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LS/26 file photo [14429]

Lahti-Saloranta M/26 Machine Gun

Country of OriginFinland
TypeMachine Gun
Caliber7.620 mm
Capacity20 rounds
Length1.109 m
Barrel Length500.000 mm
Weight9.300 kg
Rate of Fire500 rounds/min
Range400.000 m
Muzzle Velocity800 m/s

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe Lahti-Saloranta M/26 (LS/26) light machine gun design was originally designed by Aimo Lahti and Avro Saloranta in 1925. Later in the same year, it was selected as the Finnish Army's standard light machine gun. Production began in 1927 at the Valtion kivääritehdas factory in Finland. In 1937, China placed an order for 30,000 weapons, but only 1,200 were actually delivered, largely due to German and Japanese diplomatic pressure. Finnish troops found them to be too complex for cleaning and field stripping purposes; despite of their accuracy, they were often stockpiled, the front line machine gun crews preferring to use crude but reliable captured Soviet machine guns such as the Degtyaryov Pekhotny "DP" machine guns. Production for the LS/26 light machine gun design ended in 1942; by that time, more than 5,000 were built. By the summer of 1944, 3,400 were still in operational status.

Although designs exist for both 20-round and 75-round magazines for this weapon, the Finnish Army used the 20-round box magazine variant almost exclusively.

Source: Wikipedia ww2dbase

Last Major Revision: Jan 2012

Photographs

Finnish soldiers with Lahti-Saloranta M/26 light machine gun on the western shore of Viipuri Bay, Finland, 1940Finnish soldier with a LS/26 light machine gun, Finland, Feb 1940
See all 3 photographs of Lahti-Saloranta M/26 Machine Gun



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Lahti-Saloranta M/26 Machine Gun Photo Gallery
Finnish soldiers with Lahti-Saloranta M/26 light machine gun on the western shore of Viipuri Bay, Finland, 1940Finnish soldier with a LS/26 light machine gun, Finland, Feb 1940
See all 3 photographs of Lahti-Saloranta M/26 Machine Gun


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