SIG MKPS
Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft · Submachine Gun · Discontinued · 1937
Also known as: Maschinenkarabiner Polizeimodell Seitlich, MKPS
Overview
The SIG MKPS is a Swiss submachine gun built by Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft at Neuhausen, introduced in 1937 as the short-barreled police model of the SIG machine-carbine family. Where the military MKMS carried a long barrel for range, the MKPS shortened the barrel to 300 mm for a handier weapon. The simplified 'S' models discarded the earlier hesitation-locked action and fired from an open bolt on a straightforward blowback system, feeding from a 30-round magazine that swiveled into a housing so it could fold flush along the wooden stock. Superbly machined but costly and slow to build, only about 1,200 examples of the whole family were made before production ended around 1941.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3600 g (127.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 820 mm (32.28") |
| Barrel Length | 300 mm (11.81") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Effective Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 900 rpm |
| 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
- 7.63x25mm Mauser — also known as 7.63mm Mauser, .30 Mauser
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Endcap Interlock
- Features: Folding Magazine Housing, Short Barrel, Side Ejection, Wooden Rifle Stock, Open Bolt Operation
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Swiss Police
- Vatican / Swiss Guard
Conflicts
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,228 · Production years: 1937-1941
Total of 1,228 guns produced across the MKMO, MKPO, MKMS and MKPS models combined; high cost and low sales ended production around 1941.
Origin
Country of origin: Switzerland
Designer: Gotthard End
Discontinued: 1941
Notes
The MKPS was offered in several chamberings including 9x19mm Parabellum, 7.65x21mm Parabellum, 7.63x25mm Mauser and 9x25mm Mauser. Sources differ on the exact action of the simplified 'S' variants; Forgotten Weapons and other references describe an open-bolt simple-blowback mechanism lacking a semi-automatic setting.
Background
The SIG machine carbines are widely regarded as among the most beautifully made submachine guns ever produced. The MKPS's magazine could swivel forward into a slot in the stock, a folding-magazine idea patented by Hungarian engineer Pal Kiraly that he later reused on the Danuvia 39M.