EMP 44

The EMP 44 was a firearm produced by Erma Werke in 1943. It passed all of the German ordnance tests, but because of its cheap look, it was not adopted by the German armed forces. [cite web |url=http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/2100/2159.htm |title=ERMA EMP 44 |accessdate=2007-09-22 ]

Design

The EMP fires from an open bolt. Its caliber is 9 mm Luger Parabellum. The length was 892-950 mm. The barrel length was either 250 or 308 mm long. Its rate of fire was 500 rounds per minute. It used the 32 round MP40 magazine. The practical range was 150-200 meters.

History

The wide use of submachine guns by the German armed forces in the Second World War led to a strong demand on the industrial capacity that brought simplified designs and lower production costs new weapons. In 1944, Erma, the main MP 40 producer submitted the EMP 44. The receiver was produced out of welded steel tubing like the Sten. The flash suppressor was formed in the same manner as the Russian machine pistol PPS43muzzle brake from stamped steel. The EMP 44 was not rejected due to its failure to pass acceptance tests, it was rejected due to its cheap look but mainly because new weapons like the MP 44 were already produced with the goal to replace both the MP 40 and the K 98.

References