DUX 53
Fabrica de Armas Oviedo · Submachine Gun · Out Of Production · 1953
Also known as: DUX M53, DUX Model 53
Overview
The DUX 53 is a 9x19mm submachine gun produced at the Fabrica de Armas Oviedo arsenal in Spain. It traces its lineage to the Soviet Sudaev PPS-43, which was copied in Finland as the Tikkakoski KP m/44; the m/44's designer, Willi Daugs, fled to Spain after World War II and re-created the design there. Constructed from stamped sheet steel with a top-folding wireframe stock and a perforated barrel jacket with an integral muzzle brake, it fires full-automatic only and fed from Suomi-type 50-round box magazines. It was adopted by the West German Bundesgrenzschutz (Border Guard) in 1954.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3500 g (123.5 oz) |
| Overall Length | 825 mm (32.48") |
| Folded Length | 615 mm (24.21") |
| Barrel Length | 250 mm (9.84") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 50 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Effective Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 500 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Steel |
| Finish | Phosphate |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Pps43 Style Safety
- Features: Stamped Sheet Steel Construction, Top Folding Stock, Perforated Barrel Jacket, Integral Muzzle Brake, Right Side Cocking Handle, Suomi Type Box Magazine
Variants
- DUX 59 — Improved Model
Service history
Operators
- Bundesgrenzschutz (West German Border Guard) · adopted 1954
Production
Production years: 1953-1959
Limited production at Oviedo arsenal; adopted in small numbers by the West German Border Guard
Origin
Country of origin: Spain
Designer: Willi Daugs
Discontinued: 1959
Notes
Full-automatic only. The improved DUX 59, refined by the German firm Anschutz, moved the cocking handle to the left, switched to a sliding safety, and used proprietary curved 32/40-round magazines. Some references attribute later development and marketing to Mauser. Production numbers were limited.
Background
The DUX is an international mongrel: a Soviet PPS-43 design copied in Finland as the m/44, smuggled to Spain by its fugitive Finnish-German engineer Willi Daugs after WWII, built in an old Spanish arsenal, and finally adopted by West Germany's border police.