Type 79 7.62mm Submachine Gun

Last updated: 15 February 2007

The Type 79 was originally developed in the mid-1960s as a lightweight 7.62mm automatic weapon known as “Jungle Submachine Gun” for the use of light infantry troops in the jungles and mountain regions. However, the development programme was severely disrupted by the ‘Culture Revolution’ in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In March 1970, 208 Institute of the Ministry of Ordnance Industry was asked by the PLA to develop a lightweight automatic weapon for reconnaissance units, signal corps, artillery corps, airborne forces, as well as public security (police) personnel. The “Jungle Submachine Gun” programme was therefore resumed under a new project known as “7.62mm Submachine Gun”.

The early design of the 7.62mm submachine gun was flawed and trouble-prone. The weapon failed two trails in 1971 and 1974 respectively. The third trail in 1975 was barely successful with some design flaws unsolved. The PLA reluctantly agreed to accept 100 examples for operational trials. Based on the feedbacks of the operational trial, the design team was able to make further improvements and the weapon successfully passed its fourth trial in 1978. The 7.62mm submachine gun was design certified in September 1979 and officially designated “Type 79 light submachine gun”.

Initial batch production of the Type 79 submachine gun began in 1981, with over 200,000 examples produced by 1992. Some cloned versions by the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) and the militia forces in Shanghai were also produced in limited numbers during the ‘Culture Revolution’. The Type 79 submachine gun has been widely equipped by the PLA special operations forces, the People’s Armed Police (PAP) Force, and the Public Security forces as a close quarter battle (CBQ) weapon.

The Type 79 submachine gun is more or less patterned after the Type 56 (AK-47) assault rifle. It uses gas-operated, rotary bolt action with short stroke gas piston located above barrel. The bolt group and fire mode/safety switch are similar to those of the Type 56 rifle. The barrel, receiver, pistol grip, magazine and shoulder stock are all made from stamped steel. The weapon fires 7.62 X 25mm pistol cartridge in either single or fully automatic mode. Ammunitions are fed from a straight box magazine that holds 20 rounds. Shoulder stock folds up and forward when not in use.

The Type 79 weights only 1.75kg (empty), but has an effective range of 200m. Reliability was sacrificed to a certain extent to achieve reduced weight. Nevertheless, it was proven a successful design and is still being widely used by the PAP and Police SWAT teams in China today.

Close-Quarter Battle (CQB) Kit

The Chinese police forces and some commercial companies have developed various close-quarter battle (CQB) kits for the Type 79 submachine gun. One system being equipped by Gangdong police features a rail attachment system similar to the M-4 SOPMOD rail interface system used by the U.S. Army. The CQB kit uses Picatinny rails to mount a number of accessories including laser-aiming sight, EOTech holographic sight, assault handle, and tactical flashlight.

Specifications

Calibre: 7.62mm
Cartridge: Type 51 7.62 X 25mm pistol round
Barrel length: 250mm
Muzzle velocity: 515m/s
Weight: 1.75kg (empty); 1.90kg (with empty magazine); 2.1kg (with full magazine)
Length: 470mm (with stock closed), or 740mm (with stock open)
Magazine capacity: 20 rounds
Effective range: 200m

Gallery

Type 79 CQB kit