M43 Salakari: A Dynamic Assault Mount for the Finnish Maxim
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The Finnish military depended heavily on Maxim machine guns until the 1960s, first using ones captured from the Russians and later starting production at Tikkakoski in the 1930s. One of the difficulties of the Maxim, however, was its mount. Based on DWM commercial mounts, the Finnish Maxim tripod was very heavy and cumbersome to move. For highly mobile assault troops, something different was needed.
In 1943, Lieutenant Lauri Salakari developed this particular lightweight mount, which was tested and put into limited production. Mass production was intended, but the Continuation War ended before that could be put in place, and in total just 312 of them were made. They were quite popular at the front, as they cut some 50 pounds form the weight of a Maxim, and allowed much more dynamic use of the gun. One hundred actually remained in Finnish Defense Forces official inventory until he 1980s, when the last ones were scrapped.
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