The replacement for the famous submachine gun HK MP5 has finally arrived! The MP7 is made by Heckler and Koch, the famous German armament company. It is mainly being used for anti-terror operations. In the UK, Ministry of Defense Police are the first force to have them, and the Metropolitan Police are very interested, as well as other forces. So far after their testing, the gun has been very successful and is much liked by the MoD Police. As armed police, their guns have to be limited to single shot firing. The mags hold 20 rounds and the ammunitions will penetrate both kevlar and other sorts of body armor. 40 round box mags can also be used. The gun can be shot single handedly or with both hands on the gun, the grip can also be folded back as well as the stock pushed in. Another advantage of this gun is that there is hardly any recoil. At 900 RPM, it is an incredibly versatile and powerful gun.

MP5K and MP7

The gun is classed as a Personal Defense Weapon and at the moment is being used by the following forces:

German Army, Norwegian Army, UK MOD Police, Irish Garda Siochana, Malaysian Police Special Force and South Korean Police.

It weighs:

• 1.8 kg (3.96 lb) empty
• 1.9 kg (4.2 lb) with 20 rounds
• 2.0 kg (4.4 lb) with 40 rounds

Length:

• 340 mm (13.4 in), stock retracted
• 541 mm (21.2 in), stock extended

Barrel Length: 180 mm (7.1 in)

Cartridge action: 4.6×30 mm

Action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt

Effective range: 200 m.

The HK MP7 Personal Defense Weapon (PDW) is a member of a relatively new class of small arms, called Personal Defense Weapons (PDW; such specialized weapons are build since the start of WW2). The PDW are intended, as name implies, to be a defensive sidearm for second-line troops, vehicle crews and other military personnel who normally not issued with assault rifles. Previously, these troops were issued with pistols or submachine guns, but proliferation of body armor in recent years made those guns ineffective. The first firearm, intended as “the new age PDW” and offered in that class was Belgian-made FN P90, and it had special low-impulse, high-velocity ammunition, capable of penetration of current military body armor and helmets at ranges of 100 meters and beyond, while being much smaller and lighter, than assault rifle. The HK MP7, originally known simply as HK PDW, is another entry in the PDW class, and thus is a direct rival to FN P90.

The HK MP7, first announced in 2000, entered production in 2001 and, by early 2007, is officially adopted by German military, as well as some German special police units, such as KSK, and also offered for export sales. The British Military Police issues HK MP7A1 to its personnel since 2005, and it is believed that some South Korean special forces also use MP7A1.

The HK MP7 submachine gun / personal defense weapon has layout of a typical compact submachine gun (or a large pistol), with magazine being inserted into pistol grip, with folding forward grip and telescoped buttstock. The action of the MP7A1 is somewhat unusual for weapon of such small size, since it is gas operated, rotating bolt design, which strongly resembles the action of the HK G36 assault rifle, suitably scaled down. The ambidextrous fire mode selector/safety switch allows for semi-auto and full-auto modes. MP7A1 it designed to fire special, high velocity ammunition, 4.6×30mm, that looks like scaled down rifle round. That ammunition is unique to the MP7 and another HK weapon, the HK UCP / P46 pistol.

The receiver of MP7A1, along with integral pistol grip, is made from the polymer with steel reinforcements. Top side of the receiver hosts a Picatinny-type accessory rail for sight mountings. Standard sighting equipment is usually a set of low-profile open sights on quick-detachable mounts, plus a collimating (red-dot) sight Additional rails can be installed on either side of receiver, next to its front end. The MP7A1 could be fired single-handedly, or using both hands, either like the pistol or using a front grip. Telescopic buttstock can be extended to give additional stability. With buttstock and front grip are collapsed, the MP7 can be carried like any big pistol in the special holster, and can be effectively used in close combat.

The 4.6×30mm ammunition is loaded with pointed all-steel bullets with brass jacket. Bullet weight is 1.6 gram (25 grains) and the muzzle velocity is 725 m/s (ca. 2400 fps). Manufacturer claims the 100% penetration of the CRISAT body armor (1.6mm of Titanium plus 20 layers of Kevlar) at the distance of 200 meters. Other types of ammunition, including tracer, frangible, spoon-tip (rapid-tumbling for use against unarmored human targets), blank and trill (inert) also available for MP7A1; ammunition is currently manufactured in UK by BAE Systems / Radway Green plant.

