Hey, I'm from a former Yugoslav country and my grandpa served in WW2 and was later an officer in YA. Few years after his passing, while cleaning his apartment we found a manual for M56 from the 60s. There's a few interesting things written there. I could make a few scans and send it to you if you would be interested. Have a nice day!
@@jackbarnes9728 Roger. Will visit the residence after newyears and get a copy of everything. Send me a pm of your mail And I'll get back to you asap. Have a great year and I hope your build will yutlrn out great!
I was DMR Marksman (M76) between 1991 and 1994 and used the M56 as a kind of a "back up weapon" for urban engagements and such. Much better than the M61 (Vzor 61) with it´s 7,65 mm ammunition. It`s a reliable and powerful tool for personal defense. Sure not the prettiest weapon in the world but it did the job.
@@zabazelena123 the main question for a PDW is in my opinion the efficiency of the round. The Vz61 Scorpion is a very handy weapon but the 7,65x17 ammunition is by my experience to weak to stop some opponent, who wears a body armor. The m56 was a little bulky but with the stock folded it was not to big for my back.
The most epic "malfunction" would be when the casing drops back into the receiver! That would be really cool, especially in slow-mo but definitely very rare and lucky or should I say unlucky.
I once had that happen with my 3d printed Glock 19, but it landed backwards, so that the primer side of the case was in the chamber. The problem was the very inconsistent generation 3 ejector. I got failures to eject at least twice a mag. Replaced with a gen 5 and it works perfectly now.
At one of the last Albany Rifle and Pistol Club, Oregon machine gun festival events, one dealer had the m56 and a post sample ppsh41 listed as the cheapest to shoot. He charged only 10 bucks for each stick of mags. Lots of people signed up to shoot those guns instead of the MP5 and UMPs because those were 20 a stick to shoot. These guns may be ugly but they sure were reliable from my perspective viewing it both days of the festival.
What's funny is that 9mm has been significantly cheaper to shoot than 7.62x25 for a while now since the surplus ammo has mostly dried up. You're paying more to shoot a gun that's cheaper to shoot, and likely cheaper/easier to repair if something goes wrong.
@@samhouston1288 762Tok was only 40 usd per 1440rd. I went on a group buy for it years ago ..a Tin of 1440 for 40 bucks each. Still have 5 of them left. Dealer who did the 10 bucks for 30 rounds..was making benjies at that price and wasn't eating much on overhead back then in 2014.
@@MichaelJohnson-tw7dq nope..it stopped in 2017 when they elected a Commiefornian as president who couldn't bring a teaspoon of spit if his life depended on it. He kept claiming insurance was expensive when in fact he canceled other events also that the club depends on. I think his end goal is to shut it down so it can be developed.
It pretty interesting indeed. Especially during the Cold War, where SMGs built in this era is few and far between. For crying out loud, the Grease Gun and PPSh were still used quite frequently despite the push to equipping intermediate-cartridge assault rifles.
Minor correction - M49/57 was a fix (to reduce RoF and fix some other issues) of M49. Most of those were converted M49, as M49/57 was only produced 1957-59. In 1960 production of M56 started and lasted until 1969, when line was converted to M70 rifle production. Also, biggest inspiration was Beretta M38, not MP-40, it is just that folding stock was required, so it ended looking kinda like MP-40. :)
its like the Yuogoslavia itself... hastily mashed together from parts that shouldn't fit. Its loud, its hard to grasp and you got to watch your head while dealing with it. But eventually it grows on you and you'll even have some pleasant memories :D
The M49/57 was just a minor variant of the M49, it was not meant to replace the M56; in fact, the M56 didn't even enter service until 61-62. M49s weren't really that common, M56 was the main Yugoslav SMG. Also, the 7.62x25 wasn't chosen because of the Soviet bloc (by that time they had already switched to 9mm Makarov); Yugoslavia just didn't care what either Warsaw or NATO pacts were doing (like Finland). Our pistols and SMGs were in 7.62x25 or 7.65x17, semi and auto rifles in 7.62x39 and bolt-actions/snipers/MGs in 7.92x57.
Yes. Never saw many many 49/57s, but M56s were ubiquitous. I know many people in former Yugoslavia that still own these things. Illegaly and unregistered, of course.
@@shrike9729 Why would it change? There would be nothing else different than the spring just doing consistent work. It would have barely noticeable effect on the strength of the recoil because the spring is doing all the work and the bolt is not hitting the back plate.
The difference in the round powder loading is a bit disconcerting, especially if you were relying on a very accurate bolt return to cycle the next round. (I'm in North Wales so have no experience of firing any automatic weapons other than firing a bren gun once 44 years ago!}
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine Thank you for you explanation of the effect of the different charge loads in the ammunition being used. Also how that affects the floating bolt of the gun used, as I said my exposure to firearms is exceedingly limited due to living in the UK 🏴 I admit I would love to live in a place that permitted the ownership of firearms, it is a subject amongst many that I am very interested in.
