HK MK23
| HK MK23 | |
|---|---|
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| general information | |
| Civil name: | Mark23, Mark23 SOCOM, MK23 MOD.O, US SOCOM |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Heckler |
| Manufacturer country: | Germany |
| Production time: | since 1996 |
| Weapon Category: | gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 245 mm |
| Total height: | 150 mm |
| Total width: | 39 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 1.12 kg |
| Barrel length : | 149 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | .45 ACP |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 12 cartridges |
| Cadence : | approx. 170 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Semi-automatic |
| Number of trains : | 6 (polygonal) |
| Twist : | Right |
| Visor : | Open sights |
| Lists on the subject | |
Mark23 (also known as MK23 SOCOM or just SOCOM ) is a pistol made by the German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch (HK). It is a USP variant, which, unlike pistols, was designed as the primary attack weapon. It differs from the USP mainly in its size and the barrel muzzle protruding from the breech, on which there is an M16 × 1 ISO thread for attaching a silencer .
History and technology
In mid-1991, the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was looking for a special weapon for its units and drew up a specification sheet for it. The weapon should not be a secondary or defensive weapon, but an attack weapon in .45 ACP caliber . In particular, it should have a decocking lever, a safety device and an automatic firing pin safety device as well as a magazine capacity of at least ten cartridges and a service life of at least 30,000 rounds of + P ammunition. In addition, it should be possible to mount a silencer. Salt water, desert sand, heat or other environmental factors should not influence the weapon. Therefore, in addition to sand, dust and mud tests, the test criteria included 96 hours of salt spray and 96 hours of surf tests. Heckler & Koch won the tender for the weapon on May 1, 1996 and the MK23 was introduced under the name MK23 MOD.O, US SOCOM .
With the Mk23 a weapon was delivered that consisted of newly developed plastic and that meets the toughest requirements that a service pistol has to meet. The weapon has a hard chrome-plated polygon barrel and is built as a recoil loader with Browning locking and a recoil buffer system patented by HK.
Furnishing
A silencer can be mounted on the barrel of the MK23 without any further changes. The use of a laser aiming aid Laser Aiming Module (LAM) from the manufacturer Insight Technology is also planned. This module is placed on the rail of the handle and fixed in the trigger guard with a knurled screw . It is equipped with two mignon cells and weighs 205 grams, is 6 cm long, 4.5 cm high and 2 cm wide. Inside there is a flashlight and a 5 mW class 3A laser as well as an IR laser whose light is only visible with special glasses. On the left, the weapon has an additional release lever and a safety device on both sides. The safety and release levers as well as the large trigger guard were designed so that they can also be operated with polar gloves.
The Mark23 is relatively large and unwieldy and is thicker and longer than the M1911 for the same weight . However, this construction is necessary due to the required durability of the weapon, which is designed for 30,000 rounds, especially since the Mark23 is designed as an attack weapon. However, the relatively large dimensions ultimately ensured that HK developed the USP Tactical , which combines the properties of the Mark23 with better handiness.
