The Hyde M1944 was an attempt by George Hyde to manufacture a light rifle for the US Armed Forces. The overall weapon was based on the Thompson submachine gun which Hyde himself based the design of many of his weapons on.
The M1944 Hyde Carbine came with a quick barrel change device similar to the MG42 and pressed steel components to ease production and reduce weight at the same time. The M1944 Hyde Carbine was more reliable and accurate than the M1 Carbine that was adopted. It also had the capability of select fire, which made it very similar to a StG-44.
While the quick-barrel change system was an obvious copy of the system incorporated in that of an MG 42, despite the fact that the MG 42 was only produced for roughly 2 years when the Hyde M1944 was produced, it was interesting to see a quick change device on a carbine of the sort, and it was pondered whether it was actually needed. The bolt has a rat-tail, similar to a Steyr-Solothurn MP-34 or a FN FAL, where the spring is contained within the buttstock.
Gallery
See also
- 1940 US Rifle Trials
- Hyde-Bendix
- Simpson Carbine
- Kubynov KB-2