MAC Destroyer Carbine
Military Armament Corporation · Carbine · Prototype · 1968
Also known as: WerBell Destroyer Carbine, Silenced Destroyer Carbine
Overview
The MAC Destroyer Carbine is a suppressed bolt-action carbine developed in the late 1960s by former OSS officer Mitchell WerBell III and produced by the Military Armament Corporation. Built on Spanish Destroyer carbine actions rechambered for 9x19mm Parabellum and fed from a six-round detachable box magazine, it was conceived as a considerably more robust successor to the British De Lisle silenced carbine for special and clandestine operations in Indochina. WerBell developed five versions with differing silencer and optical-sight configurations; the final pattern used a simple 280mm (11 in) integral silencer and was delivered in quantity to the U.S. Army.
Specifications
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Integral Suppressor, Bolt Action, Detachable Box Magazine, Optical Sight Provision
Service history
Operators
- United States Army
Conflicts
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
Production
Production years: 1968-1970s
Small-batch military/clandestine deliveries; exact numbers not published
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Mitchell WerBell III
Notes
The design reused surplus Spanish Destroyer carbine actions; when U.S.-market supplies of those carbines dried up before a second order could be filled, MAC turned to Remington Model 788 conversions instead. Physical dimensions and ballistic figures for the suppressed carbine are not well documented in accessible sources.
Background
Mitchell WerBell III, an OSS veteran turned suppressor entrepreneur, pitched his silenced Destroyer as a modern De Lisle for the jungles of Indochina and even demonstrated one version at the ARVN Infantry School in the late 1960s, before dwindling supplies of surplus Spanish carbines forced Military Armament Corporation to switch to converting Remington Model 788 rifles instead.