The VP70 is a 9×19mm, 18-round,

double action Double action (or double-action) refers to one of two systems in firearms where the trigger both cocks and releases the hammer. *Double-action only (DAO) firearms trigger: The trigger both cocks and releases the hammer. There is no single-action f ...

only, semi-automatic/three-round burst capable polymer frame

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

manufactured by German arms firm Heckler & Koch GmbH. VP stands for ''Volkspistole'' (literally "People's Pistol"), and the designation 70 was for the first year of production, 1970.

Design

The VP70 combined a number of design features that were innovative, or at least very unusual for its time: * It was the first polymer- framed

handgun A handgun is a short- barrelled gun, typically a firearm, that is designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun or machine gun, etc.), which needs to be held by both hands and also braced ...

, predating the Glock 17 by 12 years. At unloaded, the weapon is lighter than most metal framed pistols of the time. * It has a double-stack, double-feed magazine; double-feed magazines are uncommon for pistols even today. These magazines hold 18 rounds, a rather high capacity for its original production time. * As on the

Mauser C96 The Mauser C96 (''Construktion 96'') is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937. Unlicensed copies of the gun were also manufactured in Spain and China in the first half of the 2 ...

and the Lahti L35, the stock was designed to be used as a holster when not mounted. On the military version of the VP70 this combination includes a unique feature: when mounted, a selective-fire switch, located on the stock, allows switching the weapon to a three-round-burst mode, with a 2,200 rounds per minute cyclic rate of fire. * The VP70 uses a spring-loaded striker like a Glock, instead of a conventional hammer. * It is

double-action only A trigger is a mechanism that actuates the function of a ranged weapon such as a firearm, airgun, crossbow, or speargun. The word may also be used to describe a switch that initiates the operation of other non-shooting devices such as a trap, ...

, so the trigger pull is relatively heavy. * In lieu of a blade front sight, the VP70 uses a polished ramp with a central notch in the middle to provide the illusion of a dark front post. * The barrel has very deeply cut

rifling In firearms, rifling is machining helical grooves into the internal (bore) surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis during shooting to stabilize the pro ...

; this was done to purposely vent gas past the bullet, placing less gas pressure on the slide, a critical part of the VP70's direct blowback function. This also results in slightly reduced bullet velocity when compared to other pistols with similar, or even slightly shorter barrel length.

Variants

The handgun comes in two varieties. The "M" (''Militär'', military) variant is selective-fire (semi-auto/three-round bursts), the "Z" (''Zivil'', civilian) variant is a semi-automatic-only version. The VP70Z has no provision to attach the stock, and also lacks the internal mechanical parts required for the burst-fire function even if the stock was attached. The VP70Z also has a crossbolt safety right behind the trigger; on the VP70M this is replaced with a non-functional plug, relying only on the heavy double-action trigger for safety. Four hundred VP70Zs were made in 9×21mm IMI; these samples were made primarily for the civilian market of Italy, where the use of the

9×19mm Parabellum The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger or simply 9mm) is a rimless, tapered firearms cartridge. Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer Georg Luger in 1901, it is widely considered the most popular handgun a ...

was at the time permitted only to military and law enforcement agencies. All of the VP70Z pistols sold to Italy had the provision to mount the stock, but still lacked the three-round-burst firing capability.

Users

* :Used by

1º Batalhão de Forças Especiais 1º Batalhão de Forças Especiais (1º B F Esp) (English: 1st Special Forces Battalion) is a counter-terrorism (CT) unit of the Brazilian Army. History The Battalion was initially formed in 1957 as a jungle rescue unit. However, in 1968 it was ...

* : Used during the Lebanese Civil War; adopted by some police forces * Jones, Richard D. ''Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010''. Jane's Information Group; 35th edition (January 27, 2009). . * : VP70Z variant. * : VP70M variant.

References

External links

HKPro.com: Heckler & Koch VP70

Modern Firearms: Heckler und Koch VP 70

H&K VP-70M: Polymer Framed Cutting Edge Machine Pistol from 1973
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Heckler and Koch VP70 9×21mm IMI semi-automatic pistols 9mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistols 9mm Parabellum machine pistols Machine pistols Blowback-operated firearms VP70 VP70 Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1970