Milkor BXP

The Story of Milkor BXP

The arms embargo on South Africa (due to apartheid) led to the development of the domestic arms industry. Various initiatives have resulted in front-line multipurpose aircraft, artillery systems, armored vehicles and many guns known for their reliability and build quality - very similar to Western types.

One of these products became the "BXP" submachine gun, development of which began sometime in the early 1980s. The submachine gun is designed to equip local police forces with a compact, high-capacity melee weapon. After evaluation, the BXP began mass production in the late 1980s and was approved by the South African police and military.

The BXP features a semi-automatic, closed-bolt-fire design for law enforcement and a fully automatic, open-bolt-fire design for military use.

The core of the BXP is reminiscent of the proven line of classic Israeli UZI submachine guns. The BXP's design features a rectangular receiver that houses the main internal working parts of the gun, as well as a charging handle on the receiver and a rectangular ejection port on the right side. Like the UZI, the BXP has a grip magazine that holds a detachable 22-round or 32-round 9x19mm Parabellum magazine. The trigger assembly is integrated into the straight pistol grip and has a large elongated loop to allow use by gloved operators. The manual safety controls are ambidextrous and located near the trigger area on the handle.

Green marks the weapon as locked, while red marks it dead and ready to fire. Selective fire (in the military fully automatic version) is achieved with "half" and "full" triggers for single-shot and fully automatic fire modes, respectively. Firing is standard recoil, with a rate of fire between 800 and 1,000 rounds per minute.

With an effective range of up to 100 meters, with this type of weapon, range accuracy suffers accordingly at longer ranges. Iron sights are traditionally mounted on top of the receiver, although aiming lasers can be mounted if desired. The BXP features a folded metal (stamped steel) stock that folds under the receiver and the shoulder pad now acts as the front handle.

A perforated shroud with a slotted muzzle cap fits over the barrel ledge to aid in heat dissipation. With the shield removed, the barrel nut is threaded to accept a silencer assembly that can be coupled with subsonic ammunition. A variety of muzzle attachments are available, including compensators of different lengths and cooling perforations, as well as grenade launcher attachments for firing rifle grenades.

Although the barrel is full length (8.2 inches long), the compact size of the weapon is achieved by a hollow bolt surrounding a hidden part of the barrel. Maintenance and repairs are made easier by disassembling the gun into its main components in the field. Overall weight is a manageable 5.5 lbs. The overall length is about 24 inches, but the stock can be folded up to 15 inches in length.

The BXP has a special anti-rust outer coating that extends the overall life of the gun.

Despite the high rate of fire, the BXP has proven to be a very effective submachine gun use. It can be fired with a two-handed hold from the shoulder in the usual sense, but can also be fired in a traditional two-handed pistol position away from the body (stock folded). Thanks to the South African defense industry's preference for high-quality military products and attention to detail, the weapon is well-balanced and well-constructed.

BXP certainly doesn't disappoint.

BXP originates from the Mechem brand label and has since been produced under several company names. It is currently available as a Truvelo Armory product and is being manufactured continuously.

Milkor BXP Specification

ROLES

STRUCTURAL

PERFORMANCE

VARIANTS