pretty german to call it that way.
@@PhillipAmthor Funfact: when I was a child, I always thought that Schmeisser was the nickname for the gun because of this. "Schmeisser" could also be odd colloquial language for "pitcher" in German (it would generally describe a male thing or person who throws or flings something). Although the word isn't used, every German would understand what you said. So I thought its a made-up word by the soldiers. like: "Hans, get se Flinger over here...schnell!"
Plus high quality materials
German thinking:
MP: Lower rate of fire
MG: higher rate of fire
JusticeForGermany the Americans have the opposite thinking
MP:Machine Pistole
MG:Machine Gewehr
Also range and stopping power
it's a caliber thing: MGs fire rifle ammunition, MPs fire pistol ammunition. Now don't ask about MP7 please ;P
@@hendrickziegler8487 What, did i hear MP7 ....
By today's standards it might be a bit clunky, but considering it's the first gun of it's kind it's really an outstanding design.
KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
Many inventors of the time worked on whacky designs with WAY too many parts that were hard to make and/or quirky and/or brittle...
This is simple to design, easy to manufacture, sturdy, easy to use and easy to understand, and still kinda cheap. Well all that except for the drum mag, that was management decision, not the design's fault.
Surprisingly elegant in its simplicity for its day, and in surprisingly good condition for its age. Maybe Ian should throw it a 100th-birthday party, give it a German chocolate cake with candles shaped like 9x19mm Parabellum rounds.
This must be done
Lovely
i want that cake too
German chocolate cake is Prinzregententorte and that's a perversely nice but also complicated to make cake
0:14 Proof that Ian is really travelling thru time and getting all these guns from active battlefields.
DEAR GOD YOUR RIGHT 😂
Richard Budgell you’re*
@@richardbudgell7507 Ian's Left.
@@unfortunately_fortunate2000 finish your sentence please.
As an Engineer I'm almost positive the 'M.P. 18,I' is 'MP 18 Revision 1'. Model and part numbers always have rev numbers to indicate changes if they are needed. The fact that there are also MP 18,IV guns further makes me think this is the case. Likely Rev 2 & 3 never made it to production.
That does make sense. Always wondered what it meant so thank you
Its a beutifull design for its time
it's probably the ugliest gun I've ever seen
Just a Trash Player you must have a shit taste
Kampf Kanone no, it looks like a handheld batter mixer.
The only thing i dont like about it is its mag
@@nothingtoseehere1221 i am the opposite, I think the weird mag although impractical today, looks quite cool
That's really sweet!
TAOFLEDERMAUS 1 week ago?????
TAOFLEDERMAUS nice to see you on this channel
Patrons get early access.
TAOFLEDERMAUS A WEEK AGO WHAT SORCERY IS THIS!!!!!!!
Jeff's a Forgotten Weapons Patron? That's cool :D
For any Canadians (my apologies if someone mentioned it) that magazine is legal in its unaltered form(32 rounds). Also extremely expensive.
(a) is of the “snail-drum” type (schneckentrommel) that was originally designed or manufactured for use in a firearm that is a handgun known as the Parabellum-Pistol, System Borchardt-Luger, Model 1900, or “Luger”, or any variant or modified version of it, including the Model 1902, Model 1904 (Marine), Model 1904/06 (Marine), Model 1904/08 (Marine), Model 1906, Model 1908 and Model 1908 (Artillery) pistols;
as per regulations in firearms act.
"In WW1 everyone was right-handed"
Everything was good and everybody was right handed but then the fire nation attacked
Well yes.
Underrated!
Then that sniper helped tom hanks save that Pvt
Just out of curiosity, can the early MP 18s take normal Luger magazines?
Yes.
Forgotten Weapons I wish I was old enough to buy one. And wealthy enough
thats a funny mental immage, this big ol SMG with a tiney pistol box mag sticking out of the side
single stack, of all things....
What can I say? I find contradictions to be jocose.
you must be a very dry person to not find humor on the clashing nature of a nearly 10 pound pistol caliber weapon firing from a magazine of such Lilliputian size.
$13,000-$19,000 All I am going to say is thank fuck I am poor.
Isn't that remarkably low for such a rare gun that also is full-auto?
