The Model 45A was a battle rifle / light machine gun developed by the United States Army in the Philippines in 1945. The weapon existed in prototype or mockup form, but never entered production. The rifle was sparsely documented until Tom Laemlein encountered a number of annotated photographs of the rifle in the archives of the United States Army Signal Corps. The Model 45A was used by local Filipino troops under the Philippine Army and Constabulary units during World War II and Post-War Era.
Design[]
The rifle was constructed in bullpup configuration, utilizing the magazine from the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. Rather than iron sights, it featured an integral scope. Its purpose is unclear, but it is alternately described as a "experimental .30 caliber LMG" or a "field expedient .30 cal."
Users[]
- Template:Country data Philippines: Philippine Commonwealth Army & Philippine ConstabularyTemplate:Citation needed
- Template:Country data United States: United States Army Signal CorpsTemplate:Citation needed
See also[]
- M1946 Sieg automatic rifle
- SLEM-1
- Enfield EM-2
References[]
- Tom Laemlein. The Incredible U.S. Model 45A. Small Arms Review, January 2010.