The Kjellman LMG was a
machine gun produced in Sweden. It is notable for being one of the first fully automatic weapons ever conceived (if not produced) and one of the first
light machine gun
A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridge (firearms), cartridges of the same caliber as the othe ...
s as well.
Although the patent dated back to 1870, and prototypes may have existed at least a half a decade before the
Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
*Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim ...
was invented,
black powder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...
ammunition made the weapon virtually unusable due to rapid residue build up. The weapon was the brainchild of a
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
D.H. Friberg, and was later modified by (and acquired its namesake from) Rudolf Henrik Kjellman, who in 1907, adapted the system to fire smokeless cartridges. Although boasting a reliable and secure breech-locking mechanism (similar to the Russian
DP-27), the weapon was prohibitively expensive to manufacture, and only ten were ever made.
External Image
Kjellman LMG
External links
* http://www.gotavapen.se/index_english.htm
* http://www.gotavapen.se/gota/artiklar/kg/swedish_kg1.htm
* http://peashooter85.tumblr.com/post/108124336697/the-first-true-machine-gun-the-kjellman-light
Machine guns of Sweden
Early machine guns
Light machine guns