For a transferable machine gun, $19K really isn't all that much. I could definitely see this going for much higher.
I agree that $19k is fitting, but when comparing to other transferable machine guns, it's quite a deal. M16A1s can easily go for $25k. I've seen 1928 Thompsons for over $30k. Of course there a number of variables that dictate the crazy prices, but when comparing prices of all transferable MGs against one another, $19k is a pretty awesome price!
Granted, I'm too poor to afford one anyway. Hell, just a quick look on Gunbroker and I found a pair of firing pins for $195! For comparison, I can get an AR15 firing pin for $10, lol!
The cheapest full auto transferable you can get goes for $8k. It's the M2 carbine.
Like everyone else here, I'd like to say it's not that expensive. Not that I can ever afford it, but such rarities usually go for higher.
Plus is 9mm Luger, now branded (and overpressured) as the 9x19mm parabellum, one of the most popular cartridges ever.
Most people won't want to wear out their century old $20k relic, but there's always someone who will.
I was thinking $400,000
Germans:need an innovative weapon
Schmeisser:This is where the fun begins
Zis is vhere zhe fun begins
Had these two thoughts come to mind a little bit ago. There's two potential reasons why the Striker and Firing Pin assembly is made separate from the bolt of the MP-18,I:
1 - Maintenance. Germans tended to design things to last, and let's face it over several thousand firings, the point on the firing pin can wear down so it might not be as effective. Far cheaper and easier to mill that little bit instead of the whole bolt.
2 - Safety. It makes sense in this instance but it takes a moment to explain. Bolt cycles back, past the sear, trigger is down so it keeps cycling. Bolt comes Forward, and the second it picks up the new round off the magazine, there's resistance against the firing pin, but it's not fixed, it retracts that slight gap into the bolt face, and remains like that until the round is seated firmly in the chamber, at which point the spring power behind the striker/pin kicks in and it punches forward to actually trigger the primer on the round.
Didnt soldiers "fix" the balance issues by holding it by the magazine?
Of course but its still strangely balanced because you cant comprehend the recoil as good as if you would hold it at the barrel directly
It would probably have led to stoppages, or indeed to you ending up with the magazine pulled out of the mag housing...because the action of the breech block (bolt) when fired on auto would tend to make it pull up and to the right, the same directon as where the empty casings fly out...this is at least what I was taught when trained on the Sterling SMG in the British Army, which we never held by the magazine. But holding around the barrel you had to be careful not to inadvertently put a finger in front of the muzzle as Sterlings are short and we were used to the SLR (FN FAL), our primary weapon, which is a much longer weapon
@@simonh6371 Probably not so much on the mp-18, its got a pretty beefy magwell that had to support quite a bit of offset weight
@@baileyclifford2852 Okay understood. I was just trying to be smart based on my experience using one smg with a side mag i.e. the Sterling SMG
@@simonh6371 Don't take my word for it, i've never handled any SMG in my life, it was just theory
Thank you for putting this on TH-cam. I've seen this weapon in photographs and drawings of stormtroopers from WW1 but there was never much information about what they were or how long they were issued. You did a thorough job of describing it.
I have an ammo box from the Vietnam war and I showed it to my grandfather. He appreciated it and was interested in it. Sadly, he passed away today on 31 March 2020. He was 86 years of age.
11:35 The MP28, II was literally the MP18 version 2, its clear that they werent done with MP18 after its creation, and intended to update it soon in the future.
Excellent video Ian. You can really see the next 50 years of SMG developments here.
Would be really cool if you could do a video one the development of the mg 34 and mg 42. They have atlets two mg 34 and one mg 41 in this auction.
It Would also be really cool if you could do a video one the pps 43
deadfishbrohoof i know taths the largest diffrence but there also outher diffrences. The mg 34 has a rottating bolt. The mg 42 is a roller lock Gun . The fire rate is also diffrent.
Spencer King yea he kind of did. Not the development but he did a 3 videos about the tripod, trigger group and schooting with mg 34.com for many years ago
He actually already did a PPS43 video, it's gonna come out in a few days, it's patreon-only right now
Dankbeast Paul thank you for telling me. Can,t wait to see it.
