Husqvarna m/40
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 120 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.22 kg
- Introduced
- 1940
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Husqvarna m/40 was a Swedish licensed copy of the Finnish Lahti L-35 pistol, chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum and manufactured by Husqvarna Vapenfabrik from 1940 to 1946. A locked-breech recoil-operated pistol designed by Aimo Lahti, it retained the L-35's bolt accelerator for reliable cycling in cold and dirty conditions but simplified the design by omitting the loaded-chamber indicator. It served as the standard Swedish service pistol for decades.
The Lahti's bolt accelerator - a small lever that gives the breechblock an extra kick on recoil - was designed so the pistol would keep cycling reliably in the deep cold of Nordic winters, where lesser pistols froze up.
Roughly 84,000 m/40 pistols were produced. Later examples suffered frame cracking when fired with hot submachine-gun ammunition, prompting a recall in the 1980s; Sweden eventually replaced it with the Glock 17.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Husqvarna Vapenfabrik
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- Sweden
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1940 to 1946
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 120 mm
- Overall length
- 245 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.22 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Short recoil
- Firing mechanism
- Single action
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 8
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Slide
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 350 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 456 J
- Effective range
- 50 m
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.
Locked breech
Concealed hammer- Bolt accelerator
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 560 9x19mm Parabellum pistols | 1.22 kg | 765 g | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 559 9x19mm Parabellum pistols | 245 mm | 191 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 569 9x19mm Parabellum pistols | 120 mm | 105 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 571 9x19mm Parabellum pistols | 8 | 15 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Husqvarna m/40
How much does the Husqvarna m/40 weigh?
The Husqvarna m/40 weighs 1.22 kg (2.69 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Husqvarna m/40?
The Husqvarna m/40 is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the Husqvarna m/40 hold?
The Husqvarna m/40 holds 8 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Husqvarna m/40?
The Husqvarna m/40 is 245 mm (9.65 in) long overall, with a 120 mm (4.72 in) barrel.
Who makes the Husqvarna m/40?
The Husqvarna m/40 is made by Husqvarna Vapenfabrik (Sweden). It was designed by Aimo Lahti.
When was the Husqvarna m/40 introduced?
The Husqvarna m/40 was introduced in 1940 and discontinued in 1946.
How does the Husqvarna m/40 operate?
The Husqvarna m/40 uses a short recoil 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
- 1940
Provenance
Confidence in this record
74%
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/husqvarna-m40' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "husqvarna-m40", "name": "Husqvarna m/40", "manufacturer": { "id": "husqvarna", "name": "Husqvarna Vapenfabrik", "countryCode": "SE", "foundedYear": 1689, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "7a23a4c5c1b3756158f8a0e80c56589f58af6cf36b454b567dd250d40f53c1e4" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "SE", "year_introduced": 1940, "barrel_length_mm": 120, "weight_empty_g": 1220, "action_type": "short_recoil"}