Heckler & Koch MP7: Not your father’s sub-machine gun

I was a teenager in the 1990s, and I remember a computer game called S.W.A.T. came out. Former LAPD Chief and S.W.A.T. team creator Daryl Gates’ name was on the cover of the box, and the game was my first introduction to the MP5. It’s a gun that I still have yet to shoot, but in this post we’ll be talking about it’s big brother, the MP7 in 4.6x30mm, released in 2001.

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The Heckler & Koch MP7 in action. Photo by Oleg Volk.

There’s been some recent controversy over a comment made regarding civilians and the MP7, but you can read more about that here. I’ll stick to the fun part of shooting it, and how I met this beautiful gun.

I was invited to an event called the Industry Shoot, where industry folk got together in Manchester, Tennessee to share and play with a bunch of fun toys. The NFA-TCA was in attendance, and they supplied the MP7 along with a bunch of free ammo. I shot the MP7 in single shot as well as fully automatic with a 40-round magazine. The model I used had an extendable, lightweight stock. The kevlar piercing 4.6x30mm round didn’t kick at all, and there was minimal muzzle climb in full auto. I did a few bursts, and then also let about 20 rounds rip with my trigger finger fully engaged. It was fairly easy to stay on target through the string of fire. It was such a satisfying feeling, and I was sad it went by so quickly.

The MP7 is in the personal defense weapon (PDW) class, and it’s probably good for folks on protection details who need to conceal it in their jackets, etc. It’s a light, small frame sub-machine gun that is used by a number of militaries and law enforcement agencies around the world. As a civilian, I wish I could own one!

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From left to right: 4.6×30mm (Hollow Point), 5.7×28mm, .30 Carbine. Photo courtesy of the Wikipedia Commons.