RIFLING (TYPE & TWIST) – 6 groove, Right hand twist
BULLET DIAMETER – 9mm (0.355 in)
BULLET WEIGHT – 8.04 g (124 gr)
MUZZLE VELOCITY – 340 m/s (1115 fps)
MUZZLE ENERGY – 464 j (342 ft/lbs)
WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 4.85 kg (10 lbs 11 oz)
WEIGHT (LOADED) – 5.89 kg (13 lbs 1 oz)
SIGHTS – Front sight – inverted V-blade, Rear sight – L-shaped flip sight, V-notches for 100 and 200 meters
EFFECTIVE RANGE – 200 m (219 yds)
MAXIMUM RANGE 1600 m (1750 yds)
OPERATION – Blowback, fires from open bolt
TYPE OF FIRE – Full automatic only
RATE OF FIRE – 96 rpm
CYCLIC ROF – 350 – 450 rpm
FEED DEVICE – 32 round drum magazine
FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 0.68 kg (1 lb 8 oz)
FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (LOADED) – 1.04 kg (2 lb 6 oz)
BASIC AMMUNITION LOAD – 5 drums (160 rounds)
LOAD WEIGHT – 5.2 kg (11 lbs 14 oz)
MANUFACTURER – Theodor Bergmann Abteilung, Waffenbau Suhl, Germany and Switzerland (postwar)
STATUS – Obsolete
SERVICE – German military service 1918, Post war service with German police. Second line service during WWII
The MP 18/I is considered by many to be the first true submachinegun. Designed in 1917, the weapon was intended to give a high volume of fire to an individual trooper in the confines of an enemy trench system. During the first use of the weapon in the Summer of 1918, it demonstrated its value as it was influential in overwhelming Allied forces during a German attack. The MP 18/I had been held back in secret until substantial numbers were available for issue.
Though the weapon was considered a success, the magazine it used was a major drawback. The 32 round (Trommelmagazin 08) drum magazine was originally designed for use with the stocked Artillery model Luger, turning it into a small semiautomatic carbine. But the sheet metal magazine was expensive to manufacture, difficult to load, and relatively fragile, particularly when stick out the left side of the weapon. To prevent inserting the magazine too far into the magazine well, a sheet metal sleeve had to be added to the base of the magazine (above the drum). Also the relatively small mainspring of the weapon gave trouble when the MP 18/I was exposed to the poor conditions found in trench warfare.
A very influential weapon, the MP 18/I was banned for use by the German Army by the Treaty of Versailles in post-war Germany. The weapon was allowed for issue to the German police organizations in the 1920s.
The MP 18/I is made from finely machined parts, as were most weapons of the era, particularly those from Germany. It has a relatively thick-walled (3 millimeter) receiver. Behind the perforated barrel jacket is a machined collar that holds the magazine in place for feeding. With a wooden carbine stock, the weapon has a smooth blued finish. For all the care in its manufacture, the basic design is simple. The safety is an inverted L-shaped notch cut upwards near the rear of the cocking-handle slot on the right-hand side of the weapon. To use the safety, the cocking handle of the bolt is drawn to the rear and lifted up into the notch where it is held by the forward pressure of the mainspring.