FINNALY SOMEBODY MADE A VIDEO ON THE MP18
I know right
Because of shitfield 1?
Justinian 1 now we just need more firing videos
Mr. History that game wasnt even bad
Agreed now if Ian would do a comparison on the MP18 and 1928 Tommy gun plus a shooting test like the B.A.R and FG42
That is a really, really nice example of the MP18. Beautiful gun and so iconic. Thank you!
I was looking through your videos a while back for a video on this firearm and I was amazed you hadn't done one yet. I'm glad to see you've finally found one to mess with. The MP-18 and its variants have interested me for a very long time.
True German quality, gotta love the serial numbers on every single part!
If I’m not mistaken, I just saw Mae loading one of these mags. I’m hoping to see more! Maybe who ever won this auction was a friend of ours and we get to see more of it.
Amazing video as usual brotha. Best firearms channel out there!!!
A new video posted on my birthday, and it's about the SMG that started it all! Life is good. Obviously the Luger drum mag needs to go. I never knew that was what they used. A double stack double feed mag in the 25-30 round capacity range is the clear way to go. Or single feed like a Sten if that is necessary for the side mount. A modern semiauto version with a 16" barrel would be a lot of fun and fairly practical as well. That one is in amazingly good condition. It must have sat in a police armory for many years with little use. Great video as always. Thank you
It us amazing how little the basic design of the SMG has changed in the last 105 years !
Hey Ian.
I am from Germany and be kind of into guns for some time now.
My idea for the I. is that it is the first model of this gun, but it was already in mind to do some upgrades.
I can not confirm that theory but since it was really a very early design and had that... kind of weird magazin, I would guess that. Later it was done, but renamed as M-28 II., as far as I know.
Greetings 😊
Love your videos, a great source of education on weapons.
Design is so simple and nice, and unusual magazine gives charm and personality to this gun. Beautiful weapon
Thank you for making me feel better about how the soldiers are holding the weapon in BFV now ....
The way soldiers hold the mp18 in bf1 give me a stroke
Wikipedia states that there was no regulations put on Germany on submachineguns, only full machineguns, citing "Cornish, Paul (2009). Machine Guns and the Great War. Pen & Sword Books Limited. ISBN 978-1848840478."
"It is frequently repeated as fact that the Bergmann Muskete had so impressed the Allies during the 1918 campaign that they specifically banned its production and military issue. In fact no such prohibition appears in the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Strict controls were placed on the production of fire arms - principally by means of severely limiting the number of companies permitted to manufacture war materials - Bergmann was not among them. With regard to military issue, the numbers and types of weapons permitted to the 100,000-man German Army were carefully stipulated. There is no mention whatsoever made of machine pistols, although every other weapon type (apart from pistols) is listed - from cavalry carbines to 105mm Howitzers. Given the care that was taken to lay down such specific restrictions, it would appear that, far from having impressed the Allies, the MP18 had not really registered on their consciousness at all. The fact that they were still unconvinced of the utility of such weapons on the eve of the Second World War would also suggest that the impact of the MP18 on the fighting of 1918 was marginal."
Were the Americans as unconvinced as the British famously were on the utility of sub-machine guns? I figured the Prohibition-era use of the weapons would've been convincing.
prohibition wasn't until 1920. 2 years after ww1
@@fuzzydunlop7928 yeah until ww2 broke out and they started buying the Thompson.
Surprised the U.S never brought these home or adopted them could been a cheaper alternative to the Tommy gun
The Versaille Treaty provisions banned Germans from producing "automatic weapons" and this would have obviously included submachine guns.
Having said that, all stock registered 10.000 MP18s from WWI were later officially distributed between German Police and newly-formed Reichswehr, but the Allies had no idea that Germans managed to produce further 25.000 MP18s and to subsequently hide them away before the Versailles Treaty provisions actually entered into force.
Germans however secretly kept on developing, testing and producing various officially-banned weapons, including submachine guns, and so Schmeisser kept developing his gun for years to come in a secrecy up until 1935 when Nazi Germany officially rejected the Versailles Treaty provisions.
Great to see you finally got your hands on the real deal Ian!
Fascinating history. Well done.