@I Post Cringe I had a case of that bad 7.62 Tok ammo, 2 Spam cans, I contacted the distributor and they exchanged it. They sent me a shipping label with the replacement ammo so i could send the bad ammo back. Plus they refunded me half of what I had paid.
The ammo looked rather dodgy. The design has some issues but I think we have to acknowledge that it handled poor quality ammo without malfunctioning. You put ammo like that through a lot of guns and you'll be clearing no end of malfunctions.
@@ambivalentonion2620 Thank you, I'll need to find out if there is a club/range locally. I know there was a military range on Anglesey but I don't know if it is still active.
Its always amazing how simple these things are, and how easily they could be made. Post ww2 is the golden era of cheap sheet metal SMGs and simplicity.
I recently came across some Jane Infantry weapon books some of the details in these books are amazing and a good number of all of the weapons featured you guys have done a video at some point from the pancor jackhammer...aai shotgun... . And many others
I feel like 7.62 Tok is such an over looked cartridge in the modern day, it's not too long, it's got punch but not so much as to be difficult to handle, it's pretty much a perfect SMG cartridge
It looks like the hottest loaded rounds did manage to run the bolt all the way to the back of the receiver but otherwise it functions with the kind of "constant recoil" system that Knight's got noticed for in the LAMG.
The Chief Firearms Officer of the Province of Alberta has one and told me it was very nice to shoot, although her specific area of collection is Imperial Japanese weapons. The woman has THE most beautiful little Baby Nambu pistol I have ever seen!
I've been supporting this channel for years, and I don't remember a case striking the camera equipment ever before just recently. And now it's happening literally every single range video. I suspect a plot.
A pretty nice depiction of the Soviet-sourced manufacturing philosophy, give it enough tolerance so it doesn't matter if something's built a bit wonky. :) That bolt travel range makes it pretty much irrelevant how well the ammo is made, as long as it fits it's gonna work. :)
The extra long receiver to create the “No recoil impact” effect in a sub machine gun is beyond its time. Amazing weapon, even if a bit of a copied kludge. Just needs a proper stock that goes straight back to the shoulder.
7.62×25mm is a round I wish were more popular. It may be lighter than 9mm, but man, out of a sub-gun's barrel, it's probably moving at 1,700-1,800 FPS. That's really hustling. I've chrony'd Wolf FMJ out of my Zastava M57 at 1,600 FPS. And that has a much shorter barrel than this M56.
@@randallmunson9909 Exactly. It may just be 85 in weight, but I love that it is fast as hell. I dunno. Just wish more things offered it as a chambering.
I suppose the long bolt travel helps reliability with variable ammunition. Like, if it was half the length hotter loads would impact the end of the tube causing mechanical damage and aiming issues, while light loads might not enable it to pick up a round?
In most cases even very light load will enable enough bolt rear - movement to pick up a new round but may be not enough to reach and engage sear so if whole magazine of ammo is all underloaded after first trigger pull you will have "gun runaway" which will keep shooting until mag is empty regardles of trigger position.
@@staiper1 Even this may not be viewed as a huge disadvantage given the Soviet infantry philosophy at the time as I understand it. Hordes of men sending out hordes of bullets as they move forward. Oh no, the gun ran away fire for a mag? Just insert a new mag and keep going.
@@stormthrush37 I don't know how but I still manage to be surprised by the stuрidity of youtube comment sections. "Oh, a runaway subgun is actually a good thing because Soviet infantry philosophy = hordes of bullets" t. average youtube commenter
My dad was in the Yugoslav army in the mid-late 50s. They made him a MG-42 gunner because he was one of the very few guys capable of carrying one around on maneuvers. I'm sure he was envious of his squadmates carrying around the "lightweight" M56s. But I bet his squadmates were jealous of him when he fired "Marshall Tito's Buzzsaw!" Say what you will about communist doctrine, the Yugoslavs fielded some very eclectic but cool equipment. That MP40 with a banana clip will be a headturner at the range!
IIRC, by the end, Yugoslavia had four machine guns in service, each in different calibers M53 (MG42 clone) in 8mm Mauser M84 (PKM clone) in 7.62x54mmR M72 (RPK clone) in 7.62x39mm And M77 (Basically an upscaled AK) in 7.62x51mm Had to be an absolute logistical nightmare, especially when you also have another 7.62mm caliber (7.62x25mm) running around and you just know there would be some people who would just say they needed "7.62"
I had one long ago in semi auto only. I acquired a quantity of Czech ammo loaded hot for the roller locked pistol with AP penetrators shaped like little shuttlecocks. Four mags of 30 rounds (I still have the leather carrier), and the big rocks maybe 10 to 16 inches were now a pile of much smaller rocks and a lot of dust. I was amazed I ruined all those rocks and amazed and the destructive power the little SMG had.
I love the round. See if you can find M-48 7.62 x 25 Tok. Higher pressure, faster, distance greater. It would be a great gun for varmints and predators on the farm.
God, I wish we could get more Tokarev platforms, and a modernized domestic production source for a variety of Tok flavored rounds. Not a glock guy, but would adore a nice, long barrel, ported 17L in 7.62x25 as a sibliing to my FiveSeven. Love them zippy bottleneck rounds.
