Type 64

Type 64 silenced submachine gun, less magazine.
 Type 64 silenced submachine gun, less magazine.

 

 Type 64 silenced submachine gun with magazine in place, left size. Note thatsafety / fire selector lever is duplicated on either side of weapon.
 Type 64 silenced submachine gun with magazine in place, left size. Note thatsafety / fire selector lever is duplicated on either side of weapon.

 

Characteristics

 

Caliber: 7.62×25 Type 64
Weight: 3.4 kg empty
Length (stock closed/open): 635 / 843 mm
Barrel length: 244 mm
Rate of fire: 1300 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds
Effective range: 150-200 meters

 

Type 64 submachine gun is one of the first domestically designed Chinese submachine guns. It was designed as a special purpose weapon for clandestine operations, and therefore is fitted with integral silencer (sound moderator) of significant size. Standard ammunition for Type 64 SMG is 7.62mm type 64cartridge, which is based on 7.62x25mm Type 51 (same as Soviet 7.62x25mm TT) butis loaded with heavy, pointed bullet with subsonic velocity. Standard 7.62×25 TT ammunition also can be fired from Type 64 SMG but it will cause excessive wear to gun and its silencer. One interesting property of the Type 64 submachine gun is its extremely high cyclic rate of fire, about two times higher than the commonly accepted norm (about 400 to 600 rounds per minute). Because of such high rate of fire, this weapon was probably hard to control in full automatic mode.

Type 64 submachine gun is simple blowback weapon that fires from open bolt.Receiver is machined from steel block, with stamped top cover; silencer is also made of steel. Front part of the barrel is ported to allow some gases to escape from barrel into the silencer. Fire mode selector / safety lever is patterned after Type 56 (AK) assault rifle and allows for single shots and full automatic fire. Curved box magazine holds 30 rounds of ammunition. Shoulder stock folds down and forward when not needed. Sights are of traditional, open type; rear sight is a two-position flip-up part, with settings for 100 and 200 meters range.