Ian,
I have really enjoyed your well researched and (mostly) extremely accurate videos. I do have to ask one question however.
Where does the Versailles treaty mention the M18,I smg?
I have not been able to find any reference to it. Germany was limited on the number of machine guns its army could have, but I have not been able to find any specific reference to the M18,I. That appears to be a myth, a widely believed myth, but a myth nonetheless.
What have you found?
This might be a dumb question but is it possible that Shmeiser designed the bolt+firing pin to be in two pieces because that would be easier to work with if he decided to put a semi auto mechanism into the next generation of designs?
I was thinking in case the firing pin broke.
I was thinking for maintenance or cleaning, but then again if it was one piece it wouldent need cleaning so who knows
MP28 really had a semiauto mode, but the pin-body is a different one... Surely had this in mind, but till the MP28 came out, he has re-designed the pin, so not exactly the same pin in MP28. Best would be a screw with the pin on the screwhead, cause cheap and easily changable with a screwdriver...
Great Channel. The MP18 is awsome. Really like this weapon
Very cool! Great simple engineering
My great grandfather had one of these but the communists took it in 1946. :(
Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg Cool how he get it ? :)
Well, the warnings about fascists are not to be taken lightly just cause you hate antifa as well. Especially after Charlottesville. Not defending antifa at all. I don't like those guys either. But it was the KKK/Nazi scum that drove a car into a crowded street on american soil.
Edit: If you're gonna pick sides, pick the one for the people. Not the one driven by extremists hate (antifa, KKK, Neo-nazis, jihadists, etc).
+Your Average Commie Productions
As a German Russian Jew (ethnically, not religiously) let me tell you, both communism and fascism are equally bad.
Stalin killed more people than Hitler. So did Mao.
Antifa are a bunch of violent thugs, that destroy entire city blocks and get a raise out of burning down innocent peoples property. They are also the actual fascists of today.
Being Anti AntiFa, has naught to do with being a villain, it's common sense.
Your Average Commie Productions fuckin commie.
+The Naturrutan
Antifa burned down an entire city block in Hamburg.
They're all violent assholes, but *right now* AntiFa is a worse threat to democracy than the right.
However that can of course quickly change in the future.
1919 in Germany it was the Commies that were the biggest threat to our young democracy. Obviously by 1923, in a mere 4 years that had changed with Hitler trying to seize power in Munich and consequently topple the federal government.
What I'm trying to say is, yes the right is bad as well, and we shouldn't underestimate it, but currently we have bigger problems.
At West Point Museum they have a MP-18 in their submachinegun gallery along with the Italian Villar Parosa submachinegun. There is also a Luger with the drum magazine in the WWI gallery as well. Here's a bit of movie nitpicking on my part. In the Indiana Jones movies the Germans historically might have used the later versions of this submachinegun rather than the MP-38 and MP-40 machine pistols. (I may be wrong about the years those guns were issued.) Of course the MP-38/40 are better looking and probably easier to get then the MP-18 versions, though some were used in the Last Crusade movie.
Don't even get started about that tank!
God i would love one of these. The mags are so cool looking, thr wiod furniture and the barrel jacket are great.
Been waiting to see an MP18 video for a while :)
12:32 looks like Schmeisser put his website on the receiver
Porn link
we found it, the one gun where making it use glock mags would actually be an improvement
One of these with a 32 round glock mag would be pretty cursed.
33 round glock mag
thats awesome that it's still in such good condition
Finally you made a video about this great gun
$19,550 is a bargain for such a relevant firearm. Anyone as some video on how the snail mag worked?
Always the Germans. They rock ❤
Yeah your are right. The design was shit the gas bills where way to high for that time. They should have invented more efficient radiators.
@💯 Qwonklet 💯 ......did you know, that the americans invented the first Concentration camps? The Germans just copied that.
...."The first modern concentration camps in the United States were created in 1838".... source, wiki.
simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_camp
Every time I start a discussion about Andersonville with Americans, they try to put that into perspective and justify it. Ridiculous as they still think they are always "the good ones "..... Every Nation has a dark Past in History. Just ask people from all over the world who are the warmongers number one?
Almost always you will get the same answers: USA and/or
Pissrael.
