Heckler & Koch MP7
MP7A1
Technical Summary
Caliber: 4.6 x 30 mm
Action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Mass: 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) empty
1.3 kg (2.9 lb) w/ 20 rounds
1.5 kg (3.4 lb) w/ 40 rounds
Length: 340 mm (13.4 in), stock retracted
541 mm (21.2 in), stock extended
Barrel length: 180 mm (7.1 in)
Rate of fire: 950 round/min
Magazine: 20 or 40-round detachable box
Effective range: 200 m
The MP7 is a submachine gun/machine pistol manufactured by Heckler & Koch (HK).
The MP7 is classified as a personal defense weapon (PDW). It went into production in 2001. It is very compact and light, using mainly polymers in its construction.
The proliferation of high-quality body armor has begun to make guns that fire pistol ammunition (such as HK's earlier MP5 or USP) ineffective. In response to this trend, HK designed the MP7 (along with the brand new UCP, which uses the same ammunition) to penetrate body armor, but small enough to be used in place of either a pistol or a submachine gun.
The MP7 essentially operates like a scaled-down assault rifle, with the same action as HK's G36. It fires a specially designed, armor-piercing round with a muzzle velocity nearly as high as that of the 5.56 x 45 mm NATO round used by many modern rifles. This ammunition is unique among submachine guns in that the bullet is made almost entirely of a hardened steel penetrator instead of softer brass or lead. The ammunition is specific to the gun, and also offers low recoil. The round also has a small diameter (it can almost be described as a scaled down .223 Remington), allowing for high capacity in a very small magazine. (Currently, HK is offering 20 and 40 round magazines, the former being comparable in size to a 15-round 9 mm magazine, while the latter compares to a 25-round 9 mm magazine). There is a drawback, however — the round is comparably smaller than a 9 mm bullet, meaning it has less stopping power. The weapon allows a conventional 20-round or 40-round box magazine to be fit within the pistol grip and it features an ambidextrous fire-select lever and rear cocking grip. It has an extendable stock and a folding front grip. It can be fired either one-handed or two-handed.
The MP7 is marketed as a direct competitor to the FN P90. Some observers make the distinction that the MP7 is closer to a true machine pistol than a submachine gun. The FN P90 features a simpler delayed blowback design that fires with a closed breech, so there is no rotating bolt or gas system, but it is bulkier and heavier than the MP7.
Variants
The weapon features a full-length top-mounted Picatinny rail and can fit additional rails on the sides of the barrel, which allow it to mount commercial optical sights, laser aiming modules (LAM), and tactical flashlights. The MP7 can also equip a suppressor.
Usage
In 2005, the MP7 was adopted by the British Ministry of Defence as the preferred weapon for equipping its own police force. The light weight of the weapon, as well as its close range accuracy, were both given as reasons for the purchase. The German KSK special operations unit are also believed to be purchasing the weapon in bulk. However, at this time, no military seems to have mass-distribution planned.
Popular culture
The MP7 was featured in the popular computer game Half-Life 2. The gun in the game however carried 45 rounds in the magazine, had a grenade launcher built in it and had an EOTech red dot sight mounted on the top rail. The MP7 is also featured in the popular Half-Life mod called The Specialists.
It is an unlockable weapon in Battlefield 2's expansion pack Special Forces.
Other games include the free expansion Iron Wrath for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown, SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo .
The Humans' M7/Caseless Sub Machine Gun in the Xbox game Halo 2 bears a striking ressemblance to the MP7. It can be dual-wielded for twice the damage and/or ammo capacity.
An MP7 was used by Wade in the film Stealth, after she crashed in North Korea. She used it to injure the NK army search team's leader's leg, then later sprayed at an army border checkpoint machine-gun station.
Teal'c dual-wields two MP7s, whilst Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson both use single MP7s in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Off The Grid".
Although only briefly shown in the first season, the MP7 has made multiple appearances in the second season of the anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
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