I think the layout of this gun like the MP40 is something that harkens back to WW2 and isnt like any modern gun. The short barrel, long body with the magazine closer to the muzzle makes for a style that just looks like a curio. eg, like a pps43. modern design has made this long body format obsolete.
Eh, yes and no. The telescoping bolt of the Uzi, Vz26, etc. made it obsolete and so did closed-bolt SMG's like the MP5, but the long body has sort of made a comeback in belt-fed guns for the reason Ian noted: the bolt isn't actually hitting the back of the receiver, so recoil is much more pleasant and controllable. The 'continuous recoil' system of the Ultimax 100, Surefire MGX, AA-12, etc. basically works the same way and requires a longer receiver.
@@Swindle1984 - as someone who doesn't actually shoot guns (I did in the boy scouts at summer camp, but that's it), this was how I thought recoil worked in semi-automatic and automatic rifles; the idea that no, the bolt very often hits the back of the receiver by design was something of a foreign concept to me, at least from an abstract perspective. I was all "wouldn't that just be incredibly jarring, and kind of odd, what with the recoil spring being RIGHT THERE to deal with that for you?" But yeah, I understand NOW that it's a trade-off, and you can get a much shorter package (for easier overall handling) for just a bit more felt impulse, but for the longest time I was having trouble figuring out why you would even consider full-bolt traversal as part of the design process.
The reason for it's resemblance to the MP-40 is due to Yugoslavia getting manufacturing equipment from Germany as war reparations. Hence the M-56 and the M-48 (a Kar98 clone). Had this gun used 9mm ammo, the resemblance would be even greater but, due to the shape of the 7.62 Tokarev, the magazine had to be curved.
My grandpa served in JNA in late 60s early 70s ,he was using M56.His memory of this gun are: magazin would often fall out ,especialy if it was full, fast corrosion if it wasnt oiled enough, bolt could catch 2 bullets if it was oiled normaly...
The MP 40 is a fantastic gun and many Yugoslavs are familiar with it in one way or another. The M 56 is certainly a development of Croats and Serbs, which explains a lot.
I would hazard a guess that the stretched receiver is to allow for a longer bolt stroke with the 7.62 tokarev round- with an MP40 length receiver you would likely have the bolt bottoming out on the rear of the receiver tube with every shot.
IIRC, the bolt travel is that long because the original Yugo 7.62x25 cartridge was this crazy pissin' hotload intended for subguns, kinda-safe-ish in a TT-30 or M57, and it'll blow the slide straight off a CZ-52. I remember that stuff causing a freakout on the gundeal and military-surplus webforums like 15 years ago when it was as cheap as .22LR.
I'm not quite sure where to ask this Ian, but I had a thought - I was wondering, what's the oldest gun or action still in use when you consider all factors? Eg. the BAR action is still in the FN MAG, the Finns apparantly use a modernised Mosin action etc. Love the content btw! We are blessed to get all this high-speed cam footage of so many rare guns lately 👌
I have seen photos that Maxim machine guns are still being used in the Ukrainian Russian war. Not sure if there are even older guns still being used but that’s the oldest I have heard of.
If you are still looking for places to ask, his Patreon or Utreon is a good bet. He usually makes a post there for the questions he sources for Q/A videos
Watch the ejection pattern. Some cases leave rather lazily while others are express yeeted to the moon. And it lines up perfectly with subsequent bolt travel.
I honestly love how this gun is naturally left handed Perfect for Ian and me Also the gun looks ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL A true example of an MP40 turned Eastern Block Submachine gun
The reason for a lot of stocks that seem short on certain guns is because they were designed in thought of having thick winter clothing on that significantly takes up that gap needed instead of a longer stock
Very cool bit of commie hardware. The first time I ever heard of the M56 was in an issue of The Punisher's Armory. If I remember he attached a mini flashlight to the bottom of the barrel for night work.
Not sure what ammo your using? Using old surplus Yugo & Bulgarian from the 1950s Your gun seems to runs faster then ours post sample…. Great shooters Good video
@@tylerwilliams6022 It was a comic where each page showcased a different weapon or gadget the Punisher used. They only made 10 issues between 1990-1994.
@@kutter_ttl6786 Never really read any Punisher. I was more into Ghost Rider and Spawn. Were these issues for the armory based on real weapons or made up fictional ones?
That gun is very rare anywhere. Yugoslavia didn't make many of them to start with. In my opinion, it looks great and shoots great. I wish I could own one. I've played with one in pristine condition a few dozen times and it's awesome.
Actually, it was really mass produced. It was stadard weapon for some JNA units even in 1980s. Latter, during the wars in ex Yugoslavia, all sides used M-56 at initial stages.
Great video as always. Speaking of Yugoslavian SMGs, can you do a video on the MGV-176 and the comparisons you can make between it and the American-180? The gun's name doesn't seem to be mentioned all that much and I'm fairly certain that its status is obscure. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about this.
