Socimi Type 821
| SOCIMI Type 821-SMG | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | submachine gun |
| Place of origin |
 Italy
|
| Service history | |
| In service | 1980s-present |
| Used by | Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1983 |
| Manufacturer | Societa Costruzioni Industriali Milano, Luigi Franchi S.p.A. |
| Produced | 1984-1989 |
| No. built | Unknown |
| Variants | Type 821-5 Micro SMG (experimental only) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 2.45 kg (5 lb 6oz) |
| Length | 600 mm (23.6 in) butt extended, 400 mm (15.7in) butt folded |
| Barrel length | 200 mm (7.87 in.) |
| Height | 175 mm (6.88 in.) |
|
|
|
| Cartridge | 9×19mm Parabellum |
| Caliber | 9mm |
| Action | Blowback, Select-fire |
| Rate of fire | 550 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 380 m/s (1245 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 150-200 metres |
| Feed system | 32-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Adjustable post front sight; Flip-aperture rear sight, (100 and 200 metres); Sight radius: 288 mm |
The Socimi Type 821-SMG was a submachine gun manufactured in the 1980s by the firm of SOCIMI, Società Costruzioni Industriali Milano, SpA located in Milan, Italy.
At a first glance the Socimi Type 821-SMG appears to be an outright Italian copy of the Israeli Uzi, although the design sports many differences and improvements over the original project. The firm of SOCIMI had been active in the railway building sector since the early 1970s; in 1983, it entered in a Joint-Venture with the historic firearms manufacturer Luigi Franchi S.p.A. (which later, specifically in 1987, would have outright taken over) to concentrate on the military weapons business. The results of this collaboration were a series of assault rifles, and the Type 821-SMG. The early prototypes and evaluation samples of this sub-machinegun were shortly manufactured directly by Franchi, until SOCIMI had completed tooling-up to start in-house production.
The Israeli UZI sub-machinegun was taken as a basis, and several technical solutions of such weapon were outright adopted, including the telescoping bolt (already in use in another Italian sub-machinegun, the Beretta PM-12), the safety/fire selector switch and the grip safety, and housing of the magazine in the pistol grip. However, SOCIMI/Franchi engineers wanted to distinguish their weapon from the original UZI, by developing a wide array of newer features. The SOCIMI sub-machinegun was built around a solid, monolythic rectangular receiver made out of one single piece of lightweight alloy, departing from the UZI's heavy stamped steel receiver design; the SOCIMI receiver has one single opening on the rear from which the entire bolt assembly can be extracted, while the barrel is inserted in the front and secured by a nut, and can be separated from the receiver by unscrewing it like in the UZI. The grip has finger grooves for better handling.
The stock is tubular and sidefolding, departing from the complicated retractable design of the Israeli UZI; it pivots underneath the back side of the receiver and lies flat against the right side of the gun when folded. It is longer than the UZI stock (200 millimetres vs. 180), and results more comfortable to operate and to shoulder. The buttpad folds horizontally against the stock when not in use. While the original UZI collapsing stock could be useful as a blunt object/weapon in the event of extremely close engagements or hand-to-hand combat, the SOCIMI Type 821-SMG stock was not designed with such use in mind.
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Wikipedia