Compact and rapid-fire weapons are in demand today in many countries of the world. Often light and compact submachine guns are in service with special forces units, and are also widely used by special services and companies that are responsible for the safety of top officials of the state, high-ranking figures or simply very rich people. Successful examples of modern weapons of this class include the MP9 submachine gun manufactured by the Swiss arms company Brugger & Thomet.
The model is compact in size, the submachine gun is not much superior to the Glock 18 and Beretta 93R automatic pistols widespread in the world, but in terms of tactical and technical characteristics and combat capabilities, it can safely compete with the Israeli Mini Uzi pistol or the classic of the German weapons school - Heckler & Koch MP5 … Its compact size and light weight make it easy to carry the MP9 submachine gun under outerwear: jackets and raincoats. According to the assurances of representatives of the developer company, the guards of the President of France use the submachine gun as a concealed carry weapon. At the same time, the Swiss submachine gun compares favorably with many of its classmates with a huge rate of fire, which, according to the developers, reaches 1100 rounds per minute. Therefore, a magazine designed for 30 rounds can be fired into the enemy almost instantly.
MP9 Brugger & Thomet launched
The MP9 submachine gun became the first model of the Brugger & Thomet firearms, which before its appearance specialized in silent firing devices (PBS), various tactical attachments, accessories, optics and ammunition. The Swiss company Brugger & Thomet has been producing mufflers since 1991. The company has been producing small arms for the last 15 years and the first model of Swiss gunsmiths was the MP9, chambered for the 9x19 mm Parabellum pistol cartridge, which is widespread in the world.
At the same time, the submachine gun has Austrian roots, but it is wrong to call the MP9 a copy of the Austrian Steyr TMP (from the English Tactical Machine Pistol), developed by the famous company Steyr Mannlicher in the arms world and produced since 1992. In the early 2000s, the production of the Steyr TMP submachine gun in Austria ceased. At the same time, Brugger & Thomet acquired a license, production rights and received all the technical documentation for this model. The Swiss gunsmiths took the Steyr TMP as a basis and brought the weapon to a commercially successful project, making a number of changes and improvements to the design, in particular, improved fuse and added a right-folding stock. The main changes, one way or another, concerned the tactical body kit. For example, Brugger & Thomet offers weapons along with a standard silencer.
Today the MP9 is a compact and powerful weapon. The first pancake of Swiss engineers from Brugger & Thomet did not come out lumpy, they adapted the Austrian model to modern needs and set up their own production. The updated submachine gun is in demand today on the international market. Moreover, B&T now produces a huge range of small arms from pistols to sniper rifles, the company's website contains 12 models of firearms (excluding modifications).
Design Features of the MP9 Brugger & Thomet
The automatics of the Swiss MP9 submachine gun is based on a scheme using recoil energy with a short barrel stroke. The weapon is fired from a closed bolt, this solution has improved the accuracy of firing single cartridges. In the closed position, the bolt of the submachine gun covers the barrel approximately half its length. The designers placed the cocking handle of the bolt in the rear upper part of the body of the submachine gun; when firing, the handle remains stationary.
The design of the MP 9 uses a rather rare method of locking the barrel - turning it around its own axis by 45 degrees. From a technical point of view, this is not the simplest solution that provides the weapon with a good degree of reliability of the automation and allows it to achieve super-rate of fire, which is one of the distinguishing features of the Swiss submachine gun. In addition to the complexity associated with manufacturing technology, experts highlight one more feature. A certain difficulty is the installation of the PBS (it cannot rotate with the barrel), especially for this, the designers of Brugger & Thomet had to install a small branch pipe - a false barrel, to which the muffler is attached.
The main mechanisms and automatics of the MP9 submachine gun are hidden in a very durable glass-filled polyamide casing. The robust body, consisting of two main parts - upper and lower, effectively protects the insides of the weapon from the ingress of dirt and dust particles that would interfere with the automatic operation of the submachine gun. In the lower part of the body there is a firing mechanism and a fuse, in the upper part there is a barrel, a bolt and a handle for loading a submachine gun.
The MP9 is powered from B&T standard dual inline box magazines. Magazines are inserted into the receiver, which is located in the fire control handle (pistol-like). The shooter has access to magazines for 15, 20, 25 or 30 rounds, which he can alternate to solve a specific combat mission. All magazines are made of translucent plastic so that the shooter can easily control how many cartridges are still in the magazine.
The weapon is equipped with Picatinny rail guides, which are installed on the sides, top and bottom of the submachine gun and are used to install various body kit elements. At the same time, experts highlight the rich standard equipment of the model. You can purchase a submachine gun immediately with an additional front grip for stable holding of the MP9 when firing, a collimator sight, a laser designator and a standard PBS model, the production of which was previously specialized in the Swiss company Brugger & Thomet. Standard sighting devices of the MP9 submachine gun are represented by a front sight and an adjustable diopter as a whole.
The submachine gun received a plastic butt - a shoulder rest, which easily folds to the right side after pressing a special button. It is also possible to fire from a weapon with a folded stock, which does not interfere with the shooter in any way. On the left and right side of the MP9 are buttons that allow you to switch the firing mode from single to automatic. The magazine eject key is located on the left side of the submachine gun.
Pros and cons of MP9
Experts note one of the disadvantages of the MP9, which manifests itself when firing with a silent firing device - strong gas pollution in the area of the shooter's face. This is due to the compact size of the model, the submachine gun is located very close to the face, near which the waste powder gases are collected. According to weapons experts, this is a rather serious drawback of the configuration with a silencer, especially if the weapon has to be used in a small enclosed room or in a car with closed windows. Also, some experts highlight the drawback associated with the low survivability of the loading handle, which can quickly fail, which is painful for military weapons. At the same time, experts note that the Swiss MP9 bypasses the American MAC Ingram Model 10 submachine gun in terms of shooting accuracy, as well as the Israeli Micro Uzi, being lighter, more compact and comparable in accuracy to the German HK MP5K PDW submachine gun. which is a larger sample of small arms.
The main consumers of the Swiss MP9 submachine gun are special police and intelligence units. The weapon is suitable for carrying out assault operations, freeing hostages, for concealed carry, for use in small confined spaces (preferably without a silencer). It is here that the compactness of the model manifests itself best of all, which can be easily hidden under clothes, the submachine gun in this case does not attract attention, merging with the silhouette of the human body. The weapon can be used with one hand without using a two-handed grip (due to its lightness and compactness), and the submachine gun can also be easily used simultaneously with a protective shield. Those commandos who have to work at height will also be able to effectively use the MP9.
The performance characteristics of the MP9:
Caliber - 9 mm.
Cartridge - 9x19 mm Parabellum.
Rate of fire - up to 1100 rds / min.
Barrel length - 130 mm.
Length - 303 mm (with stock folded), 523 mm (maximum).
Width - 50 mm.
Height - 276 mm (with magazine and sight).
Weight - 1.7 kg (with scope and with a magazine for 30 rounds).
Stores - 15, 20, 25 and 30 rounds (translucent).
