How Does a Silencer Work on a Gun? See the inside of a suppressed MAC-11

🔫MAC-11 Overview

Type: Submachine Gun / Machine Pistol

Designer: Gordon B. Ingram

Manufacturer: Military Armament Corporation (MAC), later licensed to others (e.g., SWD, RPB, Cobray)

Country of Origin: United States

Year Introduced: Early 1970s

⚙️ Technical Specifications

Caliber:

Most common: .380 ACP (9×17mm Browning Short)

Some variants chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum

Action: Blowback, fully automatic

Fire Rate: Extremely high – around 1,200 rounds per minute

Magazine Capacity:

16, 32, or 50 rounds (depending on magazine type)

Weight: ~1.6 kg (unloaded)

Length:

Stock folded: ~248 mm (9.8 in)

Stock extended: ~548 mm (21.6 in)

Effective Range: 30–50 meters

Muzzle Velocity: ~290 m/s (950 ft/s)

📌 Design Features

Very compact and concealable, often classified as a machine pistol.

Designed as a smaller version of the MAC-10, mainly in .380 ACP.

Comes with a telescoping metal wire stock.

Threaded barrel allows attachment of a suppressor, which became a signature accessory.

Simple, inexpensive, and robust construction (stamped steel).

⚡ Strengths

Extremely compact and concealable.

High firepower for its size.

Easy to manufacture and maintain.

With suppressor, relatively quiet.

⚠️ Weaknesses

Very high rate of fire → hard to control, empties magazine in under 2 seconds.

Poor accuracy at longer ranges.

Not ideal for sustained combat use, more suited for close quarters.

Eventually considered obsolete compared to modern SMGs like the MP5 or Uzi.

🎬 Cultural Presence

Frequently appears in movies, video games, and TV shows due to its unique look and compactness.

Often associated with gang/criminal use in the 1980s–90s because of its availability and cheap price in the civilian market.