Halcón ML-57
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Barrel
- 225 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.25 kg
- Introduced
- 1957
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Halcón ML-57 (Pistola ametralladora Halcón, Modelo Liviano 1957) is an Argentine submachine gun introduced in 1957 by Fábrica de Armas Halcón as a cheaper, lighter and simpler successor to the earlier Halcón Modelo 1943 and Modelo 1946 designs. It is a simple open-bolt blowback weapon firing from a loose firing pin struck by a small pivoting hammer, and it is fed from a curved detachable box magazine. The Argentine Army adopted it in 9x19mm Parabellum, while Argentine police forces used a variant chambered in .45 ACP. Most examples used a side-folding steel wire stock, and empty weight was cut to about 3.25 kg from the 4.75 kg of the wartime Modelo 1943.
The ML-57 (Modelo Liviano, 'light model') represented Fábrica de Armas Halcón's push to modernize and cheapen Argentina's domestic submachine gun line, shedding the heavy machined construction of the wartime Modelo 1943 in favor of a lighter, cheaper weapon. A later variant, the ML-60, replaced the fire-selector lever with a dual-trigger arrangement in which the forward trigger fired semi-automatic and the rear trigger fired full-automatic.
Sources differ on some figures: Forgotten Weapons gives 780 mm overall (535 mm with stock folded), a 225 mm barrel and 3.25 kg empty with a curved 40-round magazine, while other references quote 30-round magazines. Rate of fire is generally cited at about 700 rounds per minute. The .45 ACP police version and the 9mm army version were mechanically similar. Combined production of the ML-57 and its ML-60 derivative is unconfirmed but estimated at no more than about 10,000 units.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Fábrica de Armas Halcón
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Country
- Argentina
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1957
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 225 mm
- Overall length
- 780 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.25 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Capacity
- 40
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Steel
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 400 m/s
- Effective range
- 100 m
- Rate of fire
- 700 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Side folding wire stock
Curved detachable magazine
Select fire
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 201 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 3.25 kg | 3.18 kg | Heavier than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 200 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 780 mm | 723 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 202 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 225 mm | 213 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 204 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 40 | 32 | Holds more rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Halcón ML-57
How much does the Halcón ML-57 weigh?
The Halcón ML-57 weighs 3.25 kg (7.17 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Halcón ML-57?
The Halcón ML-57 is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum and .45 ACP.
How many rounds does the Halcón ML-57 hold?
The Halcón ML-57 holds 40 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Halcón ML-57?
The Halcón ML-57 is 780 mm (30.7 in) long overall, with a 225 mm (8.86 in) barrel.
Who makes the Halcón ML-57?
The Halcón ML-57 is made by Fábrica de Armas Halcón (Argentina).
When was the Halcón ML-57 introduced?
The Halcón ML-57 was introduced in 1957.
How does the Halcón ML-57 operate?
The Halcón ML-57 uses a blowback action, and its firing mechanism is open bolt.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Argentine Army
- 1957
- Argentine Police Forces
- Argentina
Provenance
Confidence in this record
60%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/halcon-ml-57' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "halcon-ml-57", "name": "Halcón ML-57", "manufacturer": { "id": "halcon", "name": "Fábrica de Armas Halcón", "countryCode": "AR", "foundedYear": null, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "75614a6fdb360283c09bb03eaf97e0027c0b44f3b1386acc60471a0567e85a5c" }, "category": { "id": "submachine-gun", "name": "Submachine Gun", "description": "Automatic firearms chambered in pistol calibers" }, "country_of_origin": "AR", "year_introduced": 1957, "barrel_length_mm": 225, "weight_empty_g": 3250, "action_type": "blowback"}