SERVICE – Limited commercial sales to Law Enforcement
The last submachinegun designed by Uzi Gal was developed after his permanent move to the United States in 1976. Joined by engineer Yehuda Webb, the project began in earnest in 1977 and the weapon was named the Model 201. Following the layout of the original Uzi, the Model 201 had a square cross-section stamped steel receiver with stiffening ribs that also gave dirt and debris a place to go and clear the pathway of the bolt. The cocking handle was placed on top of the receiver to give ambidextrous cocking of the bolt and the telescopic bolt reduced the overall length of the design.
One very noticeable aspect of the Model 201 was the unusual folding steel stock. In the folded position, the stock cleared the weapon so that it could be operated with the non-firing hand grasping the grip on the front of the trigger guard. The thumb of the non-firing hand would be wrapped behind the curved portion of the grip making for a very secure hold on the weapon. In the open position, the stock could be extended and locked in place to suit the operator. The stock could also be turned to point straight up from the weapon. In the unusual up position, the stock could be braced under the armpit and held securely in place when the weapon was bring fired from the hip. Internally, the Model 201 had a closed-bolt system with a separate hammer striking the firing pin.
Late in 1987, Uzi Gal went into an agreement with Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc to further develop, produce, and market his design. Now designated the MP9, the weapon underwent a number of changes. A firing pin safety was added that would prevent the weapon from firing unless the trigger was fully pulled intentionally. The magazine for the MP9 was adopted from that of the Austrian Steyr MPi 69/81 submachineguns. The lower receiver, pistol grip/magazine well, trigger guard, and fore grip were molded as one piece of fiberglass-reinforced Zytel nylon. The angle of the magazine well was tilted 5 degrees from the vertical to allow for better feeding of hollowpoint ammunition.
The stock of the MP9 was extended an additional inch over that of the Model 201. Additional changes to the bolt face, magazine feed lips, and chamber face improved feeding and reliability. In 1994, the new weapon was released for law enforcement and government sales. A single production run of 1,500 weapons were produced in 1994 but resulting sales were slow. The MP9 was removed from the Ruger sales catalog in 2006.
