MAC-10

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[1]

Design
The M-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 M-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 M-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.

Suppressor
The primary reason for the original M-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 weapon's 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 placed restrictions on the exportation of suppressors, and a number of countries canceled their orders of M-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.[2] The barrel threads were originally intended for this suppressor, but other muzzle attachments can be used including muzzle brakes, barrel extensions, and fore-grips. Also, a single-stage "wipe" type suppressor was marketed by SWD and Cobray[3] in the last years (1983–1986) of the M-10's manufacture. The original Sionics suppressor is 11.44 inches in length, 2.13 inches in overall diameter, and weighs 1.20 pounds.

Nomenclature
The term "MAC-10" is commonly used, but unofficial parlance. However, 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.

Calibers and variants
While the original M-10 was available chambered for either .45 ACP or 9mm, the M-10 is part of a series of machine pistols, the others being: 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 M-11 with a longer receiver chambered in 9mm, later made by SWD (Sylvia and Wayne Daniel) and Leinad.

In the United States, full automatic M-10 machineguns are NFA articles, and probably the least expensive (relative; Approximate cost as of Q1 2009 is $3,600 US)[4] automatic weapons on the American market. A large number of incomplete 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 M-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 M-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 M-10 called the MPA-10.[5] It differs from the original M-10 in firing from a closed bolt, as opposed to the open-bolt mechanism of the original M-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, including a rifle-like variant with a 16" barrel, shoulder stock, and an AR-15 forearm. 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.

Another variant that is growing in popularity for NFA registered firearms are the slow fire uppers manufactured by Lage Manufacturing which are called "MAX" uppers. The company is based in Chandler, Arizona. The "MAX" upper can reduce the original rate of fire to about 600 RPM (.45 ACP) and 700 RPM (9x19mm). The upper adds a picatinny optic rail, a side cocking charging handle, and a forend. Lage Manufacturing and Practical Solutions are currently marketing a drop-in .22LR upper variant that uses a modified upper, .22LR barrel, bolt and magazine. Besides Military Armament Corporation, MAC-10s and MAC-10 parts have been produced by RPB Industries,[6] Cobray Company/SWD,[7] Jersey Arms Works,[8] MasterPiece Arms,[9] and Section Five Firearms.[10]

BXP
The BXP is 9 mm submachine gun developed in the mid-1980s by the South African company Mechem (currently a division of Denel, formerly under ARMSCOR) and brought into production in 1988. Due to international arms embargoes of Apartheid South Africa, the country was forced to design and manufacture their own weapons. The weapon was intended for use by security forces. The manufacturing rights shifted from hand to hand several times during the years, passing from Mechem to Milkor Marketing and later to Truvelo Armoury, the current manufacturer (as for 2009).

[edit] Cobra submachine gun
The Cobra Land Defense Pistol is a semi-automatic stocked pistol of Rhodesian origin manufactured during the Bush War Era as a 'Land Defence Pistol' for white afrikaan farmers and is chambered in the 9mm round. The layout of this weapon is somewhat based on the Uzi submachine gun.

[edit] Patria submachine gun
Pistola Ametralladora Patria is a close copy of the Ingram MAC-10 and features a cooling jacket/barrel extension much like the South African BXP. The P.TO. country was developed for the major of the Air Force Argentina, Luis Ricardo Dávila, and protected by national Patent n° 220494/5/6/7 on 20/08/1980. It uses 9mm caliber rounds for easy transportation, and can be operated in either hand.

[edit] Enarm SMG
The Enarm MSM/SMG was a submachine gun of Brazilian origin based on the Uzi and MAC-10 weapons. It was chambered in the 9x19mm Parabellum round and also came with a foregrip. Although the weapon performed well in trials, it was discontinued due to financial reasons.

Users

 * Bolivia[3]
 * Chile[11]
 * Colombia[3]
 * Dominican Republic[11]
 * Greece[3]
 * Guatemala[3]
 * Honduras<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-jones2009_2-5">[3]
 * Israel<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-jones2009_2-6">[3]
 * Portugal<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-jones2009_2-7">[3]
 * Saudi Arabia<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-owen1975_10-2">[11]
 * Spain: Various police forces.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-diez2000_11-0">[12]
 * United Kingdom<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-owen1975_10-3">[11]
 * United States: Used by special forces, including LRRPs and Navy SEALs, in the Vietnam War.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-owen1975_10-4">[11] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-TT_12-0">[13]
 * Venezuela<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-jones2009_2-8">[3]