The Lahti L-35 and Husqvarna M/40,In 1935 Finnish gun designer Aino Lahti created a new pistol for u
The Lahti L-35 and Husqvarna M/40,In 1935 Finnish gun designer Aino Lahti created a new pistol for use by the Finnish Military, which at the time was armed with dated revolvers, or pistols imported from Germany. The design he created took aesthetics from the classic German Luger pistol but used a locked breech recoil operating design that was much simpler to the Luger’s toggle system. It also feature a device called a bolt accelerator, a mechanism which slammed the bolt open, making it more reliable in harsh winter conditions. The L-35 was a pistol of incredible quality and robustness, being made with precision from the best materials available. Around 9,000 were produced, most would see action in the Winter War against the Soviet Union during the start of World War II.In 1940 Sweden purchased the design from Lahti and created their own simplified mass produced version called the M/40. While produced in much greater number, around 100,000 to be more exact, this version was no where near the quality of the Finnish L-35. Manufactured by Huskvarna, they used inferior quality steel which often cracked when used with +P 9mm ammo (+P means higher pressure). They also were less reliable in combat. Despite its drawbacks, the M/40 would remain in Swedish service until replaced by the Glock in the 1980’s. -- source link
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