The Heckler & Koch UMP is a recoil-operated, magazine-fed submachine gun firing from a closed bolt. As originally designed, the UMP is chambered for larger cartridges than other submachine guns like the MP5, to provide more stopping power against unarmored targets (with a slightly lower effective range) than the 9x19mm MP5 provides. A larger cartridge produces more recoil, and makes control more difficult in fully automatic firing. To mitigate this, the cyclic rate of fire was reduced to 650 rounds/min (600 rounds/min for the UMP45), which makes it one of the slower firing submachine guns on the market.
The UMP9 (the 9x19mm version of the UMP) is almost 0.45 kg (almost 1 lb) lighter than its MP5 counterpart. Its predominantly polymer construction reduces both its weight and the number of parts susceptible to corrosion.
The Heckler & Koch UMP is available in four trigger group configurations, featuring different combinations of semi-automatic, 2-round burst, fully automatic, and safe settings. It features a side-folding buttstock to reduce its length during transport. When the last round of the UMP is fired, the bolt locks open, and can be released via a catch on the left side. The standard viewing sights comprise an aperture rear sight and a front ring with a vertical post. It can mount four Picatinny rails (one on top of the receiver, and one on the right, left, and the bottom of the handguard) for the attachment of accessories such as optical sights, flashlights, or laser sights. Vertical foregrips can be attached to the bottom rail for increased controllability during burst and automatic fire.
| Heckler & Koch UMP | |
|---|---|
| Type | Submachine gun |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Service history | |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1990s |
| Manufacturer | Heckler & Koch |
| Produced | 1999-present |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 2.3 kg (5 lb) without magazine (UMP45) 2.1 kg (4.6 lb) without magazine (UMP40, UMP9) |
| Length | 450 mm (17.7 in), stock folded 690 mm (27.2 in), stock extended |
| Barrel length | 200 mm (8 in) |
| | |
| Cartridge | .45 ACP (UMP45) .40 S&W (UMP40) 9x19mm Parabellum (UMP9) |
| Action | Recoil, closed bolt |
| Rate of fire | 650 rounds/min (UMP9; UMP40) 600 rounds/min (UMP45) |
| Effective range | 100 m (9x19mm Parabellum), 50 m (.45 ACP) |
| Feed system | 25-round detachable box magazine (UMP45), 30-round detachable box magazine (UMP40, UMP9) |
Variants
There are three versions of the UMP: the UMP45, firing a .45 ACP cartridge; the UMP40, firing a .40 S&W cartridge; and the UMP9, firing a 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge. Apart from the different chambering, all versions feature the same basic design, the most noticeable difference being the curved magazine used on the UMP9 (whereas the UMP40 and UMP45 use a straight magazine). All three versions of the weapon can be converted to any of the available chamberings via replacement of the bolt, barrel, and magazine.
The USC or Universal Self-loading Carbine is a semi-automatic version of the UMP that is available to private citizens for sporting purposes. It was designed following the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 in the United States and conforms to those standards. Changes from the original UMP include a "thumbhole" type stock and grip (versus the pistol grip of the UMP, though aesthetically there is little difference), longer barrel (no flash suppressor), limited 10-round magazine, and semi-automatic only trigger group and action. Originally available in gray, as of early 2007 the USC comes only in an all-black finish.
