Erma MP56
Erma-Werke (Erfurter Maschinenfabrik) · Submachine Gun · Prototype · 1956
Also known as: Erma MP-56, ERMA MP56
Overview
The Erma MP56 was a West German experimental submachine gun developed by the newly re-established Erma-Werke in 1956 as a candidate for early Bundeswehr trials. Designed by the French engineer Louis Bonnet de Camille, it was a compact, Uzi-like blowback weapon firing from an open bolt and using a telescoping wrap-around bolt whose return spring was compressed between the front of the bolt and a flange on the barrel. Fed from MP40 magazines and fitted with a top-folding stock and a folding foregrip, it was a machine-pistol-sized design that Erma lacked the industrial capacity to mass-produce; only about ten hand-built prototypes were made before the rights were sold to Mauser in 1957.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3150 g (111.1 oz) |
| Overall Length | 610 mm (24.02") |
| Folded Length | 430 mm (16.93") |
| Barrel Length | 260 mm (10.24") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Selective Fire |
| Magazine Capacity | 32 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Effective Range | 150 m (164 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 800 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Wrap Around Bolt, Top Folding Stock, Folding Foregrip, Compact Machine Pistol Layout, Uses Mp40 Magazines
Production
Estimated total produced: 10 · Production years: 1956-1957
Roughly ten prototypes hand-built by Erma before the design was sold to Mauser in 1957; never entered series production.
Origin
Country of origin: Germany
Designer: Louis Bonnet de Camille
Discontinued: 1957
Notes
Distinct from the later Erma MP58/MP59/MP60 experimental family. The MP56's design was sold to Erma's rival Mauser in 1957, which developed its own select-fire, stamped-steel version designated the MP57; both failed to win adoption, and the Bundeswehr ultimately selected the Israeli Uzi (as the MP2). Dimensional figures (610 mm overall, 430 mm folded, 260 mm barrel, 3.15 kg, 800 rpm) are drawn from the combined MP-56/MP-57 record and may reflect the Mauser variant as closely as the Erma original.
Background
Erma's post-war revival could not muster the tooling to build de Camille's compact machine pistol in quantity, so after only ten hand-made MP56 prototypes the company sold the design to its old rival Mauser, whose MP57 fared no better before the Bundeswehr chose the Israeli Uzi instead.