HK MP7 in Action

Future Weapon

Manufacturer

Heckler & Koch

[Via Modern Firearms & Seb's Blog]

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The M4 Carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter version of the M16A2 assault rifle, achieving 80% parts commonality with the M16A2. The M4 has selective fire options including semi-automatic and three-round burst (like the M16A2), while the M4A1 has a “full auto” option in place of the three-round burst.

Colt M4 Carbine is a versatile weapon system with proven combat utility and performance providing the operator with the confidence required to accomplish any mission. Featuring a 14.5 in. (37 cm) barrel it is designed for use wherever lightness, speed of action, mobility and fire power are required. It can be comfortably carried, yet be instantly available to provide the power, accuracy and range of a 5.56mm Rifle. Proven in military operations, it stands alone as a first-line weapon system. Colt M4 Carbine is today’s weapon of choice; the weapon of the 21st century soldier.

The Colt M4 carbine entered service with US Army in 1994. Basically it is a shortened M16A2 assault rifle with a telescopic buttstock. This carbine was intended as a substitute for submachine guns. It is used by airborne troops, special forces, tank crews, vehicle drivers etc.

Description and Specifications

The M4/M4A1 5.56 mm Carbine is a gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed, selective fire, shoulder-fired weapon with a telescoping stock. A shortened variant of the M16A2 rifle with a 36 cm barrel, the M4 provides the individual soldier operating in close quarters the capability to engage targets at extended range with accurate, lethal fire. The original M4 Carbine has semi-automatic and three-round burst fire modes, while the M4A1 has “semi” and “full auto”, with no three-round burst.

The M4 Carbine is an extremely accurate and effective weapon under all practical field applications. It is a favorite with both first line infantry operations as well as special forces, unit commanders and vehicle crews. Available with a Safe/Semi/Full Auto 3-position selector the M4 Carbine is today?s weapon of choice.

The M4 Carbine features a redesigned 4-position sliding buttstock allowing it to adapt to soldiers of different sizes and physical characteristics as well as various firing positions or clothing variations. Almost all mechanical components are interchangeable with those of the M16 rifle, ensuring quality, commonality of parts and reduced maintenance costs.

The Carbine barrel is designed to accept the M203 Grenade Launcher which can easily be assembled to the carbine offering the user both point and area firing capabilities. Also, all US and NATO rifle grenades can be fired without any supplementary equipment.

The Close Quarters Battle Receiver (CQBR) is a replacement upper receiver for the M4A1 Carbine. The CQBR upgrades the M4 with a barrel 10.3 in (260 mm) long, the modern equivalent of the Colt Commando short-barrel M16 variants of the past.

A CQBR in comparison to a standard M4A1

The M4 and M16 are not ideally suited for all missions, so it was proposed that the modularity of the M16 series would allow a user to replace the upper receiver of an existing weapon with one more suitable to the task. One of two proposed special mission receivers that were planned for inclusion into the SOPMOD Block II kit, the CQBR has taken off on its own. Like the proposed Special Purpose Receiver, the Close Quarters Battle Receiver has been more or less taken on by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (often referred to as NSWC-Crane or just “Crane”) as its own project following the CQBR’s removal from the SOPMOD program. Just as the Special Purpose Receiver morphed into the Special Purpose Rifle, and was type-classified as Mk 12 Mod 0/1, the complete CQBR-equipped carbine has been type-classified as the Mk 18 Mod. 0.

The purpose of the CQBR remains to provide operators with a weapon of submachine gun size, but firing a rifle cartridge, for scenarios such as VIP protection, urban warfare, and other close quarters battle (CQB) situations. The CQBR is designed to provide improvement over previous AR-15/M16-type weapons in this category. The CQBR is usually issued as a complete weapon system, and not just an upper receiver. The CQBR was once only available to Naval Special Warfare units, but the Mk 18 Mod 0 has become general issue for Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) missions.

The short 10.3 in (262 mm) barrel length requires special modifications to reliably function. The gas port is opened from 0.062 to 0.070 in (0.16 to 0.18 mm). A one-piece McFarland gas ring replaces the three-piece gas ring set. The standard 4-coil extractor spring is replaced with a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) 5-coil spring. An O-ring surrounds the extractor spring.

• Caliber: .223 Rem / 5.56 mm
• Cartridge: 5.56 x 45 mm NATO
• Weight: 5.9 lb / 2.68 kg empty
• Effective range: 660 yd / 600 m
• In service: 1994 – present

Manufacturer

Colt Firearms