Was There Ever A Lahti Carbine???
 

...Or 'artillery Lahti'???

In my very first post here back in 2009 I posted a pic of my Lahti along with two 9mm barrels I had made for it. I just took another pic and posted below.

But that is not my question...Did Lahti or even any aftermarket gunsmith make a carbine version of the Swedish M40 or Finnish M35 Lahti 9mm pistol??? :confused:

I know there are several types of stocks for it; board, wood stock/holster, wood board + leather holster...Several different leather holsters...

But was a forearm-equipped, 12" or longer, multi-position adjustable sight Lahti ever made???

I Google-Searched, couldn't find any pics... :(

I think a Lahti carbine would be kind of cool...An added incentive for a Lahti carbine is the Lahti 'accelerator', which aids in cycling the action in extreme cold/dirty conditions, as well as overcoming weak powder loads...

I can [probably] whip up a PhotoShop rendering of my idea of a Lahti carbine, but it would be pure fantasy...(As opposed to my artillery Nambu)... :rolleyes:

I can imagine an artillery Lahti easy enough, and it would be a familiar project for me...But a carbine...Well, that would be a challenge... :thumbup:

The Lahti uses the same barrel thread as the Luger, but longer...The stock lug is similar, but the lock cut is placed differently...Both are close enough to be modified to fit...

That would be another cool project! :cheers:

I don't know if the Finnish L-35 was equipped with a shoulder stock, but the Swedish M/40 was not. There were some prototypes made, but I have never seen any proof that they were ever produced. Kind of like the Radom VIS: Slotted for a stock, but there's no stocks available.

I suspect that you want to make everything yourself, but there is actually a reproduction available. I e-mailed them about this a couple of years ago, and they said that it's based on the original prototype. Can't remember if they actually had drawings, or if they were going by old pictures.

You'll find some high resolution pictures here, they should give you a pretty good idea of how it's made: http://www.stockholmsvapenfabrik.se/...roducts_id=400

Edit: If I'm not entirely mistaken, the M/40 doesn't have the accelerator. The L-35 does, but it's not really a pistol you want to cut up.

I have the Swedish Husqvarna M40 and it does have the accelerator. :thumbup: It also has the round barrel shoulder.

I do like the looks of an 'artillery' Lahti... :)

Here's a couple pics of the barrel stub compared to the Luger. The Luger barrel stub is ~.748", while the Lahti is ~.906". Three cuts in breechface on the Lahti; extractor, ejector, and accelerator.

I think a Luger artillery barrel has enough 'meat' to cut away to fit the Lahti barrel extension. I don't have one loose to mic, but I think there's enough.

Awkwardly placed slide safety; it cuts into your thumb when you fire it. :mad:

Wups! My mistake; the cut on the barrel face at 12 o'clock has no function in my model - it's not for the ejector. The cut at 3 o'clock is for the extractor, the accelerator cut is at 9 o'clock.

There's an excellent site for the Lahti at -

http://www.gotavapen.se/gota/m40/pist40_1.htm

With shoulder stocks on page 6. I like the one Julia has on their auction site. That Lahti is a Finnish L-35 and seems to have a tangent sight as well.

http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lo...9-c-j4w578fk5t

(That one sold in 2008) :(

So are you going to make all the parts for it? The Finnish stock looks kind of like a Broomhandle stock, so maybe it's possible to modify a reproduction? On second thought, it may not be as difficult as it looks to make a holster stock. If you make two halves, trace and route the insides, glue them together and do the roundovers on the router table... Making the hardware for it will be the hardest part, but it still seems doable.

I like the idea... :)

I was thinking of that; or maybe an Inglis Hi-Power stock holster. Someone here once mentioned that the grip-frame stock lug was the same as the Luger. The curve looks right but the cut for the lock is in a different place...

I once tried to make a C96 stock/holster. Pieces of the hardwood still lying on my scrap shelf. I'm not a woodworker. :(

I think a flat board stock like the artillery Luger stock is best. The wooden stock/holster would be too long...I could modify the Luger rig easier...

But of course it's the steel that attracts me. If I can find another Luger artillery rear sight I might take a stab at an 'artillery' Lahti... :rolleyes:

I like the look of the 'Lahti carbine' but I am loathe to cut/braze a frame...

Here's a pic of the accelerator installed, with a spare below it. Also a close-up of the chamber area. The accelerator works like a turnstile, with the crescent piece pivoting around and smacking the bolt rearward under recoil.

I've fired it with and without the accelerator, and without, it takes a strong load to cycle the action...

Here's a comparison of Luger S/42 and Lahti M40 stock lugs...You can see the latch cut is in a different place...

If you do a GoogleSearch for 'Lahti Stock' you'll see a bewildering array of angles of stock to grip frame...It's a WAG on my part, but I think some of those stocks are Luger stocks modified for the Lahti that aren't quite right as far as angle is concerned... :confused:

Leather holsters, at Sarco & Numrich, seem to be quite reasonable... :)

I know the Lahti is a different pistol mechanically from the Luger - how do they compare shooting/accuracy/reliability wise? The Lahti is an intriguing weapon.

The L-35 and M/40 are both very rugged and reliable, as they were purposely designed to be used in the Scandinavian climate. I have talked to many people who used it before it was taken out of service, and the only bad thing they usually have to say is that it's big and heavy. They were already gone when I was in the military service so I never got to try it on the range, but I'll find out as soon as I have found one for my collection. :thumbup:

The M/40 has a bad reputation for cracking, but this is a result of the Swedish GI's habit of shooting it with ammo it wasn't designed for (the M/39B submachine round). I sure don't know why they didn't design the M/40 for the M/39B round to begin with, but on the other hand: That might have made it even heavier and clunkier than it already is. :eek:

I found a neat site with a great GIF animation of the Lahti accelerator in action...

http://candrsenal.com/pistol-swedish-lahti-m40/

http://candrsenal.com/wp-content/upl...Lahti-m-40.gif

... :thumbup: ...

Biggest and heaviest single stack 9mm I've ever shot. Feels like they started with a big block of steel, which they probably did. But completely reliable, and probably accurate too. I consider it to be a fine and interesting service pistol.
dju

I just had mine out recently. The trigger is not very good compared to modern pistols but it's a fun pistol to take out once in a while. It is quite large!

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/a...psccb2263f.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps1c57b153.jpg

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps0da2a202.jpg

Here's the pic from the URL of a Swedish site selling M40 stocks that Olle mentioned...for 1250 Kronor!!! :eek:

That's outrageous!!! :mad: I'm sure I've seen them on eBay for 600 - 700 Kronor!!! :D

Anyway...Interesting method of attachment...Two straight-cut clamps with a center push-bolt...Slide it on and then tighten the push-bolt against the gripframe lug... :rolleyes:

I think I could possibly make up something like this attaching piece...But I like the Luger curved ironwork with the half-moon latch...

I like the shape of the Luger board stock better too... :)

If I were to attempt such a board stock, I'm thinking of a Luger artillery board stock with a Lahti attaching piece, and a Luger artillery repro holster attached to the board stock, probably with three or four 1/4" carriage bolts holding the leather to the wood...Maybe with domed nuts on the carriage bolts... :thumbup: