So what do you folks know about this little toy. I ask because all I know is what Wiki says.

I fired one at a shoot in Minnesota some years back.
Fun, but I liked other 9mm subguns I've fired better.

They include the Swedish "K" the subgun the M76 is based on, more or
less. The Swedish subgun was being used by U.S. forces in Vietnam
when Sweden declared that it was a violation of their neutrality,
to sell them to the U.S. when the war was in progress.

Smith tooled up and made the M76 for a while. They tried making a
caseless version too, but it didn't really take off.

All I know is what I learned in the movies.

A guy shot up a bus with one in The Laughing Policeman.

Suzanne Somers met her topless end from one in Magnum Force.

And Chuck Heston used it as his main anti-vampire/mutant gun in Omega Man:

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

The subgun? Mass produced, stamped, open bolt subgun similar to the Swedish-K. They got a reputation for being a cheap gun, often with lots of reliability issues due to cheap magazines. Mostly they're pretty reliable, though the ejectors seem to be the common trouble spot. Some law enforcement agencies used them, but really they never caught on. It was such a basic design, the open bolt was a liability, and by then the H&Ks with their MP5s began dominating the scene.

They are offered for sale pretty regularly in the NFA world and are about one step up in price from the MAC series, except without the plentiful aftermarket accessories that make the MAC a better buy. There isn't much history to them, they're not particularly good looking, they're not particularly good shooters, so the demand for them isn't really high. Most end up being a "starter" subgun. Mostly, they lack personality, thus get overlooked.

Uzitalk has a portion of their forum dedicated to the 76. Prolly some good reading there if your interested.

used to won one back in my class three days. I like that style of subgun. it was based on the old Swedish K. 76 type guns were made after smith quit building them by a couple of other companies. they were called model 760. I had a suppressor set-up for mine that was quite accurate for a subgun. it had some much weight out front that it was easy to control. I also like the firing rate of them. believe it or not,back in the 70's prior to the 86 law change, machine guns were relatively cheap for dealer sample guns, and you get almost anything except for communist guns. the good old days of $125.00 dollar guns and less than $50.00 per case of ammo.

I fired one about 25 years ago. It was fun. I wouldn't mind owning one, but I think I like the German MP40 better.

For some reason I've developed an itch for a full auto. It's touch and go at the moment as to whether I take the leap or not. Anyway thanks for the info guys.

My agency owned three for quite a while. They were OK shooters, and reliable so long as you used good mags and ball ammo, but nothing to write home about IMO. In the day, as departmental armorer I had access to any of them, but I much preferred a 12ga 870 for most stakeout work. We ended up trading them on some HK MP5's, which were very reliable but you needed hands like a raccoon to operate the safeties properly.

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KEN L ought to chip in with some detail after a bit. Have shot his a bit some years back. Works fine and has a better stock than the MP38/40. Easily suppressed. Will run much longer than an Ingram without trying to destroy itself. I don't much care for the safety, but it's easily ignored. Not as satisfying as an M3, but much more "affordable", if that's not an oxymoron re. transferrable NFA automatics.

I remember them in several old movies. In the original "Walking Tall" with Joe Don Baker the ambush car uses couple of them to shoot at the sheriff and his wife. Ironically, the real life Bufford Pusser also had one in his personal collection.

About ten years ago, I did some computer work for a guy who was an auctioneer. He kept a Smith M76 loaded on top of his bookcase. He'd shoot groundhogs in the farm field behind his house with it. He said he liked it.

Additional movie role: Lee Marvin uses one in "Prime Cut".

If you dont have one and have only shot one, once upon a time, and saw it in a "movie" , I doubt you have a handle on just how sought after these little gems are. I've had one for years and the only repairs have been the std consumables, extractor, barrel ratchet lock, recoil springs ect. I built a can for mine and it is the icing on the cake, Perrazi's experience rivals mine, accurately.

The Swede K gun was built just a well as it needed to be, the 76 is a very well built piece, the machining isnt evident externally, but it is if you look inside, fouling cuts in the tube for one, S&W magazines are well made and expensive, The modified Swedes, Port Said, and Suomi M31 mags work with minor fitting and a tenth of the price.

As for the mp5 and macs, I have drawers full of dead parts, pounded uppers and lowers cracked, bolts and trigger housing split and cracked bolt carriers. Ever try to replace fire control parts in a K gun and you will wish it was a 76, Mp5s that quit take a lot more than a quick roller change to get them reliable again I built up a quick change barrel assy just to keep them running with out the special barrel press and hit and miss bolt gap setting.

All sub guns need tender care, and most owners do not have the armorers skills and tools to do what is required to keep up with Heavy use. The average NFA owner probably wont wear one out using it,
they are not in-expensive in the ammo dept.

Sorry rant over, one of you struck a nerve......

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It was the subgun of choice for the Il. State Police in the late 60's and early 70's.

So how hard is it to find parts if parts are needed.

