M7 SMG

This article is about the SMG introduced in Halo 2. For the SMG introduced in Halo 5: Guardians, see M20 SMG.

M7 SMG
Three variants of the M7 SMG.
Production overview
Manufacturer:	Misriah Armory
Model series:	M7
Type:	Caseless Submachine Gun
Cost:	1484 cR
Variants:	M7S SMG
Specifications
Length:	Extended: 62.7 centimetres (24.7 in) Retracted: 47.4 centimetres (18.7 in)
Width:	6.6 centimetres (2.6 in)
Height:	20.6 centimetres (8.1 in)
Weight:	Empty: 1.3 kg (2.86 lbs) Loaded: 2.88 kg (6.36 lbs)
Ammunition type:	5×23mm M443 Caseless FMJ
Feed system:	60 round magazine
Operation:	Gas-operated, rotating breech
Rate of fire:	900 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity:	427 m/s (1400 ft/s)
Effective range:	50 metres (160 ft)
Service history
In service:	Insurrection Human-Covenant War Post-Covenant War conflicts

"I’ve seen a Spartan use two at once, tearing the crap out of the little ones; sending the big ones down in bloody heaps. But I guess that’s what ya gotta be to pull it off: an action-movie hero or a seven-foot-tall walking tank."

— Anonymous E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman

The M7/Caseless Submachine Gun (M7/SMG) is a personal defense weapon developed and manufactured by Misriah Armory. It is commonly used by infantry, special forces, and vehicle crews of the United Nations Space Command armed forces. A suppressed version of the weapon, the M7S SMG, is often issued to special operations personnel.

Originally, the M7 SMG was issued solely to vehicle crews as an emergency weapon; however, the submachine gun became widely used during the Insurrection. The weapon became favored by paramilitary police units and UNSC Special Forces units for its efficiency in eliminating insurgents located in orbital habitats and cluttered urban environments. Due to this efficacy, the M7 was also popular with those same Insurrectionists. Although the UNSC began trialing a replacement for the weapon, the M7 SMG remains the current submachine gun model used by the UNSC following the Human-Covenant War.

Overview

Design details

The M7 Caseless SMG as seen in Halo 3.

The M7/Caseless Submachine Gun is an automatic submachine gun that fires from a 60-round magazine which is placed horizontally on the left side of the weapon. Due to the odd horizontal placement of the magazine on the weapon, it can be assumed that the magazine utilizes a circular ramp where the magazine meets the breech. This rotates the horizontally stacked rounds in the magazine 90 degrees until they align with the horizontal breech. An example of this can be seen in the present day FN P90 PDW.

The SMG has a polymer pistol grip, folding fore-grip, iron sights, a collapsible buttstock, as well as a titanium body. The design of the gun is most likely inspired by the HK MP7. The charging handle is located on the right side of the gun and seems to not move during operation. Once the first round is fired, the gasses from previous rounds force the breech to rotate and chamber a new round. Once the magazine is empty, the handle although not illustrated in-game, can either be pulled back and locked or it can be fully cycled after a fresh magazine has been housed. If it is first pulled back and locked, then it must be taken out of the notch that holds the bolt in place in order to chamber a new round. The magazine release button is located between the red dots on the receiver and needs to be pressed before it can be flicked off. There is no ejection port due to the nature of the rounds fired.

The SMG has a rifled barrel that is 15 cm (5.9 in.) long. This weapon can also be affixed with a M49 sound suppressor; in this configuration, the weapon is designated the M7S Caseless Submachine Gun. The weapon is 47.4 cm (18.66 in.) long with the stock retracted and has a maximum length of 62.7 cm (24.68 in.) when the stock is fully extended.