1:11 Who's they? The Yugos when designing the M56 or Tokarev and co with the 7.62x25? 1:43 Ooooohhhhh... 2:09 Oh wow, I guess you get some ya lose some 5:17 I think this is the first time I see someone change their mind about a gun after shooting it
I think most of us have seen the range video where the guy gets a casing down his shirt, discharges twice behind him as he reflexed from the pain. Dumping cases out the top seems to beg for accidents to happen.
Seems like an interesting gun, especially seeing how destroyed Eastern Europe was after the war. Not to forget that Eastern Europe wasn’t very rich from the beginning either.
Oh, my. A little lever action in .30 Tokarev would be an absolute joy. Or a little pump like a Winchester 62. I have a Rossi clone of the Winchester 62 and it is my favorite plinker. If I could get a slightly grown-up version in 7.62x25 I'd be in heaven. (Assuming a decent source of ammunition.)
Nice video I saw one of the M56's with a vertical grip added behind the mag well I was not able shoot it So I am not sure if the added vertical grip worked or not
@SpudNik Holding by the mag well is usually a bad idea, if you tug on the magazine too much you can cause feeding issues, and your hand would be danger close to the barrel.
Thank you for this video GunGodManJesus. I have a non functioning m56. The zeal was perhaps there but without a dust cover. Sure it was not an UZI.Why they did not copy grease Gun or Sterling? Yugoslavie was a non alligned country so the western mp40 and Soviet Tokarev make sense. I wonder if any of the engineers involved in the design of this smg had ever been in contact with Italian WWII smgs or Erma or any other interwar period quality smg?
Hey, I'm from a former Yugoslav country and my grandpa served in WW2 and was later an officer in YA. Few years after his passing, while cleaning his apartment we found a manual for M56 from the 60s. There's a few interesting things written there. I could make a few scans and send it to you if you would be interested.
Have a nice day!
Please do! I am building a M56 from a parts kit I have bought. I'd love any information I can get.
@@jackbarnes9728 Roger. Will visit the residence after newyears and get a copy of everything. Send me a pm of your mail And I'll get back to you asap. Have a great year and I hope your build will yutlrn out great!
I was DMR Marksman (M76) between 1991 and 1994 and used the M56 as a kind of a "back up weapon" for urban engagements and such. Much better than the M61 (Vzor 61) with it´s 7,65 mm ammunition. It`s a reliable and powerful tool for personal defense. Sure not the prettiest weapon in the world but it did the job.
Do you mean cz scorpion? I am surprised, that is not untouchable as pdw in your eyes ;)
@@zabazelena123 the main question for a PDW is in my opinion the efficiency of the round. The Vz61 Scorpion is a very handy weapon but the 7,65x17 ammunition is by my experience to weak to stop some opponent, who wears a body armor. The m56 was a little bulky but with the stock folded it was not to big for my back.
Milos jel cijev kromirana ili standardna ko u ostalih Zastavinih
@@Borz862 nije.
The most epic "malfunction" would be when the casing drops back into the receiver! That would be really cool, especially in slow-mo but definitely very rare and lucky or should I say unlucky.
That's just good recycling, right there.
Waste not, want not.
I once had that happen with my 3d printed Glock 19, but it landed backwards, so that the primer side of the case was in the chamber. The problem was the very inconsistent generation 3 ejector. I got failures to eject at least twice a mag. Replaced with a gen 5 and it works perfectly now.
Isn't that a trick reload where you eject the last round into the air and catch it again so it can be chambered?
Nah, the most epic malfunction is when Robocop casually grabs the barrel and bends it at a 90 degree angle.
At one of the last Albany Rifle and Pistol Club, Oregon machine gun festival events, one dealer had the m56 and a post sample ppsh41 listed as the cheapest to shoot. He charged only 10 bucks for each stick of mags. Lots of people signed up to shoot those guns instead of the MP5 and UMPs because those were 20 a stick to shoot.
These guns may be ugly but they sure were reliable from my perspective viewing it both days of the festival.
Wish I could have gone, but I had no way to get there then.
What's funny is that 9mm has been significantly cheaper to shoot than 7.62x25 for a while now since the surplus ammo has mostly dried up. You're paying more to shoot a gun that's cheaper to shoot, and likely cheaper/easier to repair if something goes wrong.
@@samhouston1288 762Tok was only 40 usd per 1440rd. I went on a group buy for it years ago ..a Tin of 1440 for 40 bucks each. Still have 5 of them left.
Dealer who did the 10 bucks for 30 rounds..was making benjies at that price and wasn't eating much on overhead back then in 2014.
@@prdubi That must have been several years back. Nowadays, if you can get 100rds for that price, you're doing pretty good.
@@MichaelJohnson-tw7dq nope..it stopped in 2017 when they elected a Commiefornian as president who couldn't bring a teaspoon of spit if his life depended on it.
He kept claiming insurance was expensive when in fact he canceled other events also that the club depends on. I think his end goal is to shut it down so it can be developed.
We've heard of your capitalist stretch limos -- we've made a stretch SMG; and it's raining brass.
