The MP19 was a Swiss prototype submachine gun designed by Adolf Furrer.
History[]
The MP19 was developed shortly after World War I, and was conceptually based on the German Bergmann MP18. According to records, 92 units were delivered to the Swiss army before production ended. In 1962, 69 of those 92 units delivered were destroyed by the Swiss in the town of Gerlafingen.
Design[]
The MP19 was a toggle-action submachine gun that utilized the Luger mechanism. The toggle lock was located on the left side of the receiver and the magazines fed in through the right. The toggle lock would fold open upon firing, allowing a spent round to eject and opening the breech for a new round to be chambered. The system was ultimately unreliable and not suited to harsh conditions.
Furrer would implement an improved version of the MP19 mechanism in his later M25 light machine gun and MP41 submachine gun.