MAC-10

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Ingram MAC-10
MAC10.jpg
MAC-10 (.45 ACP) with suppressor w/o magazine
Type Submachine gun
Place of origin  United States
Service history
In service 1970–1975
Used by See Users
Production history
Designer Gordon B. Ingram
Designed 1964
Manufacturer Military Armament Corporation
Produced 1970–present
Specifications
Weight 2.84 kg (Empty w/o suppressor)
Length 269 mm (10.7 inches) with stock removed, 295 mm (11.6 inches) with stock retracted, 548 mm (1 foot 9.6 inches) with stock extended. 545 mm (1 foot 9.45 inches) / 798 mm (2 feet 7.4 inches) with stock retracted / extended with suppressor.
Barrel length 146 mm
Cartridge .45 ACP
9x19mm Parabellum
Rate of fire 1,090 (9 mm), 1,145 (.45 ACP) rounds/min
Muzzle velocity 366 m/s (1,201 ft/s) for 9mm, 280 m/s (919 ft/s) for .45 ACP
Effective range 50 m (for .45 ACP), 80 m (for 9mm)
Maximum range 100 m
Feed system 30-Round Detachable Box Magazine .45 ACP
32-Round Detachable Box Magazine 9x19mm
Sights Iron sights

The MAC-10 (Military Armament Corporation Model 10, officially the M10) is a highly compact, blowback operated machine pistol developed by Gordon B. Ingram in 1964.

It is a simple, low-cost design with few moving parts, making it easy to manufacture and maintain.

The compactness and high rates of fire for these weapons (1,090 to 1,145 rpm for the M-10 and 1,200 rpm or more for the M-11 / M-11A1) worked against them. Their small size made them difficult to fire accurately in full auto, and this, when combined with their high rate of fire, made control challenging; this was a key factor in their never finding much success with the military. However, they did see limited service in Vietnam with Special Forces.

Besides Military Armament Corporation, MAC-10s and MAC-10 parts have been produced by RPB Industries,[1] Cobray Company,[2] Jersey Arms Works,[3] MasterPiece Arms,[4] and Section Five Firearms.[5]

Contents

[edit] Design

The MAC-10 was built predominantly from steel stampings. A notched cocking handle protrudes from the top of the receiver, and by turning the handle 90° would lock the bolt, and act as an indicator that the weapon is unable to fire. The MAC-10 has a telescoping bolt, which wraps around the barrel. This allows a more compact weapon, and balances the weight of the weapon over the pistol grip where the magazine is located. The MAC-10 fires from an open bolt, and in addition, the light weight of the bolt results in a rapid rate of fire. The barrel is threaded to accept a suppressor, which worked by reducing the discharge's sound, without attempting to reduce the velocity of the bullet. At the suggestion of the United States Army, Ingram added a small bracket with a small strap beneath the muzzle to aid in controlling recoil during fully-automatic fire.

[edit] Suppressor

Probably the biggest reason for the original MAC-10 finding recognition was its revolutionary sound suppressor designed by Mitchell Werbell III of Sionics. This suppressor had a two-stage design, with the first stage being larger than the second. This uniquely shaped suppressor gave the MAC-10 a very distinctive look. It was also very quiet, to the point that the bolt could be heard cycling, along with the suppressed report of the weapons discharge. Later-production variants had a "wipeless" suppressor front cap design that was advanced for the time in that its internal metal parts needed only to be cleaned, not replaced, in contrast to the older-technology "wipe" type suppressors. The suppressor also created a place to hold the weapon; this, combined with the weight it added, made the weapon easier to control. During the 1970s the United States of America placed restrictions on the exportation of suppressors, and a number of countries canceled their orders of MAC-10s as the effectiveness of the MAC-10's suppressor was one of its main selling points. This was one factor that led to the bankruptcy of Military Armament Company, the main producer, in 1976.[6] The weapon's barrel threads were originally intended for this suppressor, but many other muzzle attachments can be used: muzzle brakes, barrel extensions, fake suppressors, fore-grips, and so on. Also, a single-stage "wipe" type suppressor was marketed by SWD and Cobray in the last years (1983–1986) of the MAC-10's manufacture. The original suppressor is 11.44 inches in length, 2.13 inches in overall diameter, and weighs 1.20 pounds.

[edit] Nomenclature

The term "MAC-10" is commonly used, but unofficial parlance. Ironically, the MAC company never used the nomenclature MAC-10 on any of its catalogs or sales literature—only "M10", but because "MAC-10" became so frequently used by Title II dealers, gun writers, and collectors, it is now used more frequently than "M10" to identify the guns.

[edit] Calibers and variants

While the original MAC-10 is chambered for the .45 ACP round, the M-10 is part of a series of machine pistols, the others being: the MAC-10/9 (chambered in 9mm but otherwise identical to the .45 ACP version), the MAC-11 / M-11A1, which is a scaled down version of the M-10 chambered in .380 ACP; and the M-11/9, which is a modified version of the MAC-11 with a longer receiver chambered in 9mm, later made by SWD (Sylvia and Wayne Daniel) and Leinad.

In the United States, fully automatic MAC-10 machine pistols are NFA articles, and probably the least expensive (relative; Approximate cost as of Q1 2009 is $3,600 US)[7] automatic weapons on the American market. A large number of semi-completed sheet metal frame flats were given serial numbers before the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986, and this made it possible to complete the manufacture of registered MAC-10s for the civilian market after the 1986 production freeze took effect. There were also a few thousand semi-automatic pistols and carbines that were based on the original MAC-10 design. These were made in open-bolt and later in closed-bolt designs, in response to ATF rule changes that banned semi-auto open bolt designs, beginning in the early 1980s.

Masterpiece Arms manufactures a semi-automatic variant of the MAC-10 called the MPA-10.[8] It differs from the original MAC-10 in firing from a closed bolt, as opposed to the open-bolt mechanism of the original MAC-10. This allows for more accuracy than open-bolt fire, and the extra cooling offered by open-bolt firing is unnecessary in a semiautomatic firearm.

The MPA-10 comes in several versions. The stock model has 6" barrel (visually identical to the original MAC-10), a highly modified version which has the cocking handle on the side and has a scope mount on top is also available. One model has a 10" barrel and has an AR-15 style forearm.

Masterpiece Arms also manufactures a rifle-like variant with a 16" barrel, shoulder stock, and an AR-15 forearm just like on the 10" model.[9] It is more of a carbine rather than a pistol, but is still based on the MAC-10.

[edit] Users

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[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ RPB Industries MAC Submachineguns
  2. ^ Cobray Company
  3. ^ Jersey Arms Works, Inc. v. Secretary of Treasury, No. 83-1130 (D.N.J. July 25, 1983)
  4. ^ MasterPiece Arms
  5. ^ MAC-10 From the U.K.
  6. ^ Future Weapons, Kevin Dockery, pages 213–215.
  7. ^ machinegunprices.com
  8. ^ https://www.masterpiecearms.com/proddetail.php?prod=MPA10T-A
  9. ^ https://www.masterpiecearms.com/proddetail.php?prod=MPA1T-A

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAC-10"