The Fliegerpistole was a Swiss prototype submachine gun designed by Adolf Furrer.
History[]
Furrer developed this gun at Waffenfabrik Bern in about 1918. It was designed as a fixed position turret for use on defensive fortifications or aircraft. There was no official requirement for the weapon from the Swiss Army, and thus it never advanced from prototype stages.
Design[]
Like many of Furrer's designs, the Fliegerpistole prototype incorporated a recoil-operated, side-facing toggle lock mechanism with two folding arms that pivoted on hinges. Upon firing the toggle lock would fold up and open the breech for a new round to be chambered, whilst pushing the spent cartridge from the left-side ejection port. The magazine feed was on the right side of the gun and took 40-round box magazines.
The gun was built with spade grips and fitted onto an adjustable mount, which had levers to control the elevation. It was offered with a variety of differing muzzle attachments and toggle locks, and a non-mounted variant with regular grips was also developed.