Madsen-Saetter machine gun in light configuration
Caliber; 7.62x51 NATO, 7.62x63 and others
Weight; 11.6 kg + 16.3 kg tripod
Length; 1290 mm
Barrel length; 660 mm
Feed; belt
Rate of fire; 700 - 1000 rounds per minute
With the demise of the original Madsen light machine gun in the early
1950s, DISA began to look for a more modern weapon in the same general
class, and eventually found a design by Eric Larsen-Saetter. This was a more
or less conventional weapon of its time - a belt-fed universal machine gun.
However, it was ready for production too late to win any significant portion
of the market (design patents were applied for in 1952, but the final
pattern of the gun was developed only in around 1960), which was already
occupied by strong contenders such as the Belgian FN MAG 58, the German MG
42/59 and the American M60. The only customer for the new Madsen-Saetter
GPMG was Indonesia, which also obtained a manufacturing license and produced
these guns for domestic use at the Pindad factory. A brief attempt was made
during the early 1960s to produce a 12.7mm heavy machine gun based on the
same Saetter design, but it never went into mass production.
The Madsen-Saetter universal machine gun is a gas operated, air-cooled,
belt-fed automatic weapon which fires from an open bolt. The barrel is
quick-removable.
The Madsen-Saetter GPMG utilizes the long-stroke gas system with the gas
piston located below the barrel. The gas block is fitted with a manual gas
regulator that permits adjustments for various conditions and rates of fire.
Locking is achieved by two lateral flaps, installed in the bolt and forced
outwards and into locking recesses in the receiver walls by the firing pin -
a system, basically similar to that of Russian Degtyarov machine guns, with
minor detailed improvements. The gun fires from open bolt, in automatic mode
only.
The feed uses non-disintegrating steel belts with open pockets. Each belt
consists of 50-round pieces that can be assembled together using a cartridge
as an interlink to provide a bigger capacity. The feed is of the
push-through type, with a mechanism basically similar to that of the German
MG 42. The gun is fitted with a wooden shoulder stock, a pistol grip and a
folding bipod. DISA also produced a series of tripod mountings for this gun.
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