“EROP” was a small company based in Paris, which produced about 18 submachine gun prototypes between 1954 and 1956. These were submitted to French military trials in several different configurations first in 1954 and later in 1956, and none of them were given any further consideration after that.
Mechanically, the EROP guns are closed-bolt and striker-fired, using modified MP40 magazines (and chambered for 9mm Parabellum). They use a small square-profile tubular receiver, and several (including this particular one) have a very perplexing buttstock system that I really can’t figure out.
Many thanks to the IRCGN (Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale) for allowing me access to film this unique SMG for you!
What a great Forgotten Weapon video. The gun was made nearly seventy years ago and looks like an Ingram M10 refugee from an alternative Steampunk or Star Wars universe!
The French invented the Ingram MAC 10, but no one knew ever because: French penchant for secrecy.
What a weird SMG, even from France, which gave us the MAS Mle. 1938, the super-foldable-telescoping Hotchkiss, the ETVS, and the MGD PM9…
Question: Can a spare MP40 magazine fit inside that weird buttstock somehow?
“(…)perplexing buttstock system(…)”
It reminds me Delacre Modèle 1936 https://guns.fandom.com/wiki/Delacre_Mod%C3%A8le_1936 but this one has magazine in grip. So maybe it is variant of NOTASTOCK (also known as pistol brace) used by U.S. dwellers. In this case it would due to someone vision of ergonomics rather than convoluted limitation (affecting stock joined with automatic pistol, but not NOTASTOCK joined with same automatic pistol).
The bottom half looks sort of like a MAC-10
Ian – if you could disclose the EROP owner’s name, a patent search might yield further information on the mystery stock?
EROP was Étude et Réalisation d’Outillage de Précision. The designer of this gun was Charles Louis Godar.
The relevant patent is FR Nº 1,118,351 of 5th June 1956.
Finally a trully forgotten and obscure weapon!
This gun holds 2 records: having biggest number of sling attachment points on a gun, and also, the widest trigger guard ever!
Its an example of innovator pitfall, where quirky features added “to be special” complicate the construction and function, and sled away from market, was it a simple open bolt smg, it may fare and work better.