Posted on 08/06/2020 7:05:21 AM PDT by w1n1
With its military background and 'Cocaine Wars' reputation, the MAC-10 has quite a history and is still a hoot to shoot – 'as long as someone else is paying for the ammo.'
Certain guns conjure up images related to the times they were used. The 1894 Winchester lever- action is the classic cowboy gun of the Old West. Thee M1 Garand is seen as the rifle that won World War II and the M1911A1 as the sidearm of choice for soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen.
Not all weapons have a positive image connected to them, though. The MAC-10 submachinegun is most often associated with bad guys, such as drug dealers. Remember the infamous “chainsaw” scene in Scarface? The weapon used by the Colombian drug dealers is this bullet-spitting bruiser. When most people think of MAC-10s, they envision drug dealers and gang members spraying rival criminals.
Despite those negative images, the weapon actually predates the "Cocaine Wars" of the 1970s and '80s in Miami. It dates back to 1964, and was designed by Gordon Ingram and Mitchell WerBell's Military Armament Corporation. Besides drug dealers, the MAC-10 has been used by Special Operations units in Vietnam, Grenada and elsewhere, along with armies and terrorist groups in other countries. It was also produced in South Africa and saw service in the Rhodesian wars.
I RECENTLY HAD the opportunity to test and evaluate a MAC-10 chambered in .45 caliber. For anyone used to modern firearms built to high tolerances, the initial impression is that the weapon is cheaply produced. It is made mainly from steel stampings. It’s a big chunk of plate steel built around a barrel and firing mechanism.
It's a simple blowback design. It fires from an open bolt and there is no need to cock it. Basically, you insert the exceptionally long magazine (with the bolt in the rear position), take the weapon off safe, and pull the trigger. That's where things get interesting.
The MAC-10 has an extremely high rate of fire. It spits out .45 slugs at 1,090 rounds per minute. Its smaller cousin, the MAC-11 in .380, fires at a blistering 1,380 rpm! Be forewarned, if you do get a chance to fire one, be prepared for excessive muzzle rise.
I was surprised at how quickly the barrel climbs when fired on full-auto. Care has to be taken not to unleash a dozen rounds over a berm at a range. Things that aid in controlling full-auto weapons are longer barrels, a sturdy stock that can be locked into the shoulder, and the weight of the weapon itself. A MAC-10 has none of these features. Read the rest of MAC-10.
M-134 minigun — a bit too large to keep under the seat, though. It would be good in the bed of a pickup truck.
later
I saw somewhere that you could mount a suppressor on a MAC-10 to make it more accurate. New York, I think it was...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.