"Sichuan Type" is the provisional name attributed[note 3] to a Chinese submachine gun that was produced during the Chinese Civil War.

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History Edit

It is difficult to determine when or where the "Sichuan Type" submachine gun was produced, although it was probably made during the 1930s or 40s at workshops in Chongqing, then part of the Sichuan province. It may have been originally made for use by the personal guard of the wealthy landlord Liu Wencai,[1] although at least some were used by Communist militias in Shanxi during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the ensuing resumption of the Civil War.[2] It is not known how many were produced in total, although numbers were certainly low.

Several examples survive today, including specimens displayed at the Beijing Military Museum, Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution and Chengdu Museum.

Design Edit

The Sichuan Type submachine gun shows signs of influence from other designs. It seems it was largely copied from the Thompson M1921 and likely uses the same action; however the cocking handle is relocated on the right side of the receiver and the trigger group is moved much further back to allow for the placement of a wooden foregrip in between the trigger and the magazine. The chambering is for 7.63×25mm rather than .45 ACP, and it feeds from purpose-built curved box magazines. The external design seems to have been superficially inspired to some extent by the ZH-29 rifle.

Gallery Edit

An example being carried by a woman in Shanxi, 1944 A surviving example at the Beijing Military Museum, without magazine. A surviving example at the Chengdu Museum without the selector switch. Two examples in the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution showing the right side.

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Notes Edit

↑ Xikang. Chuan-Kang is short for Sichuan ↑ Suijing Gongshu (Chinese: 绥靖公署; Chinese Wikipedia ) is a regional military administration system used by the Republic of China during the Chinese Civil War. ↑ There exists no formal designation of this weapon; as such, this Wiki has attributed its own speculative name to the gun based on its history.

References Edit