| Ag m/42 | |
| Origin: | Sweden |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Service: | 1942–1960s (Sweden) |
| Designer: | Erik Eklund |
| Design Date: | 1941 |
| Manufacturer: | Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori |
| Number: | 30,000 |
| Variants: | Ag m/42B |
| Weight: | 4.711NaN1 unloaded & without bayonet |
| Length: | 1214mm |
| Part Length: | 622mm |
| Caliber: | 6.5 mm Groove diameter: 6.71 mm (0.264") |
| Rate: | 40 (rd/min) |
| Range: | 100–800 m sight adjustments |
| Feed: | 10-round box magazine |
The Automatgevär m/42[1] (Ag m/42,[2] outside of Sweden commonly known as the AG 42,[3] AG-42[4] or Ljungman) is a Swedish semi-automatic rifle which saw limited use by the Swedish Army from 1942 until the 1960s.
During the Winter War, Finland captured a number of SVT-38 rifles, and at least one found its way to Sweden. The Ag m/42 was designed by Erik Eklund of the AB C.J. Ljungmans Verkstäder company of Malmö,[5] loosely following SVT mechanics around 1941, and entered production at the Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori in Eskilstuna in 1942. Some 30,000 rifles were manufactured in all for the Swedish Army.[2]
This was a relatively small number of weapons and the standard infantry rifle remained the 6.5 mm bolt-action m/96 Mauser.
Norwegian "police troops" trained in Sweden during World War II were issued a number of Ag m/42s and brought these rifles to Norway when the Germans surrendered in 1945. These rifles were never modified to the later Ag m/42B version.
After a number of issues had been discovered, including a serious problem with rusting gas tubes, the existing stocks of the rifle were modified between 1953 and 1956, and the reworked rifles were designated Ag m/42B. Modifications included a stainless-steel gas tube, two knobs on the breech cover, a new elevation knob for the rear sight, a rubber case-deflector, new magazines and new cleaning rod. The Ag m/42B was replaced in Swedish service in the mid 1960s by the Ak 4 (derived from the Heckler & Koch G3).
In the early 1950s, the Ag m/42B manufacture license was sold to Egypt resulting in the Hakim rifle, which uses the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge. Sweden sold the machinery to Egypt and the Hakim was therefore built with the same machine tools used for the Ag m/42B.
After being re-chambered to 7.62 NATO and having its trajectory adjusted, the Ag m/42 was used as a ranging gun on the Swedish anti-tank gun Pansarvärnspjäs 1110 under the designation Inskjutningsgevär 5110.
Madsen tried to license the Ag m/42, but it never got beyond prototype stages.[6]
Swedish troops serving under UNFICYP have used the m/42.[2]
The Ag m/42 is operated by means of a direct impingement gas system, similar to that of the later, French MAS-49 rifle. The Ag m/42 also uses a tilting breech block like the Tokarev SVT-38/SVT-40, the MAS-49 and FN FAL rifles.[6] The Ag m/42 is ammunition specific since it does not have an adjustable gas port or valve to adjust the rifle to various propellant and projectile specific pressure behavior.
The Ag m/42 rear sight has two bullet drop compensation options, one calibrated for spitzer m/41 ammunition and one for round-nose m/94 ammunition. Which one is installed can be seen between the sight screw and the range window. The bullet image (spitzer or round nose bullet) should match the ammunition used. With a hand adjustable elevation screw on the left side of the rear sight can be adjusted for bullet drop in 100m (300feet) increments.
The Ag m/42 uses the 6.5×55mm cartridge loaded into a removable 10-round box magazine.[6] In practice, however, the magazine usually remained attached to the rifle while it was loaded from the top with five-round stripper clips.[2] Like the British Lee–Enfield and Soviet SVT-40, the Ag m/42's magazine was intended to be removed only for cleaning.
The ammunition used by the Swedish military from 1894 was 6.5×55mm skarp patron m/94 projektil m/94 (live cartridge m/94 projectile m/94) service ammunition with a 10.1g long round-nosed m/94 (B-projectile) bullet.
From 1941 onwards Sweden, which remained neutral during World War II, adopted skarp patron m/94 prickskytte m/41 (live cartridge m/94 sniping m/41) ammunition loaded with a 9.1g spitzer bullet (D-projectile).[2] Besides a pointed nose the m/41 D-projectile also had a boat tail to further reduce aerodynamic drag and replaced the m/94 ammunition loaded with the m/94 projectile for general use.[7]
From 100to with m/41 spitzer ammunition, or 100to m with m/94 round-nose ammunition.[5]
The Ag m/42B is a variant of the m/42 with a stainless steel gas tube.[6]
Ag m/42 modified into a 7.62 NATO caliber spotting rifle for the Pansarvärnspjäs 1110.
Made under license as Hakim Rifle and Rasheed Carbine.[2]
Iraq
Egypt
Norway
Sweden