Carl Gustaf m/45
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Barrel
- 213 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.43 kg
- Introduced
- 1945
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Carl Gustaf m/45, officially the Kulsprutepistol m/45 (Kpist m/45), is a Swedish 9x19mm submachine gun designed by Gunnar Johansson and manufactured by Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori in Eskilstuna. Adopted in 1945, it served as the standard submachine gun of the Swedish Army until being phased out in favor of the Ak 4 and Ak 5 rifles, with the Swedish Home Guard retiring it in April 2007. The m/45 is a simple, robust, blowback-operated open-bolt SMG built around a tubular steel receiver with a side-folding wire stock.
US Navy SEALs and Special Forces operators in early Vietnam loved the 'Swedish K' for its reliability with the suppressor that the CIA fitted to it - but in 1966 Sweden cut off arms exports to the US in protest of the war, forcing Smith & Wesson to design the M76 as a domestic replacement.
Manufactured under license in Egypt as the 'Port Said' and in Indonesia. Famously used in suppressed form by US Special Forces' MACV-SOG and CIA operatives in the early Vietnam War, where it earned the nickname 'Swedish K'. The original m/45 used 50-round magazines but the standard wartime/post-war magazine was 36 rounds. Sweden imposed an arms embargo on the US in 1966 over Vietnam, ending US imports.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Country
- Sweden
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1945 to 2007
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 213 mm
- Overall length
- 808 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.43 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 36
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Steel
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 425 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 600 J
- Effective range
- 200 m
- Rate of fire
- 600 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Side folding stock
Perforated barrel jacket
Open bolt operation
Tube receiver
Double column magazine
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 201 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 3.43 kg | 3.18 kg | Heavier than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 200 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 808 mm | 723 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 202 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 213 mm | 213 mm | Near the median |
| Magazine capacityAmong 204 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 36 | 32 | Holds more rounds than about 80% |
Answers
Questions about the Carl Gustaf m/45
How much does the Carl Gustaf m/45 weigh?
The Carl Gustaf m/45 weighs 3.43 kg (7.56 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Carl Gustaf m/45?
The Carl Gustaf m/45 is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the Carl Gustaf m/45 hold?
The Carl Gustaf m/45 holds 36 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Carl Gustaf m/45?
The Carl Gustaf m/45 is 808 mm (31.8 in) long overall, with a 213 mm (8.39 in) barrel.
Who makes the Carl Gustaf m/45?
The Carl Gustaf m/45 is made by Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori (Sweden). It was designed by Gunnar Johansson.
When was the Carl Gustaf m/45 introduced?
The Carl Gustaf m/45 was introduced in 1945 and discontinued in 2007.
How does the Carl Gustaf m/45 operate?
The Carl Gustaf m/45 uses a blowback action, and its firing mechanism is open bolt.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Swedish Armed Forces
- 1945
- Swedish Home Guard (Hemvärnet)
- 1945
- United States Special Forces (MACV-SOG)
- United States
- Egyptian Armed Forces
- Egypt
- Indonesian National Armed Forces
- Indonesia
- Irish Defence Forces
- Ireland
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/carl-gustaf-m45' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "carl-gustaf-m45", "name": "Carl Gustaf m/45", "manufacturer": { "id": "carl-gustafs-stads-gevarsfaktori", "name": "Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori", "countryCode": "SE", "foundedYear": 1812, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-05-04 12:38:54", "updatedAt": "2026-05-04 12:38:54", "version": "60deb5d9421bc895a7b336fc6d6e017430562d1821af2f2d8f65e5e389b70aa3" }, "category": { "id": "submachine-gun", "name": "Submachine Gun", "description": "Automatic firearms chambered in pistol calibers" }, "country_of_origin": "SE", "year_introduced": 1945, "barrel_length_mm": 213, "weight_empty_g": 3430, "action_type": "blowback"}