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: Don’t Ignore the “Nine” 21

was also very effective as a light machinegun,used with great success by the British and firingtheir popular .303 cartridge.

But, the Bergmann MP-18 machine pistol wasanother story altogether. With more or less thesame cyclic rate as machineguns of the World WarI period, the Bergmann used a 32-round magazineand fired the 9mm Parabellum pistol round.Banned for German military use by the Treaty ofVersailles, the Bergmann could only be used bythe Germans as a police weapon between theWars. Submachineguns – meaning that a weaponfired a pistol-caliber cartridge, as opposed tomachineguns, which fired a rifle cartridge – hadappeared on the world’s stage for the first time andwould become very popular “players.”

The Bergmann was the first “subgun” to seeanything close to widespread use in combat.

Until the end of World War II, the submachine-gun was the high-firepower mobile battlefieldweapon of choice. Although the fielding of theStG44 Sturmgewehr (assault rifle) came too latein the War to affect its outcome, assault rifleswere on many drawing boards and/or in manyheads at the close of World War II, but wouldn’treally come into their own for years.

Keep in mind, with the exception of the M1Garand, the mainstay infantry weapons of all thecombatants in World War II were bolt actions andthe closest thing the USA had to an assault riflewas the M2 Carbine. The Garand was an excellentweapon, of course, but eight-round capacity doesnot an assault rifle make.

Except for the Thompson and the “Greasegun,”the most common subgun caliber among the west-ern nations during the War had been 9mm Para-bellum – and it would remain so, even to this day.

The reader I referenced had a point welltaken. Consider the fact that 9mm ammunitionweighs comparatively little, as opposed to thetypical rifle cartridge; therefore one can carrymore ammunition. The German MP-38 and MP-40 subguns had 32-round magazines. The admit-tedly vastly more powerful Browning AutomaticRifle (BAR) – in use from near the end of WorldWar I, through World War II, Korea and into theVietnam War by our forces – fired the .30-06 riflecartridge. It usually had only a 20-round maga-zine and was both large and heavy for use in an

assault mode. Ideally, the BAR was to be used byadvancing troops, the weapon shoulder slungand fired from the hip – a wonderful way towaste ammunition with an automatic weapon atanything more than a modest distance.

The submachinegun could be fired from thehip – were one so inclined or forced by necessity– but also could be fired from the shoulder, withthe aid of a fixed or folding stock, even while theperson so equipped was moving in an assault.

At great distances on the battlefield, the sub-machinegun is of little consequence. In urbanwarfare or in even closer quarters applications –laying down suppressive fire, for example – the9mm submachinegun came into its own.

Unless one is “into” special paperwork andtravel restrictions – not to mention spending largesums of money – a true submachinegun is not allthat desirable. Yet, for urban law enforcementapplications, home defense scenarios and the like,a semi-automatic only version of a submachine-gun, in legal rifle length and form, can be a finechoice. Semi-automatic UZIs, Thompsons and – atone time – H&Ks have all been or are available.The Sterling Sporter 9mm Semi-Automatic Rifle isnot only a great shooting firearm based on a timeproven design, but it’s also a lot of fun. With 34-round magazines – two come with each gun – theSterling Sporter is ideal as a semi-auto. The prob-lem with true submachineguns for regular civilianuse is it is too easy to blow through too muchammunition, especially for those inexperiencedwith automatic weapons. Such a firearm as theSterling Sporter gives you the firepower you canuse, but without wasting ammunition.

Century builds the Sterling Sporters here inthe USA, using US-made receivers and barrels incombination with original Sterling parts. TheSterling Sporter shot great for me and for myson-in-law, Danny Akers, both of us using SELLI-ER & BELLOT (sb-usa.com) 124-grain FMJ 9mm.Guns derived from military designs were madefor FMJs, of course. The Sterling makes a greatdefender for an RV, a boat, a private aircraft or ahome. It looks scary to the bad guys and itshoots reliably and well.

My reader made a good suggestion. Don’tignore the 9mm Parabellum – whatever the size ofyour gun!

Right profile of one versionof the semiauto SterlingSporter 9mm Semi-Auto-matic rifle, this with partial-ly shrouded barrel. A fullyshrouded version is nowbeing offered. One of the34-round magazines isshown with the Sterling.

February 10 Blue Press Section 1 12/14/09 10:53 AM Page 21