Military Armament Corporation

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Military Armament Corporation (MAC) was an American manufacturer of small arms, co-founded by Gordon Ingram, an engineer and gun designer, and Mitchell WerBell, owner of SIONICS, which manufactured gun sound suppressors. It is known for manufacturing the MAC-10 and MAC-11 machine pistols in the 1970s.

History

In 1969, Ingram joined SIONICS as a Chief Engineer. WerBell added his patented silencer, manufactured by SIONICs to Ingram's machine pistol design, to create the MAC-10. The company focused on the military market, and attempted to sell the MAC-10 to the US Army for use in the Vietnam War. WerBell and Ingram demonstrated the MAC-10 to several units of the US Army, and in 1970 convinced a group of investors, Quantum Corp, that it might replace the .45 M1911 pistol as the standard sidearm of the Army. The investors formed a new company - Military Armament Corporation - to make and sell this weapon. WerBell became president of the new company [1] and Ingram Chief Engineer, but within a year, the investors had ousted both him and Ingram from the company. [2] SIONICS was later absorbed by Military Armament Corporation.

It stopped producing the firearms in 1973, due to internal company politics, [2] and filed for bankruptcy in 1975. [3]

In 2017 SDS Imports began operations in Knoxville, TN and is committed to providing high-quality firearms and accessories to gun enthusiasts across the US by working closely with their partners around the globe ensuring a successful entry to the US market. [4] SDS Imports has since revived the MAC brand and has begun importing shotguns, handguns, and most notably both the MP5 (Mac-5) and the MP5K (Mac-5K) under the MAC name. [5]

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References

  1. ↑ Lewis, Jack (2011). Gun Digest Book of Assault Weapons 7th Edition. Gun Digest Books. p. 145.
  2. 1 2 Miletich, John (2003). Homicide Investigation: An Introduction . Scarecrow Press. p.  134. ISBN   9780585471464.
  3. ↑ Larson, Erik (2005). Lethal Passage . Random House.
  4. ↑ "SDS Imports - About Us". sdsimports.com. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  5. ↑ "About MAC". milarmamentcorp.com. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
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