GD-71

The GD-71 (Formal designation: 71식 기관 단총 / 七一式機關短銃, chiril-sik gigwan danchong, "Type 71 machine pistol;" Short designation 71식, chiril-sik, "Type 71"), also known in Anglian language literature as the Type 71 submachine gun, is a submachine gun designed in the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe after the Menghean War of Liberation.

Development

Work on a new submachine gun began soon after the end of the Menghean War of Liberation, where weapons of this type proved useful in the close-quarters mass attacks favored by the Menghean Liberation Army. The designers, many of whom were formerly gunsmiths of the Greater Menghean Empire, drew many influences from the Type 42 submachine gun, but ultimately produced a lighter and more compact weapon. The prototype, produced by the Insŏng New Arsenal, was accepted for service in 1971, though as the JS-67 had already proven successful as a multi-purpose assault rifle, its prospects in the Menghean People's Army were more limited.

Design details

The GD-71 is a straightforward open bolt, simple blowback weapon with a fixed firing pin, like other submachine guns of its generation. These characteristics result in reduced accuracy, but also greater internal simplicity, which the MPA considered more important in an SMG. The sights are also rudimentary, and resemble those on the Type 42, with 50, 100, and 200-meter settings.

One of the requirements of the new weapon was that it be fully reverse-compatible with existing stockpiles of wartime SMG magazines, and the Insŏng design team closely complied with this requirement. The magazine well has large feed lips cut to fit the over-insertion guard on Type 42 40-round magazines, and in early service was often issued with the older magazines. New-construction magazines can be distinguished by the different bracing rib indents stamped into the sides. GD-71s issued to tank crews and some special forces are often seen with shorter 20-round magazines, no longer than the pistol grip, to make the weapon more compact.

The basic construction of the receiver is identical in layout to that of the Type 42, as is the procedure for disassembly. The upper and lower section are both made of thin bent or stamped steel, and are connected by a captive pin forward of the magazine well and a rear lever held in place by the recoil spring. Most components are joined by spot welding, and the spaces between moving components are kept wide to allow the weapon to continue operating in sandy or muddy conditions.

Regular production weapons have an L-shaped skeleton stock made from a curved piece of thick metal wire. This can be pushes forward, with the arms moving along the sides of the lower receiver, to make the weapon more compact. While relatively light, it is also relatively flimsy, and could fail to extend or compress properly if bent. Some GD-71s designed for police or base security service were built with more durable but non-folding wooden stocks, and bear the designation GD-71N.

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