Halcón ML-57
Fábrica de Armas Halcón · Submachine Gun · Discontinued · 1957
Also known as: ML-57, M.L.57, Modelo Liviano 57
Overview
The Halcón ML-57 (Pistola ametralladora Halcón, Modelo Liviano 1957) is an Argentine submachine gun introduced in 1957 by Fábrica de Armas Halcón as a cheaper, lighter and simpler successor to the earlier Halcón Modelo 1943 and Modelo 1946 designs. It is a simple open-bolt blowback weapon firing from a loose firing pin struck by a small pivoting hammer, and it is fed from a curved detachable box magazine. The Argentine Army adopted it in 9x19mm Parabellum, while Argentine police forces used a variant chambered in .45 ACP. Most examples used a side-folding steel wire stock, and empty weight was cut to about 3.25 kg from the 4.75 kg of the wartime Modelo 1943.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3250 g (114.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 780 mm (30.71") |
| Folded Length | 535 mm (21.06") |
| Barrel Length | 225 mm (8.86") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Magazine Capacity | 40 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 400 m/s (1312 fps) |
| Effective Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 700 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
- .45 ACP — also known as 11.43x23mm, .45 Auto
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Features: Side Folding Wire Stock, Curved Detachable Magazine, Select Fire
Variants
- Halcón ML-60 - Dual Trigger Fire Selection
Service history
Operators
- Argentine Army · adopted 1957
- Argentine Police Forces
Production
Estimated total produced: 10,000 · Production years: 1957-1960s
Unconfirmed estimates put combined ML-57 and ML-60 production at no more than about 10,000 units.
Origin
Country of origin: Argentina
Notes
Sources differ on some figures: Forgotten Weapons gives 780 mm overall (535 mm with stock folded), a 225 mm barrel and 3.25 kg empty with a curved 40-round magazine, while other references quote 30-round magazines. Rate of fire is generally cited at about 700 rounds per minute. The .45 ACP police version and the 9mm army version were mechanically similar. Combined production of the ML-57 and its ML-60 derivative is unconfirmed but estimated at no more than about 10,000 units.
Background
The ML-57 (Modelo Liviano, 'light model') represented Fábrica de Armas Halcón's push to modernize and cheapen Argentina's domestic submachine gun line, shedding the heavy machined construction of the wartime Modelo 1943 in favor of a lighter, cheaper weapon. A later variant, the ML-60, replaced the fire-selector lever with a dual-trigger arrangement in which the forward trigger fired semi-automatic and the rear trigger fired full-automatic.