Carlo (submachine gun)

The Carlo (Arabic: كارلو‎) (also referred to as Carl Gustav)[1] is a submachine gun manufactured by small workshops in Palestine. The design has been inspired by the Swedish Carl Gustav m/45 and its Egyptian Port Said variant, however the similarity is often only passing.[2] Due to the Carlo being homemade, it's affordable to be purchased in the black market not only by Palestinians targeting Israelis[3] but also by Arab-Israeli gangs.[1] The Carlo is cheap to manufacture, but it's inaccurate and prone to jamming and misfire.[2]

Carlo aka. Carl Gustav
One improvised "Carlo" submachine gun
TypeSubmachine gun
Place of originWest Bank
Service history
Used byPalestinian fighters, Palestinian and Israeli criminals
WarsIsraeli-Arab conflict
Production history
Designed2000(?)
ManufacturerSmall metal working shops
Produced2000(?)-present
Specifications
Massvariable
Lengthvariable
Barrel lengthvariable
Cartridgevariable
Calibrevariable
ActionSimple (straight) Blowback
Rate of firevariable
Muzzle velocityvariable
Feed systemvariable

The weapon has also become popular with criminal groups outside of Israel, including Croatia, Brazil, Chile, Ukraine, Italy, South America, the Caribbean and Australia[2] and by Hamas's Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades.[4]

Since October 1, 2016, the Carlo's been reported to be used in 68 attacks.[1]

History

In 2000, the Carlo was first identified[1] by Israeli Police officers, seen with Israeli-Arab gangs.[5]

On February 3, 2016, the Carlo was sighted as the weapon used to shoot Israeli Border Police officer Hadar Cohen, which has some parts made from old pipes.[2][6]

On June 8, 2016, two Palestnian gunmen opened fire on Tel Aviv's Sarona market, killing four Israelis.[7] At the time, the Carlos were reported to have jammed up after being used at short range.[8]

The Carlo has been spotted on March 14, 2016 in an attack against Israeli troops in Hebron.[1] Israeli law enforcement agencies, including Shin Bet, conducted raids on March 16, 2016 to crack down on underground gunsmith shops making the Carlo.[2]

Design

Produced in several locations via underground workshops and often with second-hand gun parts,[9] the specifications are not uniform. Initially, it was made partially with scrapped pipes. Later makes of the Carlo were made with rifled barrels.[2]

Most of the parts needed to make the Carlo in recent years are taken from lost/stolen M4-type rifles and magazines, taken from IDF training areas or by breaking into someone's house who has a M4-type rifle to be cannibalized.[8][9] Others were made from rifle accessories that are easily purchased online.[9]

Often chambered for 9x19mm handgun cartridges, variants for .22 LR, .32 ACP, 9 x 18mm, and 5.56 x 45 mm are also produced,[2] but the presence of the latter is suggested to be impossible since samples of the weapon had 5.56 NATO magazines modified to house Uzi magazines or sometimes with pistol-based magazines.[9] Some of them were made with M16-type pistol grips and Uzi-based 25-round magazines.[8][2] Others were based on the MP5 and the AK rifles.[2] They can only fire in full auto in an open bolt with the ejection port on the left side and the charging handle on the right side.[8]

The Carlo, made to be compact, was best used by being concealed on the left side of someone's clothes (usually jacket) with the right hand being used to draw it.[8]

There were suggestions that the weapon is made from parts taken from pipes and scrapped paintball/airsoft guns.[7] Samples of seized Carlos or photos in the internet suggests that they don't use scrapped paintball/airsoft gun parts.[9]

References
  1. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/14/homemade-guns-carl-gustav-used-in-palestinian-attacks-on-israelis
  2. https://www.timesofisrael.com/say-hello-to-carlo-the-cheap-lethal-go-to-gun-for-terrorists/
  3. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-guns/palestinians-turn-to-makeshift-guns-in-escalation-of-street-violence-idUSKCN0W41QS
  4. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/U-Reports/SAS-improvised-craft-weapons-report.pdf
  5. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-the-homemade-gun-thats-firing-up-the-intifada-1.5416424
  6. https://www.timesofisrael.com/border-police-officer-19-dies-after-jerusalem-terror-attack/
  7. https://www.newsweek.com/homemade-carlo-gun-becoming-weapon-choice-palestinian-attackers-468813
  8. http://silahreport.com/2017/07/13/the-carlo-of-palestine/
  9. https://silahreport.com/2017/11/17/improvised-replica-firearms-from-the-west-bank/
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