Hallelujah! (Yes I did flash back to that song by The Weather Girls)
Hahaha
Submachine guns are a very interesting field! Fascinating gun
One could argue an open bolt sub gun is the base elemental form of all modern firearms.
It pretty interesting indeed. Especially during the Cold War, where SMGs built in this era is few and far between. For crying out loud, the Grease Gun and PPSh were still used quite frequently despite the push to equipping intermediate-cartridge assault rifles.
Can we all appreciate the mag-dumps at the end of each Range video
Minor correction - M49/57 was a fix (to reduce RoF and fix some other issues) of M49. Most of those were converted M49, as M49/57 was only produced 1957-59. In 1960 production of M56 started and lasted until 1969, when line was converted to M70 rifle production.
Also, biggest inspiration was Beretta M38, not MP-40, it is just that folding stock was required, so it ended looking kinda like MP-40. :)
Camera: [gets donked by shell]
Ian: Ow!
Symbiotic relation confirmed
its like the Yuogoslavia itself...
hastily mashed together from parts that shouldn't fit. Its loud, its hard to grasp and you got to watch your head while dealing with it. But eventually it grows on you and you'll even have some pleasant memories :D
Your words hurt, but i will not blame you
The M49/57 was just a minor variant of the M49, it was not meant to replace the M56; in fact, the M56 didn't even enter service until 61-62. M49s weren't really that common, M56 was the main Yugoslav SMG. Also, the 7.62x25 wasn't chosen because of the Soviet bloc (by that time they had already switched to 9mm Makarov); Yugoslavia just didn't care what either Warsaw or NATO pacts were doing (like Finland). Our pistols and SMGs were in 7.62x25 or 7.65x17, semi and auto rifles in 7.62x39 and bolt-actions/snipers/MGs in 7.92x57.
Yes. Never saw many many 49/57s, but M56s were ubiquitous. I know many people in former Yugoslavia that still own these things. Illegaly and unregistered, of course.
The inconsistency in the ammo is quite staggering. I actually noticed it before you pointed it out.
Glad I'm not the only one. Wrote my comment about it before he mentioned it.
Totally agree. I would imagine the job of recoil compensation would drastically change if the ammo was consistent.
Yeah im not much a gun Guy And still i knew right away something was off when i saw it, And Then The text popped up confirming it
@@shrike9729 Why would it change? There would be nothing else different than the spring just doing consistent work. It would have barely noticeable effect on the strength of the recoil because the spring is doing all the work and the bolt is not hitting the back plate.
It says a lot for the reliability of the SMG that it could ingest that smorgasbord of ammo without a problem.
The difference in the round powder loading is a bit disconcerting, especially if you were relying on a very accurate bolt return to cycle the next round. (I'm in North Wales so have no experience of firing any automatic weapons other than firing a bren gun once 44 years ago!}
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine Thank you for you explanation of the effect of the different charge loads in the ammunition being used. Also how that affects the floating bolt of the gun used, as I said my exposure to firearms is exceedingly limited due to living in the UK 🏴
I admit I would love to live in a place that permitted the ownership of firearms, it is a subject amongst many that I am very interested in.
@I Post Cringe I had a case of that bad 7.62 Tok ammo, 2 Spam cans, I contacted the distributor and they exchanged it. They sent me a shipping label with the replacement ammo so i could send the bad ammo back. Plus they refunded me half of what I had paid.
The ammo looked rather dodgy. The design has some issues but I think we have to acknowledge that it handled poor quality ammo without malfunctioning. You put ammo like that through a lot of guns and you'll be clearing no end of malfunctions.
@@paulamos8970 you can still go join a club and get an FAC if you care enough
@@ambivalentonion2620 Thank you, I'll need to find out if there is a club/range locally. I know there was a military range on Anglesey but I don't know if it is still active.
Its always amazing how simple these things are, and how easily they could be made. Post ww2 is the golden era of cheap sheet metal SMGs and simplicity.
I recently came across some Jane Infantry weapon books some of the details in these books are amazing and a good number of all of the weapons featured you guys have done a video at some point from the pancor jackhammer...aai shotgun... . And many others
The slow mo footage really shows the ammo loading variation
I feel like 7.62 Tok is such an over looked cartridge in the modern day, it's not too long, it's got punch but not so much as to be difficult to handle, it's pretty much a perfect SMG cartridge
Plus, the tapered cartridge makes for very reliable feeding. Why I have 3 TT-33's and a CZ-52 pistol in 7.62 Tok-John in Texas
It looks like the hottest loaded rounds did manage to run the bolt all the way to the back of the receiver but otherwise it functions with the kind of "constant recoil" system that Knight's got noticed for in the LAMG.
It is a feature, maintenance book has a note "replace spring if bolt is hitting rear of the receiver"
The Chief Firearms Officer of the Province of Alberta has one and told me it was very nice to shoot, although her specific area of collection is Imperial Japanese weapons. The woman has THE most beautiful little Baby Nambu pistol I have ever seen!
So in short, this is the "We have MP40 at home" Yugo subgun. Got it.
But I would take 7.62 Tok over 9mm Para every day for military use, and twice on sundays
@@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing I can't argue with that brother!!
