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MAC-10
Synopsis
- Type: Submachine gun and semi-automatic pistols
- Operation: Open bolt/blow-back
- Abbreviation: Military Armament Corporation Model 10 (M.A.C-10/MAC-10)
- Cyclic Rate: 1200rpm
- Caliber: 9mm Parabellum (MAC-10/9) .45 ACP (MAC-10) .380 ACP (MAC-11)
Gordon Ingram designed the MAC-10 in 1965 and later, when the company he worked for (Sionics Inc) was merged into the larger Military Armament Corporation in 1970, the MAC-10 was put into production. The 9mm and .45 acp versions were introduced simultaneously, and the .380 version was introduced later that same year. The MAC-10 was then offered to the U.S. Military during the final years of the Vietnam War as a weapon for special operations and for support personnel, such as armored units (hoping to replace the M3A1 submachine gun as the self-defense weapon of tank crews). The MAC-10 did not generate a lot of interest from the U.S. Military due to its small size and high rate of fire (apparently too high for most operational uses). The lack of a foregrip motivated M.A.C. to provide a grip strap in front so that a second hand could hold down the gun and control the extreme muzzle climb when firing a long burst. But it was still an awkward weapon to fire and was most popular when mated with the efficient Sionics Two Stage Sound Suppressor. The Sionics Suppressor increased the length, quietened the sound (in a manner that was impressive for the day) and gave the shooter a stable point to grab with their second hand. CIA and SEAL units used the MAC-10 in Vietnam, and Special Operations units from other countries (Israel, Britain and West Germany to name a few have been seen wielding versions of the MAC-10 during that period). Despite this, no army ever adopted the weapon on a large scale and it was sold to Elite Police units (foreign and domestic) and special covert operations units until Military Armament Corporation went bankrupt in 1976. The death knell was the U.S. Government ban on selling Silencers/Suppressors to other countries (a ban that has since been lifted). But because foreign clients only wanted MAC-10s with Sionics Suppressors, orders fell to nothing. We can still see MAC-10s in South and Central America (often 'gifts' from the CIA) and in the armories of some European countries, but no one uses it as a 'front line' weapon.
Other companies then built transferable versions of the MAC-9, MAC-10 and MAC-11 were RPB Industries and the SWD Corporation.
The MAC-10 and its derivatives can be seen in the following films, television series, video games and anime:
Film
- John Wayne as Lietenant Lon McQ in McQ (with suppressor attached)
- Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard with a Vengeance and as Butch Coolidge in Pulp Fiction
- Diego Sandoval as Empty Gun Man in Desperado
- Antonio Banderas as El Mariachi in Desperado
- Danny Glover as Det. Roger Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon 3
- Mel Gibson as Det. Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon 3
- Gangbanger in Lethal Weapon 3
- Arnold Schwarzenegger as Harry Tasker in True Lies
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Helen Tasker in True Lies
- Crimson Jihad terrorists in True Lies
- Michael Douglas as William 'D-Fens' Foster in Falling Down
- Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in Die Another Day (fitted with muzzle shroud)
- Waise Lee as Shing in A Better Tomorrow
- Chow Yun-Fat as Ken Lee, Ti Lung as Sung Tse-Ho, and Dean Shek as Lung Si in A Better Tomorrow 2
- Steven Bauer as Manny, Colombian thugs and Babylon hitman in Scarface (the Colombians have silencers fitted)
- Wesley Snipes as Blade in Blade (uses one with Hollywood embellishments)
- Dead Drug Dealers in No Country for Old Men
- Hank Garrett as Mailman in Three Days of the Condor
- Drax henchmen and Richard Kiel as Jaws in Moonraker (Kiel uses one with an extended and shrouded barrel)
- Rutger Hauer as Wulfgar in Night Hawks
- The Abyss (with an extended and shrouded barrel)
- PIRA terrorists in The Devil's Own
Television
- Kiefer Sutherland as Agent Jack Bauer in 24
- Drug Dealers in Burn Notice
- Bank Robber in Criminal Minds
Video Games
Anime / Manga
- Leona Ozaki in New Dominion Tank Police
- Red Dragon Syndicate and Space Warriors members in Cowboy Bebop
- Badou Nails in Dogs: Bullets & Carnage
- Kazuo Kiriyama in Battle Royale
- Christian Gare and Albert Dux' henchmen in Noir
MAC-11
Film
- Dave Chappelle as Tulley in Blue Streak
- Nicolas Cage as Joe in Bangkok Dangerous
Television
- Frank Grillo as Albert "Mr. Pig" Roman and Christine Evangelista as Ashley Beck in The Kill Point
- Crypt King gang members in CSI: Miami
Video Games
Cobray M11/9
The Cobray M11/9 is not a 'true' MAC, just an updated design based on the MAC-10 blueprints by SWD Industries. Cobray was the company that emerged when SWD closed down in 1986, although SWD was the first company to design the 'elongated' M11/9 pistol that Cobray became famous for. All of the fully transferable Cobray M11 submachine guns were actually built by SWD between 1978 and 1986. Cobray kept the SWD logo on many of their frames, but Cobray (the new company) only manufactured semi-automatic pistols for public sale after 1986 until they themselves folded (for the most part) in the late 1990s (though they still exist now, selling replacement parts for their guns).
In movies and TV shows, particularly those made in the U.S. and Canada, the M11/9 appears quite regularly as a stand-in for the MAC-10 and MAC-11, and so is often mistaken for the authentic Ingram guns. When identifying MAC variants, look closely at the back of the receiver to see if it's elongated.
Film
- Julian Arahanga as Apoc in The Matrix
- Gang members in S.W.A.T.
- Chinese gangsters in The Departed
- Mad Dog in Hard Boiled
- Chinese mobster in Hollow Point
- Thug in The Whole Ten Yards
- Steven Seagal as Casey Ryback in Under Siege