The Polish Wz 63 Submachine Gun

摘要

In response to a Polish government request in the late 1950s fora light, hand-held defensive weapon for use by rear echelon/ support troops, design of the Wz 63 was initiated by Piotr Wilniewczyc. Upon Wilniewczyc's death in 1960, the design in 9×18mm Makarov caliber was finished by a team at the LucznikArms Factory located in Radom, Poland, in 1963. Production began in 1964, with the Polish Armed Forces and police adopting it for service in 1965. Also known as the PM-63 (pistolet maszynowy wz. 1963 or submachine gun model 1963) and the RAK. (Reczny Automat Komandosa or hand-held auto-rnmatic commando firearm), approximately 70,000 weapons were manufactured before production ceased in 1974.