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The TMP

Select Fire Steyr: The TMP

By Jacques Lenaerts

Three years ago, during a visit to the Austrian Steyr-Mannlicher company, Ihad a short look at a compact 9mm submachine gun, called the TMP, that Iwas allowed to handle very briefly. I remember wondering why Steyr wastrying to develop a new 9mm SMG: there are already plenty of theseweapons and the market for them is quite restricted. Further contacts with acompany's representative changed my mind: each time, we briefly discussedthe progress of the TMP. I came to suspect Steyr of working towardssomething else than a classic SMG, clearly developed to compete with theMini-Uzi or the Heckler & Koch's MP5K family and the like.I was right. As a matter of fact, this short-sized SMG came out of the samemilitary concems that repeatedly led the U.S. Infantry School to start a newapproach to the Personal Defense Weapon (PDW), now set within the frameof the Objective Family of Small Arms (OFSA). These concerns are sharedby most modern armies and arose from the poor efficiency of the semi-autopistol when used under true combat conditions as a last ditch defenseweapon, especially by those people whose primary task is not to fight.Steyr's designers were fully aware of this problem ever since the AUGassault rifle was put on the drawing board in the early seventies. Keeping inmind the main functions of the possible users, they fixed their eyes on alightweight and compact PDW system which also had to provide firepowerand to be easily controllable by a non-expert shooter. This system had togive the same firepower as a submachine gun, while having a pistol-typeweight and length.True controllability in firing bursts was a stringent requirement. In addition,the designers started from nothing except the company's know-how with

composite materials. These materials were expected to help achievecontrollability and keep the cost of the weapon within the same range asthose of military pistols. It was clear that the system had to fire a pistolammunition. Various calibers were taken into consideration and tested. Notsurprisingly, the wide-spread 9mm Luger was regarded as offering the bestcompromise. Last but not least, the effective range was set at 25m, adistance you can see as really getting modest. These requirements soundedsomewhat contradictory and I wondered how Steyr would manage to handlethe whole package, as controllability still seemed to me hardly compatiblewith the other characteristics. But as stated by the manufacturer, this keyfactor was achieved through design, operating principle and rate of fire.

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The TMP is quite evidently a light and compact weapon, with a length of 280mm andan empty weight of 1.3 kg. But at first glance, I was also struck by its rounded shapeand smooth surfaces, which prevent snagging. This is another obvious benefit of thedark grey, high-impact resistant composite materials used to mold, in a veryergonomic fashion, as many parts as possible - mainly the 20- and 30-round

magazines, cocking lever, upper and lower receivers, the latter being integral withgrips, trigger guard and front guard.The Austrian weapon differs from conventional machine pistols in its very tightstructure. The moving parts are enclosed in the upper receiver, of which the ejectionport is sealed by the breech assembly in its forward position, thus protecting themechanism against external dirt and water. The trigger group, the hammer unit andthe safety devices are seated in the lower receiver, which is held together with theupper receiver by a sliding lock very similar to the one appearing on the Glock pistolsand located above the front grip; it allows a fast field stripping in seconds.Fixed to the upper receiver, and from the front to the rear, the forward end of thebarrel is fitted in a protruding sleeve, whilst its rear portion is partly surrounded by atelescopic-style breech, the top of which holds a conventional recoil spring and itsguide.As described by the builder, the action consists of a delayed blowback, closed-boltsystem with a rotating barrel. But I would say that the general operating principle isthe same as on many short-recoil operated semi-auto pistols. At the moment of firing,the barrel is internally locked to the breech. Initially, it moves back with the breechunder gas pressure, but after a 4mm run, it starts rotating clockwise. This iscontrolled by a cam fixed to the forward sleeve, which engages a slot on the side ofthe barrel. By the time the cam reaches the end of the slot, the barrel has stoppedmoving, but will have rotated enough for the breech to have unlocked itself. Thebreech continues moving to the rear, extracting and ejecting the empty case. Thisaction is strictly reversed in the forward movement of the working parts; the breech isthus positively locked upon firing, whilst also delaying the subsequent opening. Thishelps to limit the recoil impulse, and to reduce the cyclic rate, which is 800-900rounds/min.The weapon controls fit very well into the overall shape of the TMP, being well-proportioned and easily accessible. Just have a look at the cocking lever, located at

the rear of the upper receiver, or at the bolt-catch lever, the magazine catch and thesights, which, integrated to the top rib of the casing, have a very low profile. Thetrigger is of the selective type as with the AUG ; by increasing the pressure, you gofrom semi-auto to full auto fire - at least if the horizontal, sliding button-type safetycatch is pushed half way across. If fully across, it allows automatic fire only.Apart from the usual safety mechanism which prevents firing when the breech is notfully closed, the TMP features a drop safety preventing accidental discharges,whether the manual safety has been applied or not. Furthermore, the hammer islocked until the trigger is fully moved to the rear.No shoulder stock is provided; Steyr's belief is that a stock will increase engagementtimes where the soldier is facing successive targets. The TMP must be easily

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handled under stress and be instantly ready to fire. This is assisted not only by theforward grip, but also by the sling; the weapon being carried at the side of the body,the user only has to grasp it with both hands and to aim at arm's length. If properlyadjusted, the sling will tighten and bring the weapon into a perfect firing position.Apart from a silencer, the TMP is also designed to accept optical sights; these would

fit onto a slide which is moulded into the upper receiver, as an integral part of it.Cigarette-sized laser sights of the latest generation could also be easily integrated.When I arrived at Steyr's shooting range, I felt quite skeptical about the effectivenessof the TMP at the given range. I knew from previous experiences that short-sizedSMGs are rather difficult to control, especially if you do not practice every day orevery week, which is the case for most intended users. In any case the weaponimpressed me favorably, as the two grips immediately offer a perfect hold due tocareful design, spacing and slope. When you hold the TMP at arm's length with theforward hand pushing the front grip and the trigger-hand pulling the pistol grip as if to"stretch" the weapon, the gun is automatically brought into a central position, at face

level (please notice this was done without a sling). It doesn't matter whether you areleft- or right-handed; you not only get a very instinctive firing position, but you alsospontaneously use both eyes when aiming. As I had been advised to fire in sustainedbursts from the start (this had also to prove the mechanism), I had magazines filledwith 15 and 20 rounds. I had nothing to do but empty each magazine in a single burstat a 10m target. That's what I did.It is difficult to tell how deeply astonished I was at seeing the TMP remain almostperfectly on line, without climbing and without having to pay special attention to thegrip on the weapon. Even before seeing the target, I had a new idea of what stabilitymeans. This was confirmed by the results of the successive full-length bursts; theearly one was concentrated in a 25cm group, but the size of the groups decreased asthe TMP became more familiar to me. It may reasonably be assumed therefore that15cm groups at that range would be possible with little practice. Of course, there is alittle spread, but this is mostly due to the shaking of the weapon when firingsuccessive shots at high rate. Indeed, at a 25m range, the spread could help toimprove the probability of hit, since it might compensate for slight aiming errors whichare fairly usual in close-combat situations.

Shorter bursts of two to four rounds were controlled in the same way but, as I carriedout the test firing in a narrow tunnel range, I was unable to engage targets using

short bursts at longer range. However, considering the results, I am inclined tosupport the claims of the manufacturer.Not only is the TMP remarkably compact and easy to handle but, of all the smallSMGs I ever have had in my hands, I would say that it is by far the one that bestcombines the three basic features a military user has a right to expect from anautomatic personal defense weapon: instinctive aiming, probability of hit andcontrollability.

Originally published in the July 1993 edition ofGuns Magazine