Kbsp wz. 1938M

karabin samopowtarzalny wz.38M
Polish Pistolet maszynowy Mors wz. 39 SMG (left) and a prototype of Karabin samopowtarzalny wz. 38M (right)
Type	Semi-automatic rifle
Place of origin	Poland
Service history
In service	1938 to 1939
Used by	Poland
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designed	1934
Produced	1938 to 1939
No. built	~ 150
Variants	none
Specifications
Length	1,134 mm (44.6 in)
Barrel length	625 mm (24.6 in)
Cartridge	8x57mm IS
Caliber	7.9mm
Action	Gas-Operated, Tilt locked
Muzzle velocity	2,650 ft/s (807.92 m/s)
Feed system	10-round detachable box

The Karabin samopowtarzalny wzór 38M (Kbsp wz.38M self-repeating rifle Model 38M), was a Polish 7.9 mm semi-automatic rifle used by the Polish Army during the Invasion of Poland of 1939.

History

The rifle was designed by a Polish engineer Józef Maroszek. He was known mainly as a designer of Polish anti-tank rifle wz.1935 "Ur". Józef Maroszek was one of the three winners of Poland’s 1934 self-loading rifle trials. Several prototypes and pre-production samples of his rifle were manufactured from 1936 to 1938. After a Polish army order was received, a small scale production began in 1938. It is believed that only about 150 rifles of this pattern were manufactured before the German invasion of Poland. The production was not resumed under the German occupation. The wz.38M rifles were manufactured by the Zbrojownia Nr. 2 (Arsenal No.2) in Warsaw (Praga). The barrels were supplied by the Panstwowa Fabryka Karabinow (the State Rifle Factory) in Warsaw.

The highest serial number observed is 1054 (it is assumed that the numbering started from "1001", not counting the prototypes and pre-production series). The decision was made to begin a serial production of the rifle at the Fabryka Broni (the Arms Factory) in Radom in 1938. However, it is unclear if any rifles of this pattern left the Radom factory before a German invasion (all the surviving examples display "Zbr.2" markings). Józef Maroszek stated that he had seen a group of German soldiers armed with wz.38M rifles in occupied Warsaw. This is perhaps the only indication that Maroszek rifles were reissued to Nazi forces.

The rifle is gas operated with the gas tube located under the barrel. Tilting bolt. Ten round non-detachable magazine loaded from Mauser clips. The safety lever is located on the right side of the receiver, just above the trigger. Mauser-style tangent leaf rear sight graduated from 300 to 2000 meter. Bayonet lug for a standard Polish issue bayonet wz.29. Two piece stock. Two sling swivels. Today, this is probably the most difficult to find military rifle on the collector market. There are only nine known examples of wz.38 M rifles in collections around the world (1. Polish Army Museum, Warsaw, Poland, deactivated; 2. Central Armed Forces Museum, Moscow, Russia; 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. private collections in the USA; 9. private collection in Germany). Some time ago, there were rumors of wz.38M being on display at the Museum of War, Beijing, China (unconfirmed). The known serial numbers are: 1017, 1019, 1027, 1030, 1040, 1048, 1054 (the Russian museum and the Ohio collection rifles serial numbers are unknown).

Military usage

There is only one example of military usage of this rifle, which is known from its constructor’s memories. While evacuating personnel from Instytut Techniki Uzbrojenia (Weaponry Technology Institute) the train they were traveling in was attacked near the city of Zdołbunow by two German warplanes flying at low altitude. As he states in his memories, Józef Maroszek kept shooting through the window, eventually killing the gunner and wounding the pilot of one of the planes, forcing it to land. This event was also confirmed by other passengers.

See also

• ZH-29

References

Sources:

I. http://collectiblefirearms.com/RiflesModernMilitary.html

II. Z. Gwozdz & P. Zarzycki, "Polskie Konstrukcje Broni Strzeleckiej", 1993.

III. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/27/us-agencies-join-war-against-gun-owners/

IV. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-collector-squares-off-with-his-home-country-over-rare-world-war-ii-rifle/2013/06/29/c8ff181a-dcf8-11e2-9218-bc2ac7cd44e2_story.html

V. http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karabin_samopowtarzalny_wz._38M