I've been supporting this channel for years, and I don't remember a case striking the camera equipment ever before just recently. And now it's happening literally every single range video. I suspect a plot.
Cool vid, love the sound effects👍
Ian, another great history lesson and demonstration with the Yugo M56. Thank you!
A pretty nice depiction of the Soviet-sourced manufacturing philosophy, give it enough tolerance so it doesn't matter if something's built a bit wonky. :) That bolt travel range makes it pretty much irrelevant how well the ammo is made, as long as it fits it's gonna work. :)
E. Stoner: "It's finely machined so the dust doesn't enter the action"
M. Kalashnikov "Has enough space so it doesn't matter if has some rocks inside"
Irony is that M56 was a first gun made on brand new US and German machinery for stamping steel that Zastava has acquired in the '50s.
Been waiting for this video! Such an interesting sub gun!
It's a PPS-43 cosplaying as an MP-40
The extra long receiver to create the “No recoil impact” effect in a sub machine gun is beyond its time. Amazing weapon, even if a bit of a copied kludge. Just needs a proper stock that goes straight back to the shoulder.
7.62×25mm is a round I wish were more popular. It may be lighter than 9mm, but man, out of a sub-gun's barrel, it's probably moving at 1,700-1,800 FPS. That's really hustling. I've chrony'd Wolf FMJ out of my Zastava M57 at 1,600 FPS. And that has a much shorter barrel than this M56.
Standard loads are 1645-1725.
@@randallmunson9909 Exactly. It may just be 85 in weight, but I love that it is fast as hell. I dunno. Just wish more things offered it as a chambering.
@@mmclaurin8035 I know Norinco makes a 7.62x25mm P226 clone
Love seeing Ian getting his mind blown when shooting
I suppose the long bolt travel helps reliability with variable ammunition. Like, if it was half the length hotter loads would impact the end of the tube causing mechanical damage and aiming issues, while light loads might not enable it to pick up a round?
In most cases even very light load will enable enough bolt rear - movement to pick up a new round but may be not enough to reach and engage sear so if whole magazine of ammo is all underloaded after first trigger pull you will have "gun runaway" which will keep shooting until mag is empty regardles of trigger position.
@@staiper1 Even this may not be viewed as a huge disadvantage given the Soviet infantry philosophy at the time as I understand it. Hordes of men sending out hordes of bullets as they move forward. Oh no, the gun ran away fire for a mag? Just insert a new mag and keep going.
@@stormthrush37 I don't know how but I still manage to be surprised by the stuрidity of youtube comment sections.
"Oh, a runaway subgun is actually a good thing because Soviet infantry philosophy = hordes of bullets"
t. average youtube commenter
Cheers Ian fantastic background very interesting 👍
Great video and content
Love your show!!!
My dad was in the Yugoslav army in the mid-late 50s. They made him a MG-42 gunner because he was one of the very few guys capable of carrying one around on maneuvers. I'm sure he was envious of his squadmates carrying around the "lightweight" M56s. But I bet his squadmates were jealous of him when he fired "Marshall Tito's Buzzsaw!"
Say what you will about communist doctrine, the Yugoslavs fielded some very eclectic but cool equipment. That MP40 with a banana clip will be a headturner at the range!
IIRC, by the end, Yugoslavia had four machine guns in service, each in different calibers
M53 (MG42 clone) in 8mm Mauser
M84 (PKM clone) in 7.62x54mmR
M72 (RPK clone) in 7.62x39mm
And M77 (Basically an upscaled AK) in 7.62x51mm
Had to be an absolute logistical nightmare, especially when you also have another 7.62mm caliber (7.62x25mm) running around and you just know there would be some people who would just say they needed "7.62"
Straight up ejection was their nod to ambidextrous. It would annoy everyone equally.
I had one long ago in semi auto only. I acquired a quantity of Czech ammo loaded hot for the roller locked pistol with AP penetrators shaped like little shuttlecocks. Four mags of 30 rounds (I still have the leather carrier), and the big rocks maybe 10 to 16 inches were now a pile of much smaller rocks and a lot of dust. I was amazed I ruined all those rocks and amazed and the destructive power the little SMG had.
The TV series' Mission Impossible and The Man from Uncle, come to mind.
I love the round. See if you can find M-48 7.62 x 25 Tok. Higher pressure, faster, distance greater. It would be a great gun for varmints and predators on the farm.
God, I wish we could get more Tokarev platforms, and a modernized domestic production source for a variety of Tok flavored rounds.
Not a glock guy, but would adore a nice, long barrel, ported 17L in 7.62x25 as a sibliing to my FiveSeven.
Love them zippy bottleneck rounds.
@@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing there is a Norinco Sig clone that is chambered in 7,62x25, quite an interesting modernisation
Thank you for the full mag dump at the end :)
I think the layout of this gun like the MP40 is something that harkens back to WW2 and isnt like any modern gun. The short barrel, long body with the magazine closer to the muzzle makes for a style that just looks like a curio. eg, like a pps43. modern design has made this long body format obsolete.