Go to this site and read up on the 76 and its clones. He has all the parts you will need, if you need.

Scott Andrey Machine

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I have one that's been Armaloy coated and it's a blast to shoot!

(see avatar)

GF

My old employeer had several, but as far as I know they stayed at the academy and were never issued. Management had second thoughts about how to use them.

I got to shoot one about 40 years ago and by then they were several years old and worn out. The one I shot had a wornout bolt and would double in semi mode.

I thought it was junk.

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6/23/2022

Am I misremembering, or was the M-76 offered in .45 ACP as well as 9mm?

Just the Parabellum cartridge.

GF

I'd rather have a Sten and/or an M3 grease gun. But since I can't afford anything full-auto (or a BB gun, at the moment) it's moot.

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Oh well, what the hell.

My sons (13 and 11 at the time) and I were plinking at our club one afternoon when one of the guys started putting a 76 through its paces. We wandered over to watch, and long story short, he let each of the boys fire a mag full, with him at the kid's left elbow and me at the right. They fired short bursts as they were told, and chewed up the target. Those smiles lasted for a while, and it was a memorable afternoon for all three of us.

SOFMatchstaff got it right. These are very cool little guns, and in my experience very reliable. Like anything else if you use good ammo and keep it clean it will shoot from now till the cows come home. And oh, by the way, it is a Smith & Wesson and not some junky gun like a MAC that looks and shoots like it was made by a 10th grade metal shop class. Some few of the M76s were purchased by the Navy (it even had an FSN assigned to it) but the VN war ended the need for the M76 and the bulk of them ended up in law enforcement roles.

I have never seen anyone fire a Model 76 without a huge smile on their face.

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Charlie Flick
SWCA 729 HF 215

Maybe you were thinking of the Madsen M/50 subgun - I believe they made a 45ACP version for Brazil.

The S&W 76 was the first subgun I even shot. In the 1970s, the Willingboro, NJ Police Dept. had one. My father took his then five year old son (me) out to the Delran range, and started a young boy's lifelong fascination with firearms. He propped it under my arm and helped me steady it while I shot a few magazines out of it. Over thirty five years later, I still remember it. I've used many other full-autos, but the S&W will always be the most significant, because I did it with my dad.

Classic "30 round grin" in post 22.

There was a "76/45" sorta clone that took Grease Gun mags. That's probably what you're thinking of.

I've shot both a S&W and MK Arms 76 a few times and they were fun. I like the gun.

Ok I have one. Over 8,000 rounds through it with no FTF or FTE . When I got mine I was told to only run hot 9mm in it . It will runaway on remington 9mm ,bolts too heavy .S&W mags were and still are over $100, thank god for the soumi mags and a file. It has a heavy trigger pull that for some reason never bothered me. On semi it's very accurate ,I have out shot several MP-5's,but you have to be careful with the stock it can fold on you while shooting. Only around 6,000 made.

I have shot the MP-5,Madson50,Uzi ,Thompson,Sten,Mac's,M-3,MP-40 and this is my limited list of what I liked
1)MP-5
2)S&W 76
3) UZI
For just combat not knowing where or conditions the UZI is King .

I had mine since 1994 or so and it a fun gun.But after a few years of owning it other subguns have taken its place. I dont think it been out of the back of the safe in 7 or 8 years. The letter that I have says it was sold on Aug. 14,1973 to Law Enforcement Ordnance Co.,Atlanta GA. The gun is crudely marked MCPD 70. I find now that .22 Smith revolvers more fun right now with ammo prices

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Mr. KML.. I urge you to try an old original USGI M1A1 Thompson & a decent M3 to try out..........both are very reliable if in good condition and are much more affordable than the early Thompsons.......Parts for the most part.. (grins) are easier to find than those for the S&W76 & the HK......

There is a book on the development of the 76.

The man that designed it and made it work wrote the book.

It was a good little read, I bought it here on the forum from the author a few years back.

I will need to look more for my copy and let you know what it is.

I know someone who had one of the clones, MK760, for many years. I shot it extensively. The magazines were a problem if they did not fit. The S&W mags worked fine but the MK mags were returned. The new ones that came back worked fine. Side to side play was OK, but back and forth play would make them jam. Some time ago I heard that putting electrical tape around the top of the mag to tighten it will help but never tried.

If you dont have the tool, the mags can be loaded by pushing them down over the round on a hard surface like a bench.

I used all kinds of ammo in this gun with no problems once the mags were sorted out. Handloads with a number of hollow points worked well.

Before 1986, the clones were pretty cheap. I remember seeing some for around $450.00 used. The S&W version was around $600.00 and up from there depending on condition.

I liked this gun and wish there was no ban. One nice feature is that you can take the barrel off to make a smaller package for storage. Probably a good starter gun if you have the money today to get into full auto.

If you live in a state still part of America and you are legal to own one here is a collector. Be careful when you buy and make sure it is really there.

NFA Firearms Ads

nice looking gun, but true happiness only comes from one that runs good.