MGP-79

SIMA-CEFAR · Submachine Gun · Discontinued · 1979

Also known as: MGP 79, MGP-79A

Overview

The MGP-79 is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun developed in the late 1970s by SIMA-CEFAR, the industrial and weapons-manufacturing arm of the Peruvian Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru). It is a simple blowback design firing from an open bolt in semi- and full-automatic modes. The front of the receiver carries a threaded section onto which a perforated barrel jacket is fitted, and the barrel can be removed and swapped for a barrel/silencer assembly for covert operations. It was adopted by the Peruvian Navy, Army and police.

Specifications

Weight (empty)2650 g (93.5 oz)
Overall Length526 mm (20.71")
Barrel Length240 mm (9.45")
Action TypeBlowback
Firing MechanismOpen Bolt
Magazine Capacity32 rounds
Magazine TypeDetachable Box
Effective Range100 m (109 yd)
Rate of Fire700 rpm
Barrel RiflingRight Hand
Frame MaterialSteel
Slide MaterialSteel
Barrel MaterialSteel
Stock MaterialSteel

Calibers

Features

Variants

Service history

Operators

Conflicts

Production

Production years: 1979-1980s

Produced by SIMA-CEFAR for Peruvian Navy, Army and police; superseded by the MGP-87 from the late 1980s

Origin

Country of origin: Peru

Notes

The 526 mm length and 2.65 kg weight reflect the early MGP-79, which originally lacked a shoulder stock; the improved MGP-79A added a folding steel stock. Magazines are interchangeable with the Israeli Uzi. The later MGP-87 superseded it with a shorter 193 mm barrel and a barrel jacket adapted for launching rifle grenades. Rate of fire is variously cited at 600-850 rpm.

Background

MGP stands for Marina de Guerra del Peru (Peruvian Navy). The MGP-79 was Peru's first indigenously designed submachine gun and entered service during the country's internal conflict against the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) insurgency.