The LF-57 was chambered for the 9x19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge with magazine counts of 20- and 40-rounds available. The firing action revolved around the blowback principle to which a manageable 500 rounds per minute could be reached. Blowback guns utilized the gas pressure of the igniting cartridge case as applied to the bolt during the cycle of operation. Muzzle velocity was listed at 1,200 feet-per-second which provided initially good penetration values of the 9mm round. However, the LF-57 was truly a close-range weapon and effectiveness dwindled beyond 100 feet or so.
LF-57 guns first entered the US market in 1962. Arms restrictions emerging in the 1980s eventually limited full-automatic fire to semi-automatic fire. Franchi production of the LF-57 ran until 1980.
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