Eh, yes and no. The telescoping bolt of the Uzi, Vz26, etc. made it obsolete and so did closed-bolt SMG's like the MP5, but the long body has sort of made a comeback in belt-fed guns for the reason Ian noted: the bolt isn't actually hitting the back of the receiver, so recoil is much more pleasant and controllable. The 'continuous recoil' system of the Ultimax 100, Surefire MGX, AA-12, etc. basically works the same way and requires a longer receiver.
@@Swindle1984 - as someone who doesn't actually shoot guns (I did in the boy scouts at summer camp, but that's it), this was how I thought recoil worked in semi-automatic and automatic rifles; the idea that no, the bolt very often hits the back of the receiver by design was something of a foreign concept to me, at least from an abstract perspective.
I was all "wouldn't that just be incredibly jarring, and kind of odd, what with the recoil spring being RIGHT THERE to deal with that for you?"
But yeah, I understand NOW that it's a trade-off, and you can get a much shorter package (for easier overall handling) for just a bit more felt impulse, but for the longest time I was having trouble figuring out why you would even consider full-bolt traversal as part of the design process.
The reason for it's resemblance to the MP-40 is due to Yugoslavia getting manufacturing equipment from Germany as war reparations. Hence the M-56 and the M-48 (a Kar98 clone). Had this gun used 9mm ammo, the resemblance would be even greater but, due to the shape of the 7.62 Tokarev, the magazine had to be curved.
I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that loud noise...Talk about suppressive fire....Nice! Thank you, Ian! Your videos relax me!!!
My grandpa served in JNA in late 60s early 70s ,he was using M56.His memory of this gun are: magazin would often fall out ,especialy if it was full, fast corrosion if it wasnt oiled enough, bolt could catch 2 bullets if it was oiled normaly...
The MP 40 is a fantastic gun and many Yugoslavs are familiar with it in one way or another. The M 56 is certainly a development of Croats and Serbs, which explains a lot.
Just the Serbs. Croats did engineer an produce other things, but not small arms in Zastava (Kragujevac, Serbia).
I like these type of firearms. They may look rough and was usually made cheap and simple, but really served their purpose.
I would hazard a guess that the stretched receiver is to allow for a longer bolt stroke with the 7.62 tokarev round- with an MP40 length receiver you would likely have the bolt bottoming out on the rear of the receiver tube with every shot.
Nope. Tokarev round is only some 6-7 mm longer than 9 Luger.
IIRC, the bolt travel is that long because the original Yugo 7.62x25 cartridge was this crazy pissin' hotload intended for subguns, kinda-safe-ish in a TT-30 or M57, and it'll blow the slide straight off a CZ-52. I remember that stuff causing a freakout on the gundeal and military-surplus webforums like 15 years ago when it was as cheap as .22LR.
7.62 Tokarev really needs a good modern pistol and smg. That round is hot and oughta be used more.
I'm not quite sure where to ask this Ian, but I had a thought - I was wondering, what's the oldest gun or action still in use when you consider all factors? Eg. the BAR action is still in the FN MAG, the Finns apparantly use a modernised Mosin action etc.
Love the content btw! We are blessed to get all this high-speed cam footage of so many rare guns lately 👌
I have seen photos that Maxim machine guns are still being used in the Ukrainian Russian war. Not sure if there are even older guns still being used but that’s the oldest I have heard of.
Browning M2 is coming up to 100 years of service
There's a lot of 1911s out there
Single action revolver is oldest firearm 'action' still in use.
If you are still looking for places to ask, his Patreon or Utreon is a good bet. He usually makes a post there for the questions he sources for Q/A videos
Holy crap I've missed your channel
Wow, no real muzzle climb on that sucker! Thanks for the shoot show!
would love to see you do a video on how the Star Z-45 shoots
That bolt travel under recoil is wildly inconsistent.
Thats Ammo related, nothing to do with the gun.
But functioning is consistent...
good engineering being able to cope with wildly inconsistent ammo....
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine no, if you watch the other slow motion shots, they are all inconsistent.
Watch the ejection pattern. Some cases leave rather lazily while others are express yeeted to the moon. And it lines up perfectly with subsequent bolt travel.
I honestly love how this gun is naturally left handed
Perfect for Ian and me
Also the gun looks ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL
A true example of an MP40 turned Eastern Block Submachine gun
The reason for a lot of stocks that seem short on certain guns is because they were designed in thought of having thick winter clothing on that significantly takes up that gap needed instead of a longer stock
I once saw this gun on pinterest and I couldn't figure out what it was. Now I know.
what a super cool and super interesting firearm
It looks like fun. Loving the WWII soundtrack that it creates. And it's so smooth.
I love your videos
The Yugo 56, AKA when the PPS 43 fails to pull out of the MP40
Kept waiting for the sling to get stuck between the mag and magwell.
Very cool bit of commie hardware. The first time I ever heard of the M56 was in an issue of The Punisher's Armory. If I remember he attached a mini flashlight to the bottom of the barrel for night work.
Volume 7 1993. I had to look it up.
