M1942 Sosso Pistol
October 8, 2014 Ian McCollum Semiauto pistol 32
The Sosso was an interesting design produced experimentally by FNA Bescia in Italy in very small numbers during World War II. It was a short-recoil operated design chambered for 9x19mm, and featured a particularly unusual magazine design. Instead of using a convention spring and follow, the magazine contained what is best described as a belt-feed. A loop of chain in the magazine held 21 cartridges, and rotated one position each time the pistol was fired. This doesn’t seem to have had any particular benefit over a typical magazine (it certainly cost more to make), but it an interesting idea:
M1942 Sosso pistol magazine disassembled
An example of a Sosso form the collection of Geoffrey Sturgess was sold by James Julia at auction, which gave us the opportunity to see some outstanding photos. This particular example (serial number 8A) included a holster-stock; a concept which was on its way out of popularity by the time these were being made. In addition, Julia also published an Italian-language copy of a Sosso manual, which I have not yet have the chance to translate: 
. https://www.reddit.com/r/ForgottenWeapons/comments/ae4xq0/italian_sosso_smg_with_unusual_feed_mechanism/. 
. Pistols and chain stores J. Sosso (Italy). Submachine gun J. Sosso (Italy)
One of the first proposals concerning the non-standard location of the store was the project of the Italian gunsmith Giulio Sosso, who worked for FNA (Fabrica Nationale D’Armi). In the late thirties, he developed the original submachine gun, in which the function of the store served as a special channel inside a wooden box. Cartridges were proposed to be located in this channel at a small angle to the vertical. In such a shop could be located a few dozen cartridges, without compromising the ease of use of weapons.
Unfortunately, information about the Sosso submachine gun is extremely scarce. Nevertheless, the available information and images allow us to form a general idea of the proposed weapon weapon supply system.
The two-row magazine had to be located inside the box, passing from the butt plate to the cartridge feeding mechanism into the chamber. On the side of the butt plate, the cartridges had to be pressed by a spring-loaded feeder. The figure below shows a general design of a Sosso submachine gun with a magazine with two rows of 47 pistol cartridges each. Probably, the ammunition of this weapon, depending on the size of the box and the butt, could indeed exceed the 70-80 cartridges.
The picture from the patent, illustrating the transfer of cartridges from the vertical to the horizontal state before serving
Under pressure from the supply spring, the cartridges from the store had to move towards the mechanics responsible for lifting them up to the discharging line. The lifting mechanism consisted of a tube and a pusher. The latter was mechanically connected to the shutter. Turning, the pusher had to send the cartridge into a curved tube and carry it along it. After exiting the upper section of the tube, the cartridge turned out to be in a horizontal position and could be shuttered into the chamber. After the shot, the cycle was to be repeated.
The characteristics of this system are unknown. Apparently, the project of J. Sosso remained on paper, in the form of drawings and a patent. For this reason, the rate of fire of the proposed automation, as well as the very fact of its working capacity, remain questionable.
Given that all pistols are BR1 even with 21 rounds this would be a great weapon to add to the game. The 70-80 round SMG would be great at BR4-5 depending on the rate of fire or damage. Being 9MM it would not be too high for damage. A great high-Capacity SMG for Germany to fight the Allies and Soviets with. Could also be balanced with a long reload rate.
https://forum.enlisted.net/en/search?q=Sosso
A half dozen of the sosso pistol but only one for the sosso SMG.
