BSA "WELGUN" (United Kingdom)
The Welgun was an attempt to produce a lightweight and portable sub machinegun intended for use by airborne troops. Unlike the Sten designs already in use in the country during this period the Welgun was fed by a vertical magazine, equipped with a folding butt stock and forward handguard for holding during sustained firing. It used the existing supply of Sten magazines to ensure a ready supply would be available. By this point many of the earlier jamming problems with Sten magazines had been corrected. The weapon was an effective and reliable design, however the large quantities of Stens in use (and the desire of the British Ministry to not to change designs in mid-stream) sealed the fate of the Welgun. The design was not adopted by the British Armed Forces and the weapon faded from memory. The "WELGUN" was chambered for the .9x19-Parabellum round, feeding from a 32-rounds magazine, with a total weight of 7.75 Pounds.
Picture and information courtesy of: PIERANGELO TENDAS
