Submachine guns :
Submachine guns :
A Submachine gun ( SMG ) is an automatic carbine , designed to fire pistol cartridges . It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol . The submachine gun was invented during World War I ( 1914 – 1918 ). The zenith of its use was World War II ( 1939 – 1945 ) when millions of weapons of this type were manufactured . In military use , the submachine gun has been supplanted in general issue by carbine-length assault rifles firing intermediate cartridges due to their superior range and power ; submachine guns have poor accuracy past 50m and are generally unable to penetrate the improved ballistic helmets and body armor increasingly becoming standard-issue for modern infantrymen . However , submachine guns retain widespread use in police SWAT and domestic counter-terrorist forces , who value the SMG ' s lighter recoil , better accuracy in burst or fully automatic mode and minimized bullet over penetration when dealing with residential hostage crises , high-risk search / arrest warrants and other domestic situations in tight quarters where innocent civilian casualties are a major concern .
More info : http :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Submachine _ gun
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