Original Cold War Polish 43-52 PM wz. 43/52 Submachine Display Gun Serial AP-00013 – dated 1953 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The PM wz. 43/52 was a Polish offshoot of the famous Soviet PPS-43 Submachine Gun line.

The PM in the designation stood for “Pistolet Maszynowy”. Following World War 2 (1939-1945), the Polish military arsenal was rebuilt with largely Soviet-originated weapons and this included the PPS-43 Submachine Gun (SMG) series. The weapon was eventually taken under license-production as the “PM wz. 43” from 1948 onward until a modified form, the PM wz. 43/52, was revealed to supersede it. This model retained all of the form and function of the original Soviet offering but was given specific alterations to suit Polish Army requirements as well as local industry.

This excellent example was made from original issue parts, and constructed per BATF-specifications as a non-functional display gun. It has no moving internal parts, and 30% of the lower receiver has been completely replaced with solid steel bar stock, with the bolt welded in place inside the upper receiver. The trigger still pulls, and the trigger group can also still swivel downward by unlatching it at the back.

This example is marked on the top of the receiver, the underside of the bolt handle, and on the left side of the butt stock with serial number AP – 00013. It also is dated 1953 on the top of the receiver under 6 in a circle. It comes complete with an original intact magazine where permitted. Otherwise a deactivated magazine will be sent.

A very attractive Cold War Era Eastern European Machine gun, ready to display!

One of the key differences in the new post-war design was its fit of a Tommy Gun-style wooden stock (unlike the folding metal stock seen in the original). This assembly contained a hollowed-out compartment used to house the cleaning kit but the general benefit of its addition was in added weight at the rear of the gun – making for a better-balanced short-to-medium-range weapon. Full-automatic-fire-only was still the call-of-the-day for the Polish design though, through special pressure management of the trigger, an operator could fire single shots if needed. Other changes included modifications better suited to Polish assembly lines but, beyond that, the wz. 43.52 remained a submachine gun through and through, typically issued to special units, special forces and those operators requiring additional firepower but without access to a standard issue assault rifle.

From the period of 1952 until 1955, the Lucznik Arms Factory of Radom, Poland pushed out over 111,000 PPS and PPS-related submachine guns.