Brugger & Thomet APC/APS

     Notes: The APC (Advanced Police Carbine) is a blend of proven components and new engineering; for example, it shows some resemblance to Brugger & Thomet’s MP-9, but is clearly a different weapon.  In addition, the trigger pack is the same as on an AR-15 or M-16 (and the APC and APS can accept most of the same aftermarket trigger packs designed for those rifles. The APC is meant to be larger than existing PDWs, though much smaller than a short-barreled assault rifle, and to fire all types of the commonly-available 9mm Parabellum cartridge.  (Later, at military request, a .45 ACP chambering was added.) Brugger & Thomet listened to user feedback that said that most existing police carbine and submachinegun designs were in fact, as large and heavy as an assault rifle, even in a pistol caliber like 9mm Parabellum.  As Brugger & Thomet says, “B&T has not forgotten the art of the submachinegun.”  Unlike most such weapons, Brugger & Thomet designed the APC and APS primarily for the police market first (particularly in Western Europe) instead of designing primarily for the military market.

     The APC and APS have more-or-less conventional layouts for such weapons, though they have some extra enhancements.  The pistol grip is ribbed in the front for a better grip.  Atop the receiver is a MIL-STD-1913 rail for accessory/optics mounting; at the rear of this rail is an adjustable iron sight, while at the front of the rail is a post-type sight protected by low, flat ears.  On the sides and underside of the handguards of the APS, near the front, are shorter rails (about 7.5 centimeters long).  These side rails are not present on the APC. Sold with the APC and APS (and included in the price below) is the Aimpoint Micro T-1 Red Dot Sight, which is a small occluded-eye optic such as those used by many troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The “package” sold by B&T also includes a tactical flashlight with mount, a detachable foregrip, and a sling. The stock folds to the right and is the same stock as on the B&T GL-6 Less Lethal Launcher.  (A collapsible stock is also available.) The barrel and front end of the handguard is designed for attachment of a suppressor.  Unlike most submachineguns, the trigger pull weight is about the same as the lighter pull found on an assault rifle.  Construction of most components, including the lower receiver, handguard, pistol grip, and stock, are made from high-strength advanced polymers.  The upper receiver is of aircraft-quality alloy, while the barrel and working parts are of steel. Operation is by blowback, with single-action operation.  Most controls are ambidextrous; the charging handle can be mounted on either side of the gun.

     The APC is designed with law enforcement in mind.  It uses a 16-inch barrel which cannot accept a suppressor, and has simple cooling holes in the handguards instead of MIL-STD-1913 rails (except for the upper rail).  The APC fires in semiautomatic mode only; and is not sold with the tactical flashlight or removable forward grip.  The APS (Advanced Police Submachinegun) is a true submachinegun, equipped with the full set of MIL-STD-1913 rails, a 6.9-inch barrel, the full set of accessories from B&T, and able to accept a suppressor.  When equipped with a suppressor, the APS is designated the APS-LE.  Due to the 1080-rpm rate of fire, the APS can put out massive volumes of fire at short range.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: the APC, APS, and APS-LE are not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Brugger & Thomet MP-9

     Notes: This is a variant of the Steyr Tactical Machine Pistol; strict licensing laws and poor sales led Steyr to sell the design to a Swiss company, Brugger & Thomet.  They developed and improved the design some more, leading to the MP-9 (Machine Pistol, 9 Millimeter).  The MP-9 is a very light weapon, with a rate of fire of about 900 rounds per minute, which is more controllable than most machine pistols of the same weight.  The MP-9 is larger than the typical machine pistol, yet smaller than the typical submachinegun, making it a better fit as a personal defense weapon or for close combat and building shootouts.  The MP-9 has an integral foregrip and folding shoulder stock, as well as a MIL-STD-1913 rail for accessories and optics.  The MP-9 is compact enough to be fired one-handed, yet large enough to be comfortably fired two-handed.  The receiver is made from polymer, which may be molded in virtually any color or pattern the customer desires (standard color is black).  The iron sights mounted are standard military ghost-ring type.  Barrel length is 5.1 inches.

     Recently, Brugger & Thomet introduced a version of the MP-9 chambered for the Swedish 6.5mm CBJ cartridge.  It is virtually identical to the standard MP-9. It cannot use the 100-round drum magazine, but uses magazines with the same capacity as on the standard MP-9.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Not introduced until 2004, the MP-9 is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Rexim-Favor

     Notes:  Some say Rexim stole this design from the French.  Whatever is true, the Rexim-Favor is a design that got very little interest, sales, or use, and then the company failed in 1957.  The design was sold to the Spanish, who tried to sell it under the name of the La Corunda, with no takers.  The basic problem is that the Rexim-Favor is an old design, very heavy and clumsy, more a carbine than a submachinegun. The Rexim-Favor can mount a bayonet and use NATO rifle grenades, but at a weight significantly greater than most assault rifles, few wanted it.  The only known service use was by the Turkish, who called it the M-68, and still use it to this day in small numbers. 

SiG MP-310

     Notes: This design was developed in the mid-1950s from the previous MP-48.  The MP-48 was similar, but the materials and manufacturing methods used made the MP-48 very expensive and quite heavy.  The MP-310 used precision castings instead of machined parts; however, this was still rather expensive, and also slow, and the production line was closed in 1972 after only a little over 1000 were made.  Some were exported, and may be encountered in odd corners of the globe, but most were taken into service by the Swiss Police and were still being used by them in 2000.  Like the French MAT-49, the magazine and well can fold forward; unlike the French weapon, this was not meant for paratrooper use, but instead to provide a smaller package when stored in a vehicle. 

SiG MPX

     The first submachineguns from SiG in a long time, the MPX operates from a closed and locked bolt with a rotating bolt and uses gas operation with a short-stroke piston., similar to the SG-550 series.  There are several variants, with different barrel lengths and in one case, no stock.  Components can be swapped to produce any version from another by switching certain components, primarily the barrels and handguards. It can also be converted between the three calibers the MPX is found in.  A MIL-STD-1913 rail runs down the top of the weapon; on the sides and underside of the weapon are three more rails.  The part of the rail above the receiver is monolithic – actually a part of the receiver, The stock attaches via a MIL-STD 1913 rail; allowing it to be removed if necessary; this stock may be telescoping or folding as desired by the buyer. SiG makes the stocks, but almost any sort of stock can be made to fit, even fixed stocks. Controls are ambidextrous, and based on the AR-15/M-16-type of control group, along with an A2-type pistol grip.  The handguards are aluminum.  The finish is black phosphate.

     Versions are sold in LE/military versions, with automatic fire, and civilian versions, with semiautomatic-only fire capabilities.  The semiautomatic version is made only in the Carbine variant, and the stock may not be removed on this civilian version. The magazines are proprietary and of clear polymer; however, MP-5 magazines will also fit the MPX. Barrel length for the MPX and MPX-P is 6.5 inches; for the MPX-K 4.5 inches; and for the MPX-C 6.5 inches.  The MPX-SD is an integrally silenced version of the MPX-C, though any version can accept a screw-on silencer; the MPX-SD has a 6.5 barrel, while the MPX-C has a 9.5-inch barrel with a permanently-fixed muzzle brake. The MPX-C also includes a reflex sight. The MPX is remarkably stable, even on automatic, making it useful as a PDW among less-trained troops.