Weapon type: Submachine gun Manufacturer: Thorvald & Koch Operation: Blowback, full- or semi-auto fire Weight (w/o magazine): 2.5 kg Weight (30-round magazine): .8 kg Weight (50-round magazine): 1 kg Length: 45 cm Caliber: 9 mm Type of Fire: Single shot, selective burst, or full-auto Rate of Fire: 950 rpm Magazine: 30- or 50-round staggered box magazine Reload Time: 10 seconds Effective Ranges Full auto/single shot or burst: Short: 25/35 m. Medium: 50/70 m. Long: 80/120 m. Weapon Reliability: 98% Base Cost: Cb 120 Reload Cost: (30-round magazine): Cb 6 and (50-round magazine): Cb 10 Notes The TK MP is generally acknowledged to be one of the finest submachine guns in current service. It is not as common as some other designs, being produced in relatively limited numbers only at the T&K plants on Tharkad, New Avalon, and Skye. It was originally conceived as a 3-mm sliver gun, a scaled-down version of the famous TK assault rifle, but the decision was made during the early design stages to produce instead a weapon which could use the far more readily-available 9-mm ammunition used by pistols and many SMGs. Its relatively low muzzle velocity (less than 300 mps) is compensated for by the large, hollow-point or explosive rounds. The TK-MPS is a silenced version with a built-in suppressorwhich lowers the weapon's sound to the point where it is virtually inaudible at ranges of more than 50 meters. The TK MP is shorter than other SMG designs of similar weight and caliber. This is due to the bullpup configuration (barrel-triggermagazine rather than barrel-magazine-trigger) which allows the magazine and feed mechanisms to be built into the weapon's stock. This makes it ideal for MechWarriors as an on-board personal sidearm, and for special-ops, anti-terrorist, and other special forces who need a compact weapon which delivers heavy firepower. Though more expensive than many submachine gun designs, the TK MID is favored by several elite and commando forces of both HouseSteinerand House Davion. Small numbersof theseweapons have also found their way into Kurita and Liao hands, and are occasionally encountered in the hands of Draco and Confederation forces. Many individual weapons a century or more old continue in active service to this day, and they are highly prized for this reason by mercenary as well as regular house troops. More Submachine Guns Introduction Bereiter M 14 Imperator Submachine Gun Rugan Submachine Gun Rorynex Submachine Gun Kogyo-Khorsakov Special Purpose Weapon, M-920 Thorvald & Koch Submachine Gun Back to BattleTechnology 2 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1987 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com