Shangyu C.42

The Shangyu C.42, (: 1942年式衝鋒槍; : 1942 Niánshì Chōngfēng Qiāng; lit.: '1942 Year Type Submachine Gun'), a Kodeshi designed in the 1930s and used extensively during the Great Kesh War. It was derived from a small arms development program that took place between 1930 and 1934 under the control of the newly created Nationalist Army decreed by Grand Marshal Guo Guotai. A submachine gun, a light machine gun and a semiautomatic rifle were developed to replace all the existing small arms. Budgetary constraints due to the results of the Civil War and extended testing program led to the delay of adoption of these new arms. A successful and reliable design, it remained as standard issue with the Army until 1983, when it was largely withdrawn from frontline service but continues to be in reserve forces used as a personal defence weapon for reconnaissance units, vehicle crews and support service personnel.

History
Zhou Qichao developed the Shangyu C.42. Following his experiences in the Grand Campaigns and later during the brutal Kodeshian Civil War where he noted the extensive and effective use of the Koryese Song Model 1920 pistol by various warlords and gang leaders from another in the Kodeshian Civil War, particularity within the close combat of the urban sectors of the conflict. Following the Republican victory in 1930 and subsequent Nationalist Army decreed by Grand Marshal Guo Guotai to thoroughly modernised and strength the armed forces. The C.42 was created in response to a Army requirement for a compact and lightweight weapon.

Zhou Qichao, demonstrated his prototype to Army ordnance in 1939. While it was considered unsatisfactory modifications and further prototypes were then made and tested. While the field tests in 1940 and the evaluation report were largely favourable, they still proposed some minor improvements mostly aimed at strengthening the gun's structure. Further tests and refinements were made between 1941 and 1942, as part of the testing, all of the guns were immersed in mud and covered with sand to simulate the harshest environments in which they would be used. It was pitted against the competing designs, which found the C.42 to be superior in most respects: accuracy, reliability, manoeuvrability. In 1942 the firearm was accepted into service as the 1942年式衝鋒槍; 1942 Year Type Submachine Gun or C.42.

The weapon officially went into military service with the Army in 1942 as the Shangyu C.42, although it was not produced in large quantities. Production issues were not solved until 1944. Once the Great Kesh War broke out in 1949 production ramped up significantly and production was expanded across the nation and by the end of the war over nearly 8,000,000 were produced.

During the war, the average cost to manufacture the C.42 submachine gun was $21 or Hz 79.8 (equivalent to $330.32 or Hz 2,736,578.71 in 2020), including accessories and spare parts. Although it was somewhat bulky, the C.42 became very popular with soldiers because of its reliability especially in the tropical jungles of the south eastern front of the Great Kesh War

Design
The C.42 has a simple blowback design, firing from an open bolt. It was designed to be fired either from the shoulder or the hip. The weapon is fed from straight 30-round box magazines. An unusual feature is the separate compartment inside the receiver, which isolates the small-diameter bolt from its retracting handle by means of a small bulkhead. This prevents dirt and mud from jamming the bolt, and makes the C.42 a highly reliable weapon. Foreign dirt entering the gun would collect at the back of the receiver, where it would drain out or be expelled through a small opening. When tested, the C.42 gun was able to continue firing despite being dipped in mud and drenched with sand, while a competing designs also tested stopped functioning at once. In jungle warfare, where both mud and sand were frequent problems, the C.42 gun was highly regarded by the soldiers.

To facilitate cleaning, the ejector was built into the magazine, rather than the body of the gun. This allowed the barrel to be removed rapidly, by pulling up a spring-loaded plunger in front of the magazine housing. After removing the barrel, the bolt and return spring are removed in a forward direction, completely dismantling the gun. The C.42 had a one-piece wire stock made from a formed steel rod that telescopes into tubes on both sides of the receiver. Both ends of the stock were tapped and drilled so that it can be used as a cleaning rod. It can also be used as a disassembly tool or as a wrench used to unscrew the barrel cap.

Variants

 * Shangyu C.41/T – The very earliest limit run pre-production prototype trials models, feature fixed wooden stock and twin wooden pistol-style grips, are now very rare.
 * Shangyu C.42 – Basic pre-war variant introduced in 1942, features one-piece wire stock and forward pistol-style grip replaced with integrated magazine grip.
 * Shangyu C.42/50 – Most common variant introduced in 1950, with million units produced during the war. Efforts were made to improve manufacturing and safety. Modifications resulted in a more reliable, lighter weight, easier to maintain, and easier to field strip submachine gun.
 * Shangyu C.42/58 – Introduced in 1958, the C.42/58 was essentially a better-quality, more elaborate version of the C.42/50. Changes included a wooden pistol grip, a vertical wooden fore grip, a fixed wooden stock, and a bayonet mount. The stock has a compartment carved inside of it that contains a standard cleaning kit; the side of the butt has a sling loop. This modification was meant to increase the accuracy of the C.42/50 submachine gun, but minimal gains in accuracy were offset by the increase in weight and size of the C.42/58 in comparison to the original C.42/50.
 * Shangyu C.42/50Y – This variant incorporated an integral suppressor ("silencer") and had a lower muzzle velocity than the others due to a ported barrel intended to reduce velocity to below the speed of sound; 305 m/s (1,001 ft/s). The suppressed models were produced for clandestine operations.

Current Users

 * Kodeshia - Main user. Remains in limited service some reserve and auxiliary/rear-line units as a personal defence weapon for reconnaissance units, vehicle crews and support service personnel.

Past Users

 * Alvakalia - Captured through smuggling routes passing through the Alvak-occupied Kodeshi Sector during the Great Kesh War.
 * Selengeria - Captured during the Great Kesh War.
 * Tiperyn - Captured during the Great Kesh War.
 * Asharistan - Captured during the Great Kesh War.