@💯 Qwonklet 💯 You don't have to answer if you don't know what to say
Danke
@@dieterdodel1974 Actually Britain were the first, during the slave trade they stuck them in camps during interim sale periods, as well as PoWs went to camps
That's amazing that you got your hands on this. If you can get a hold of this, and a Nagant pistol, maybe do a Tokarev sometime?
Amazing video.
I've been waiting for this for so long now I can die a happy man
Suomi kp31 is like perfected version of mp18.
I like the Mp 18 more
can you make a video about open bolt, closed bolt weapon and their pros and cons.
Yes! I've been waiting for this one!
Ian, have you ever come across an MP40 II?
I have seen a couple in museums, but not yet handled one. When I do, I will definitely do a video on it.
We're back at Forgotten Bergmanns.
Lmao
Thanks Ian, 'tis waaaay too cool !
Interesting firearm! ... loved the video!
The MP18 was also used by the Freikorps, the 'unofficial' German Army during the post-war period of civil unrest... basically putting down the communists (1919-22) and the 'soviets' they established.
@fantasticmoose imagine getting mad over internet politics lmao get a grip you little bitch.
@fantasticmoose Nazis were left wing like the commies
Could this take a regular lugar magazine?
Halonoob 117 Yes.
Boonamai thanks
Halonoob 117 Yes it would
you have one ?
Halonoob 117 I think there's an account of a Sturmtruppen expending his 32 round magazines, and loading his 8 round Luger magazines after in desperation.
Saw this in the catalog from RIA. Hope you do more videos from that auction. Especially the WWI BAR.
That chuckle got me too when he saw the serialized front sight XD
I wonder if it would work with ordinary luger magazines. It should.
Love this channel. Ian's knowledge literally spans time & space.
And i curse the day i was born in the UK.....presently the average Brit is legally armed with a butter knife for self-defense.
Its very sad.
You're due for a revolution
Youre very welcome to come to the lovely ozarks here in the beautiful state of Missouri withhold open arms! We have plenty of firearms here! And constitutional carry!
@@hededcdn Looking at history i'd say we need evolution not revolution.
@@alexschenewerk7436 Sir, i might just take you up on that offer.
I spent 3 months working/travelling in the USA & it was amazing....lovely people, real friendly & very welcoming. ❤
You might not be allowed to own guns, but at least you don’t go broke if you get sick. I’m an American, I own firearms, but tbh i would trade them in for free health insurance.
very nice gun , great trench sweeper , probably would have made a big impact if introduced earlier in the war in greater numbers , nice video Ian, thanks.
Upon a quick google search i found there is a MP-18, II. It has tangent rear sights instead of V notches and the magazine well is perpendicular to the barrel, instead of 45 degrees.
"Only about 3000 of these were actually used"
EA: haha full Auto gun go brrrrr
"So what we have here is in some ways fantastic, and in some ways really quite awkward." - Germany in one sentence ^____^;
I've waited sooo long to see this!!!
I wish that Ian had the means and that collectors and museums would oblige in such a way that he could gather all the known variants and forms of a certain branch of firearm and make a huge presentation video about interesting dead ends in the evolution of a style of firearm. That would be ... very interesting to watch, nothing short of amazing.
Could the separate striker and bolt mechanism be because Schmeisser assumed/feared the striker itself to be too weak (it looked pretty beefy to me) due to various reasons and wanted an easy replacement system. A small rapid fire weapon (for the time) was a new thing, so the expectations of bigger, stronger things from rifles and MGs might have carried over?
Today we would probably just get a new weapon in such a case and the damaged one would be sent back. But it looks like this one was made to higher tolerances and wasn't exactly an easily replaced weapon. That seems to be a more modern, or developed thing.
something Ian always said was the metalurgy of WW1 era metal is not great. so perhaps Schmeisser made them separate because they could break under the high volume of fire it could be exposed to
I actually studied the patent for the MP-18 not too long ago. If memory serves, it states that the purpose is so that the bolt can be gently lowered onto a live cartridge and carried around that way without risk of setting off the cartridge. As for replaceability...don't know, but I have a copy of a 1919 document specifying the initial training regimen for submachinegunners, and it shows that each crate of ammo should also contain a replacement mainspring, firing pin, and magazine loader.
