Kucher Model K1 (original) (raw)

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Submachine gun

Kucher Light Machine Pistol Model K1
Type Submachine gun
Place of origin People's Republic of Hungary
Service history
In service 1953
Used by Hungary
Production history
Designer József Kucher
Designed 1951
No. built ~800
Specifications
Mass 3.1 kg (6.8 lb) empty, 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) fully loaded
Length 844 mm (33.2 in), 532 mm (20.9 in) stock folded
Barrel length 280 mm (11 in)
Cartridge 7.62×25mm Tokarev
Action Blowback
Rate of fire 700 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity 480 m/s (1,600 ft/s)
Effective firing range 100–200 m (110–220 yd)[1]
Feed system detachable box magazine 35 round
Sights Front: windage and elevation adjustable postBack: Two-position notch

The Kucher K1, also known as the Danuvia M53 K1, was a Hungarian magazine-fed submachine gun designed by József Kucher in 1951, based on the Danuvia 44.M prototype submachine gun.[2] It was produced by the titular Danuvia company.[3] The submachine gun was known in Hungarian service as the Gepisztoly 53 Minta or as the "Spigon submachine gun".[4]

After passing tests in military trials at Táborfalva on 11 November, 1951, it was adopted by the Hungarian Ministry of Defense, and often referred to as the 'Pénzügyőr Géppisztoly' (Financier/Treasury Machine Gun). Some sources claim it was adopted in 1953 and received the designation 53.M. The K1 was produced in limited numbers (exact count unknown) before being replaced by a Hungarian copy of the PPSh-41 for army use, and was mostly issued to border guards and treasury officers, remaining in service until the 1960s.[5][6]

The K1 used an open-bolt, blowback action, fed by a 35 round, curved, double-stack magazine. It weighed around 6.8 lbs and was 33.2 inches long with the stock extended. Due to being milled rather than using stamped metal it required more time to manufacture and cost more than many of its contemporaries.[7]

  1. ^ "7.62mm Kucher Light Machine Pistol Model K1, 1951". Hungarian Weapons & History.
  2. ^ "This Rare, Cold War Hungarian Submachine Gun Reappeared in 2016". 6 February 2017.
  3. ^ "Hungarian K1 submachine-gun".
  4. ^ a b c Ezell, Edward (1988). Small Arms Today. Vol. 2nd. Stackpole Books. p. 199. ISBN 0811722805.
  5. ^ "Hungarian Weapons Kiraly Kucher K1 Danuvia Submachine Guns Machine Pistols".
  6. ^ "Historical Firearms - Kucher K1 Submachine Gun During the late 1930s".
  7. ^ "This Rare, Cold War Hungarian Submachine Gun Reappeared in 2016". 6 February 2017.