Key facts
- Type
- Submachine gun
- Place of origin
- German Empire
- In service
- 1918–1945 (Germany)
- Used by
- See Users
- Designer
- Hugo Schmeisser
- Manufacturer
- Bergmann Waffenfabrik C.G. Haenel (MP 28/II) Lindelof Konetehdas (Lindelof Submachinegun) Pieper (Mi 34) Qingdao Iron Works SIG (SIG M1920)
- Produced
- 1918–1920s, 1928 – early 1940s (MP 28/II)
- Number span no built
- More than 30,000 (MP 18 only)
- Mass
- 4.18 kg (9.2 lb), 4.0 kg (8.8 lb) (MP 28/II)
- Length
- 832 mm (32.8 in)
- Barrel length
- 200 mm (7.9 in)
- Cartridge
- 9×19mm Parabellum 7.63×25mm Mauser (export) 7.65×21mm Parabellum (export) 9x23mm Largo (export) (MP 28/II) 9x25mm Mauser (export) (MP 28/II) .45 ACP (export) (MP 28/II)
- Action
- Open-bolt blowback
- Rate of fire
- approx. 350–500 rounds/min (MP 18), 550–600 rounds/min (MP 28/II)
- Muzzle velocity
- 380 m/s (1,247 ft/s)
- Sights
- V-notch and front post
via Wikipedia infobox
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Encyclopedic overview
The MP 18 (Maschinen-Pistole 18) is a German submachine gun designed and manufactured by Bergmann Waffenfabrik. Introduced into service in mid-1918 by the German Army during World War I, the MP 18 was intended for use as a short-range weapon for trench warfare that would provide individual soldiers with increased firepower over a pistol.
Although MP 18 production ended after World War I, it was highly influential on subsequent small arms design; it formed the basis of most submachine guns manufactured during the first half of the 20th century.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “MP 18” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.