Edit: Translation: "The loose bearing of the firing pin in the bolt allows a cartridge located in the chamber to be removed without ignition by the slow-moving firing pin so far away that the extractor can grasp the cartridge and withdraw it." It honestly doesn't make much sense to me, either.
It perfectly makes sense!
With a fixed firing pin lowering the bolt onto a live cartridge in the chamber for the extractor to catch it is not possible without putting a dent into the primer.
With a separate firing pin this can be done.Other advantage:
If a fixed pin wears off, changing it is either kind of too much work to be done under fire or simply not possible (like on the Sten).One could change the bolt, but this means providing a supply of heavy parts which require complex machining. The firing pin is light and easy to produce by the thousands.
I had been thinking "there's no point to carrying it with the bolt down on a live round when there's a safety catch to hold the bolt back", but then I realized that carrying it around with the bolt down is a lot less likely to get mud and dirt into the action than carrying it around in the rear position.
True, but having a live round in the chamber with the bolt down means it'll be ejected and discarded as soon as the bolt is moved back to cock the gun.
Nice and now I change the magazin with the Luger.
Mp18= 8 rounds
P08= 32 Rounds
I know the Luger Artillery had the 32 round magazins, but i would be fun to see a MP18 with 8 rounds
I held a original magazine from this gun in my hand and it really felt like a piece of history. Really cool thing
I know about these but first time I have seen it close up and in detail. So thanks for that.
I am surprised they did not simplify its manufacture to speed up the process of making them. It's not like it's peacetime and can take their time to make them. You have to wonder what the impact would have been if they had produced many more.
@ Forgotten Weapons. I = version 1, II = version 2, III = version 3, IV = version 4, V =version 5.... etc. We Germans like to use Roman numerals on occasions. Prost... :)
the lack of battlefield comments gives me hope
verdun
not enough assualt players
Keegan G only downfall of him is
*he comes late in the war*
I’m here because of Battlefield 1
Does it really matter? Like that's super pretentious. BF players like myself are getting exposure to the history because the game garnered interest. Go put your head up your ass somewhere else
Such an intimidating smg.. Looks so awsome even tilt it a bit
Such a beautiful weapon
9:45 - perhaps it's a two-piece just for striker replacement? Conjecture: War-time metallurgy problems might make it a known problem area that needed replaced on some MP18's, and carrying a smaller, lighter striker was advantageous compared to carrying a spare one-piece bolt. ... Later in the video you point out that every little bolt was serialized, so is the striker serialized? If not, that may be the indicator that it was deemed a replaceable part. There is certainly enough of it hanging out of the back of the bolt that there is area-enough to serialize it.
I'm surprised at the low expected selling price for this all-matching and nearly pristine example.
I like how you put the title "first true smg" thx
I love how it disasembles
MP-18 has a special place in my heart
Does anyone know if an MP18 will feed from a standard luger magazine? Just wondered if this would have been an emergency option for the user.
I was wondering too.
BEZIMMIENY96 It will, but you need the shim accessory used on the trommel mags to prevent over-insertion.
Yes, you could use it with a Luger magazine
Awesome! Nearly zero videos exist on the mp18
I was waiting for this!
I have to say for the first widely used SMG, its pretty up on the list of good looking ones
"It's a working magazine... mostly..."
"If you would like to own this one look in the description below... and you better have a shed load of cash because this is gunna go for a lot, all matching original parts of a very rare gun which just happens to be the first smg"
Ian this is the video we all wanted! Im just waiting for the Ribeyrolles and ill be happy!
Nobody knows if it was even built, let alone used.
This is my favourite gun of all time
I"m here because Battlefield 1 and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
hipfire king
cerberus144 Yep
I don't blame you. I think it's great that videogames have people become curious about firearms. Better than some guy saying "HUR DUR THE UMP45 IS THE BEST SMG I USED IT IN MW2 SO I'M RIGHT"
Battlefield 1 is awesome, of course. Got me interested in maybe buying a 1903 bolt action someday.
Need more people like you in this world ! ^
The Kolibri brought me here. Lol