Small But Perfectly Formed!

As promised at the end of frenchie’s piece on the glock 18c AEP last month, this month he’s turning his attention to the Marui MP7a1.

While some question the point of the AEP pistols, the Personal Defence Weapons (PDW) make a more persuasive case for their existence. It is true that there is now a choice of gas blowback MP7s to choose from, they are prone to all the potential drawbacks of their ilk, cost, pricey magazines, and sometime fickle operation. I know that there are many of you out there who love them, and I get it, but if you’re a player who is looking for simpler and more dependable version of the MP7, the Marui is almost certainly the best choice.

THE MP7

The MP7, originally the HK PDW, was developed to meet the same NATO requirement as the FN P90 – a weapon for second-line troops whose normal duties didn’t require them to carry a rifle. The requirement also sought new ammunition capable of penetrating standard soft body armour, something that existing 9mm-based weapons increasingly struggled with. H&K developed a 4.6x30mm round, unique in that both variants were penetrators designed, and indeed capable of defeating soft armour at 200 metres. Fiocchi and VBR of Belgium produce ball ammunition in 4.6mm with VBR producing a two-part controlled fragmentation round for the weapon.

Due to the wide use of polymers in construction, the MP7 series can be used as pistols or as submachine guns with the collapsible stock providing increased stability. H&K claim that the 4.6mm round is virtually recoilless.

The compact nature of the weapon and its ability to defeat body armour have seen its deployment well beyond second echelon and police roles with it becoming a useful tool in the arsenal of many of the world’s special forces.

THE AIRSOFT VERSION