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Franchi LF-57

1956 COLD WAR MODERN

History of Franchi LF-57

The Franchi LF-57 proved to be a high-quality attempt at submachine gun design, limited only by its abundance of excellent products found elsewhere. It was the first military weapon developed by Franchi S. p. A. Group from Brescia, Italy - founded by Luigi Franchi himself (hence the name "LF").

As a result, after production began in 1956, this functional submachine gun found only a few serious buyers. Their main customer is the Italian Navy, with orders from Congo-Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.

Although production began in 1956, some modifications to the design were made in 1957, resulting in the weapon receiving the official company model designation "LF-57".

The LF-57 proved to be a solidly constructed, fully functional firearm, constructed from all-steel stampings and stampings, weighing approximately 7 lbs. The rectangular receiver also forms the handguard/front, so there's no real furniture-grip and handle with bevels and indents. The entire receiver is forged in final production as two separate halves, joined by a seam, and the internal bolt arrangement allows for a more compact form of construction.

The LF-57 utilizes a dual strut cable tray with hinges folded on the right side of the receiver. It is designed so that it does not interfere with the ejection port on that side of the weapon. The pistol grip is also made of steel and has beveled vertical lines to provide a solid - albeit heavy and stiff - grip. A pressure fuse was found along the leading edge of the grip, which had to be pressed for the weapon to operate.

The trigger group consists of an elongated ring that accommodates the operator's gloved hand, the magazine feeder is mounted in the usual fashion directly in front of the pistol grip and is fed from a detachable straight-box magazine . The receiver is relatively clean, with a large ejection port on the right side of the fuselage and a charging handle on the left side. The front end is integrated into the gun body and is slotted along its lower part to dissipate the heat from the barrel. The barrel is mounted low in the receiver, with only the muzzle protruding a short distance in front of the body. The iron sights are very simple - rough by most standards - and are located front and rear on top of the receiver.

The overall length of the stock is 27 inches when extended and 16.5 inches when the stock is folded. The barrel is only 8 inches long and held in place by a nut to simplify cleaning/replacement.

The LF-57 is loaded with 9x19mm Parabellum pistol cartridges with 20 and 40 rounds magazines. The firing behavior revolves around the recoil principle and can reach a manageable 500 rounds per minute. Recoil pistols use the air pressure of the primer cartridge as it is applied to the bolt during the operating cycle.

The muzzle velocity was specified at 1,200 feet per second, which initially provided good penetration values ??for a 9mm bullet. However, the LF-57 is indeed a close-range weapon, and its effectiveness drops to over 100 feet.

The LF-57 weapon first entered the US market in 1962. Gun restrictions that emerged in the 1980s eventually limited fully automatic fire to semi-automatic fire. Franchi production of the LF-57 continued until 1980.