Carl Gustaf m/45B
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Barrel
- 213 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.43 kg
- Introduced
- 1948
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Carl Gustaf m/45B is the most common production variant of Sweden's m/45 submachine gun, known internationally as the Swedish-K. Chambered in 9x19mm and operating from an open bolt by simple blowback, the m/45B refined the original 1945 design with a permanently fixed magazine well (accepting only the reliable 36-round double-column Swedish magazine), smaller cooling holes in the barrel jacket, and a lighter grey-green finish. Robust, simple, and dependable, it was carried by US Navy SEALs in Vietnam until a US arms embargo on Sweden cut off supply, prompting development of the Smith & Wesson Model 76 copy.
US Navy SEALs prized the silenced "Swedish-K" in early Vietnam, but a Swedish arms embargo over the war abruptly cut off spare parts, forcing Smith & Wesson to reverse-engineer it as the Model 76.
Early m/45 guns accepted both the older 50-round Suomi-pattern and the newer 36-round magazine via an interchangeable magazine housing; the m/45B fixed the housing for the 36-round magazine only. Egypt produced a licensed copy as the Port Said.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Country
- Sweden
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1948 to 1965
- Variant of
- Improved model
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 213 mm
- Overall length
- 806 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.43 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 4.20 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Single action
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 36
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Slide
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Steel
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 410 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 626 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.
Open bolt
Folding tubular stock
Perforated barrel shroud
Fixed magazine well
Double column double feed 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 | 806 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/45B
How much does the Carl Gustaf m/45B weigh?
The Carl Gustaf m/45B weighs 3.43 kg (7.56 lb) empty and 4.20 kg (9.26 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Carl Gustaf m/45B?
The Carl Gustaf m/45B is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the Carl Gustaf m/45B hold?
The Carl Gustaf m/45B holds 36 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Carl Gustaf m/45B?
The Carl Gustaf m/45B is 806 mm (31.7 in) long overall, with a 213 mm (8.39 in) barrel.
Who makes the Carl Gustaf m/45B?
The Carl Gustaf m/45B is made by Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori (Sweden).
When was the Carl Gustaf m/45B introduced?
The Carl Gustaf m/45B was introduced in 1948 and discontinued in 1965.
How does the Carl Gustaf m/45B operate?
The Carl Gustaf m/45B uses a blowback action, and its firing mechanism is single action.
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
- Egyptian Armed Forces
- Egypt
- United States Navy SEALs
- United States
Provenance
Confidence in this record
73%
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-m45b' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "carl-gustaf-m45b", "name": "Carl Gustaf m/45B", "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": 1948, "barrel_length_mm": 213, "weight_empty_g": 3430, "action_type": "blowback"}