The SN7P submachine gun is designed by the Vietnam Weapon Design Institute (Viện Vũ khí) of the Vietnam General Department of Defense Industry and is manufactured by the Z111 Factory in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It is intended to arm local Special Forces in military and law enforcement, and also is being offered for the export sales. It is believed that the export name for this weapon could be the SN9P submachine gun, where the number 7 or 9 signifies the caliber, 7.62mm or 9mm respectively, but this is not confirmed yet.
SN7P submachine gun
The gun is more or less a clone of the Russian Bison PP-19 submachine gun, and as of the moment of this writing it is offered in two calibers – the ubiquitous 9x19mm Luger / Parabellum for exports sales and the 7.62x25mm TT for domestic use. The latter round is still in widespread use by the Vietnamese military and police in their domestic copies of the Soviet Tokarev TT and in the modified K14VN pistols.
SN7P submachine gun, an export version chambered for the 9x19mm Luger ammunition
The SN7P submachine gun is based on a modified Kalashnikov AKM receiver, and uses a similar trigger unit and an AK-type safety/selector lever on the right side of the gun. The action is a simple blowback, and the gun fires from the closed bolt, in single shots and full automatic. Ammunition is fed from the helical drum magazines, which is somewhat surprising, considering the capacity of just 33 rounds for a relatively long 7.62x25mm cartridge. Helical drum magazines work best with the relatively short and stubby cartridges, such as 9x18mm PM or 9x19mm, offering increased capacities of fifty rounds or more. With the 7.62x25mm ammunition, a standard curved box magazine, such as one from the old Sudaev PPS-43 submachine gun, for example, is a better choice in regard to the cost, weight, and, last but not least, the reliability. As such, it is reasonable to expect the further development of this weapon along the lines of the Russian PP-19-01 Vityaz submachine gun, which is very similar in design but uses proprietary and highly reliable 30-round curved box magazines, made of durable plastic.
Other features of the SN7P submachine gun include a side-folding stock and, at least for a time being, complete lack of any “accessory interfaces” that could be used for mounting the Red Dot sights, weapon flashlights and laser aiming devices. This is another area of the possible evolution for this gun.
The SN7P submachine gun, basic specifications
Special thanks to Minh hải Đường for the help.
Encyclopedia of firearms and ammunition of the XX and XXI centuries
All texts are written by Maxim Popenker © 1999-2024