Not sure what ammo your using?
Using old surplus Yugo & Bulgarian from the 1950s
Your gun seems to runs faster then ours post sample….
Great shooters
Good video
What's The Punisher's Armory?
Like the comic book character The Punisher?
@@tylerwilliams6022 It was a comic where each page showcased a different weapon or gadget the Punisher used. They only made 10 issues between 1990-1994.
@@kutter_ttl6786
Never really read any Punisher.
I was more into Ghost Rider and Spawn.
Were these issues for the armory based on real weapons or made up fictional ones?
Have a example someone decided was named “resna” was a pleasant surprise to find trench art on my 56
That gun is very rare anywhere. Yugoslavia didn't make many of them to start with.
In my opinion, it looks great and shoots great.
I wish I could own one. I've played with one in pristine condition a few dozen times and it's awesome.
Actually, it was really mass produced. It was stadard weapon for some JNA units even in 1980s. Latter, during the wars in ex Yugoslavia, all sides used M-56 at initial stages.
The stock is short on purpose, so you can still shoulder the gun if you have bulky winter clothes, or if you are of the short (limb) variety.
I just love the simplicity in safety. Just twist the charging knob 90° and it's safe.
It's mag pouch was made famous by Kelly's Heroes.
Great video as always.
Speaking of Yugoslavian SMGs, can you do a video on the MGV-176 and the comparisons you can make between it and the American-180? The gun's name doesn't seem to be mentioned all that much and I'm fairly certain that its status is obscure. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about this.
And it originaly came in a box with 2 plastick seetrough mags and a surpressor
1:11 Who's they? The Yugos when designing the M56 or Tokarev and co with the 7.62x25?
1:43 Ooooohhhhh...
2:09 Oh wow, I guess you get some ya lose some
5:17 I think this is the first time I see someone change their mind about a gun after shooting it
I noticed that two different times the fired cases fell back down and hit the lens lol
Very cool.👍
This gun is giving a new meaning to "bullet rain".
With yugo AKs, the gun of my childhood.
We used to call it "pikavac". Cause it made this puck-puck-puck sound.
I think most of us have seen the range video where the guy gets a casing down his shirt, discharges twice behind him as he reflexed from the pain.
Dumping cases out the top seems to beg for accidents to happen.
I love how a shell casing hit the camera.
Beautiful gun.
Ian’s pull out game is on point
"You can pull it out and shoot it right there"
Only way I know how, chief. Only way I know how.
Seems like an interesting gun, especially seeing how destroyed Eastern Europe was after the war. Not to forget that Eastern Europe wasn’t very rich from the beginning either.
@@ProjectExMachina Good point.
The subgun equivalent of the old farm truck that never fails to start every fall just for harvest time.
If Zastava made it, I'm sure that it's well made. Great video, as always-John in Texas
Well if you gringos gun maniacs appreciate it, then we sure do make good guns. Shame we can't enjoy it because our strict gun laws.
never enough guns in 7.62x25. really hope there will one day be a little lever action one day.
Oh, my. A little lever action in .30 Tokarev would be an absolute joy. Or a little pump like a Winchester 62. I have a Rossi clone of the Winchester 62 and it is my favorite plinker. If I could get a slightly grown-up version in 7.62x25 I'd be in heaven. (Assuming a decent source of ammunition.)
If you pulled off those polymer halves of the lower you’d see that there is wood used in its construction as well.
Nice video
I saw one of the M56's with a vertical grip added behind the mag well
I was not able shoot it
So I am not sure if the added vertical grip worked or not
@SpudNik Holding by the mag well is usually a bad idea, if you tug on the magazine too much you can cause feeding issues, and your hand would be danger close to the barrel.
good stuff
The shells coming back down....seems like a bit from Top Secret. Just a solid rain of shells dinging of a helmet.
Ian cant sleep without hitting the camera with brass
Really cool actually.
Not least with all that bolt travel.
The top eject thing is a bit wonky though. 😜🦄
The camera ate a fair bit of brass that trip.
Great evaluation and realization. Pretty only goes so far. I need two for my collection. Anybody know where I can get a pair?
Casings hitting Ian and the camera at the same time says something about this firearm...
I love it.
This was much faster than I expected. I see an MP-40 looking gun and expect the fire rate to be lower
Thanks.
Boom, boom in the shot…
that thing looks a lot like the Chinese type85 submachinegun which isalso chambered in 762 by 25
Thank you for this video GunGodManJesus. I have a non functioning m56. The zeal was perhaps there but without a dust cover. Sure it was not an UZI.Why they did not copy grease Gun or Sterling? Yugoslavie was a non alligned country so the western mp40 and Soviet Tokarev make sense. I wonder if any of the engineers involved in the design of this smg had ever been in contact with Italian WWII smgs or Erma or any other interwar period quality smg?
it looks like an mp40 and a pps43 had a child
I am sure there were a couple of times when a cartridge bounced of the mic!
Looks like it performs excellently in semi auto. Would use it more like a PCC that had an emergency fun switch.
I think you just have to damn much fun ! Lucky devil!