Rate of fire becomes more important as range closes. Most pistol range problems can be more effectively addressed with a submachinegun and the Finnish Suomi KP/-31 was well made, accurate and reliable. The higher magazine capacity and rate of fire would have made it very useful at ranges around 100-150 meters and it's use would have come much more naturally to a trained and experienced rifleman like Simo than a pistol would have. The fact is, that rifle and pistol marksmanship are different skill sets, and as a former SOTIC instructor, I can tell you that I have seen many men that that were absolutely brilliant with a rifle that had a hard time hitting a barn with a pistol, while standing inside it.