Lahti-Saloranta M/26
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 500 mm
- Weight, empty
- 9.30 kg
- Introduced
- 1930
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Lahti-Saloranta M/26 was a Finnish light machine gun designed by Aimo Lahti and Arvo Saloranta and built by the state rifle factory VKT. A short-recoil, selective-fire, air-cooled weapon firing from an open bolt, it fed from a 20-round box magazine (with a less-common 75-round drum) and mounted a folding bipod on its perforated barrel jacket. Adopted in 1926 and produced from 1930, it served Finnish forces through the Winter and Continuation Wars, though front-line troops often preferred captured Soviet DP-27 light machine guns.
Co-designer Aimo Lahti was a self-taught small-arms genius who also created the Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun and the gigantic Lahti L-39 'Norsupyssy' (Elephant Gun) 20mm anti-tank rifle.
Sources differ on overall length (1110 mm commonly cited vs an outlier 1180 mm). An export version in 7.92x57mm Mauser was ordered by China; only a fraction of the 30,000-unit order was delivered.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Valtion Kivaaritehdas (VKT)
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- Finland
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1930 to 1942
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 500 mm
- Overall length
- 1110 mm
- Weight, empty
- 9.30 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Short recoil
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 20
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 800 m/s
- Effective range
- 400 m
- Rate of fire
- 500 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.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Open bolt
Folding bipod
Quick change barrel
Perforated barrel jacket
Wooden buttstock
Pistol grip
Selective fire
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 261 machine guns | 9.30 kg | 10.50 kg | Lighter than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 1110 mm | 1156 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 500 mm | 605 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 20 | 50 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Lahti-Saloranta M/26
How much does the Lahti-Saloranta M/26 weigh?
The Lahti-Saloranta M/26 weighs 9.30 kg (20.50 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Lahti-Saloranta M/26?
The Lahti-Saloranta M/26 is chambered in 7.62x53mmR Finnish.
How many rounds does the Lahti-Saloranta M/26 hold?
The Lahti-Saloranta M/26 holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Lahti-Saloranta M/26?
The Lahti-Saloranta M/26 is 1110 mm (43.7 in) long overall, with a 500 mm (19.7 in) barrel.
Who makes the Lahti-Saloranta M/26?
The Lahti-Saloranta M/26 is made by Valtion Kivaaritehdas (VKT) (Finland). It was designed by Aimo Lahti and Arvo Saloranta.
When was the Lahti-Saloranta M/26 introduced?
The Lahti-Saloranta M/26 was introduced in 1930 and discontinued in 1942.
How does the Lahti-Saloranta M/26 operate?
The Lahti-Saloranta M/26 uses a short recoil action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
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
- Finnish Army
- 1930
- National Revolutionary Army (Republic of China)
- China
Provenance
Confidence in this record
72%
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/lahti-saloranta-m26' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "lahti-saloranta-m26", "name": "Lahti-Saloranta M/26", "manufacturer": { "id": "valtion-kivaaritehdas", "name": "Valtion Kivaaritehdas (VKT)", "countryCode": "FI", "foundedYear": 1926, "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": "930f06a1429cb1a7390bb37438a68e72bc3f2c9052c01afff501efb283253a18" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "FI", "year_introduced": 1930, "barrel_length_mm": 500, "weight_empty_g": 9300, "action_type": "short_recoil"}