GD-71

Type 71 machine pistol (GD-71)
Type 71G with stock extended/retracted, and Type 71NJ at bottom.
Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	Menghe
Service history
In service	1973-present
Used by	Template:Country data Azbekistan Dzhungestan Menghe
Wars	Polvokian Civil War Ummayan Civil War Innominadan Crisis Innominadan Uprising
Production history
Designer	Insŏng New Arsenal
Designed	1967-1970
Manufacturer	numerous
Produced	1972-1999
Specifications
Weight	2.42 kg
Length	stock extended: 688mm stock folded: 480mm
Barrel length	274mm
Cartridge	7.5×25mm Menghean
Action	blowback, open bolt
Rate of fire	800 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	500 m/s
Effective firing range	200m
Feed system	40-round magazine
Sights	Iron sights

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. It incorporates many influences from the Type 42 submachine gun, including the 7.5×25mm cartridge, but also adds many improvements. Today, it is mainly used by reservist tank crews and some Armed Police units.

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.

A fire selector on the right-handed thumb position offers semi-automatic and fully automatic fire options, and also activates the bolt-forward safety from its third position. When the bolt is pulled back, the weapon can be made safe by pushing the charging handle into a notch at the end of its path of travel, preventing it from moving forward if the trigger sear fails. This remains a relatively dangerous position, as the bolt will chamber a round and fire if the sear fails and the bolt handle is knocked upward, so standard practice is to avoid carrying or storing the weapon with the bolt charged.

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.

Assessment

Though produced in large numbers and widely issued in the Menghean Army, the GD-71 earned a lackluster reputation among the soldiers who used it. Many of the stamped steel components were too thin, with corners cracking easily after prolonged usage, or top and bottom sections coming out of alignment.

More serious issues related to the weapon's safety. The trigger group safety prevents the trigger from being pulled accidentally, but it does nothing to stop a broader issue with blowback firearms: if the weapon is dropped on its end, the bolt can easily bounce far back enough to chamber and fire a round without catching on the trigger sear. The bolt-open safety is even more dangerous, as a slight nudge to the charging handle can knock it free of its notch position and send it forward, chambering and firing a round. Tank and vehicle crews issued GD-71s adopted the practice of leaving the magazine well empty in storage, and loading the weapon only after bailing out of their vehicle; some police units made similar changes in training. Improved safety protections would be a major feature of subsequent Menghean SMGs, most notably the GD-109.

Variants

• GD-71G: Original folding-stock version chambered in 7.5×25mm.
• GD-71N: Variant with a wooden stock.
• GD-71NJ: Wooden-stock variant with a longer barrel, partial wooden handguard, and tangent-type rear sight adjustable out to 500 meters.
• GD-71D: Variant chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum, readily identifiable by its straight magazine.

Users

• Template:Country data Azbekistan
• Dzhungestan
• Menghe