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Manufacturer: Steyr-Mannlicher AG
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum (9x19mm)
Length: 11.10in (282mm)
Weight Unloaded: 2lb 14oz (1.30kg)
Barrel: 5.12in (9120mm), 6 grooves, right hand twist
Magazine: 15rd, 30rd detachable box
Muzzle velocity: ~1247ft/sec (380m/sec)
Cyclic Rate: 900rpm
Modes of Fire: Semi auto, fully automatic
The Tactical Machine Pistol (TMP) was introduced in 1989 as part of a new breed of weapons. The Steyr design team was tasked to create a new type of submachine gun, one less bulky and more manuverable than traditional designs, that would be suitable to arm the two-thirds of an army whose principal job was not to fight, but to support the warriors - the clerks, the cooks, the REMFs - but who could come under attack due to the high speed of modern combat. The semi-automatic pistol was a very inefficient weapon to fulfill this role - to become familar enough with a pistol to use it effectively in combat took up much time, time that could not be spared, especially for troops who were not intended to fight.
They eventually came up with the TMP. This machine pistol/SMG is quite compact for a fully automatic weapon. It's shorter than the Desert Eagle, and weighs half as much, an accomplishment that came about due to the extensive use of polymers. The majority of the weapon is made of high-impact plastics, with a steel barrel and breechblock making up the majority of the non-polymer parts. The use of polymers allowed the designers to create a weapon that is very smooth - there are very few protruding parts, and what parts there are have been smoothed down so that they won't snag on anything. The weapon is light and compact enough for even tank crewmen or artillerymen to carry about on them at all times, unlike a weapon like the M4 Carbine. The weapon is ergonomic. The original design specifications called for a weapon effective out to 25 meters, that could be fired without a sling. The TMP should be held with the foreward hand pulling away from the body, and the rear hand pulling towards the body - 'stretching' the TMP, as it were. This brings the weapon up to a good, comfortable position, and makes it remarkably steady on fully-automatic fire. There were originally no plans to provide a stock, as this would increase engagement times, but Steyr now manufactures a snap-on folding stock.
The design of the weapon itself is a mixture of ideas from other weapons. The non-recipriocating cocking handle is at the upper rear of the reciever, and the T-shaped handle is pulled straight back, just like an AR-15's. The weapon is hammer fired, and the mechanism is similar to, but modified from, the AUG's system. The weapon operates on the delayed-blowback principle, the delay caused by a rotating barrel, a system very similar to the Steyr 1912 pistol. The weapon can be set to either semi-automatic or fully automatic fire by means of a cross-bolt safety/selector switch. When in fully-automatic mode, semi-auto fire can be achieved by pulling the trigger back only partially, as with the AUG. The design is simple; there are only 41 parts, and only one screw - which is used to adjust the rear sight laterally. The shroud over the barrel is threaded for accepting a suppressor. Contrary to common belief in the Counter-Strike community, the TMP is most commonly used unsuppressed, and the suppressor is removeable, NOT integral.
A semi-automatic version has been produced for civilian use. This is known as the Special Purpose Pistol (SPP), and is the same as the TMP, except that it has no foregrip (this being an evil feature in the ATF's eyes) and has a longer barrel shroud. Its use is questionable, except for the fact that it can also accept the TMP's 30rd magazines, making it a bulky, but very high capacity, semi-auto 9mm pistol.
