MGP-79
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Barrel
- 240 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.65 kg
- Introduced
- 1979
About
What it is, and why it matters
The MGP-79 is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun developed in the late 1970s by SIMA-CEFAR, the industrial and weapons-manufacturing arm of the Peruvian Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru). It is a simple blowback design firing from an open bolt in semi- and full-automatic modes. The front of the receiver carries a threaded section onto which a perforated barrel jacket is fitted, and the barrel can be removed and swapped for a barrel/silencer assembly for covert operations. It was adopted by the Peruvian Navy, Army and police.
MGP stands for Marina de Guerra del Peru (Peruvian Navy). The MGP-79 was Peru's first indigenously designed submachine gun and entered service during the country's internal conflict against the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) insurgency.
The 526 mm length and 2.65 kg weight reflect the early MGP-79, which originally lacked a shoulder stock; the improved MGP-79A added a folding steel stock. Magazines are interchangeable with the Israeli Uzi. The later MGP-87 superseded it with a shorter 193 mm barrel and a barrel jacket adapted for launching rifle grenades. Rate of fire is variously cited at 600-850 rpm.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- SIMA-CEFAR
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Country
- Peru
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1979
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 240 mm
- Overall length
- 526 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.65 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Capacity
- 32
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Slide
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Steel
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- 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.
Perforated barrel jacket
Removable barrel
Open bolt
Select fire
Flip up rear sight
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 | 2.65 kg | 3.18 kg | Lighter than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 200 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 526 mm | 723 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 202 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 240 mm | 213 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 204 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 32 | 32 | Holds more rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the MGP-79
How much does the MGP-79 weigh?
The MGP-79 weighs 2.65 kg (5.84 lb) empty.
What caliber is the MGP-79?
The MGP-79 is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the MGP-79 hold?
The MGP-79 holds 32 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the MGP-79?
The MGP-79 is 526 mm (20.7 in) long overall, with a 240 mm (9.45 in) barrel.
Who makes the MGP-79?
The MGP-79 is made by SIMA-CEFAR (Peru).
When was the MGP-79 introduced?
The MGP-79 was introduced in 1979.
How does the MGP-79 operate?
The MGP-79 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
- Peruvian Navy
- Peru
- Peruvian Army
- Peru
- Peruvian National Police
- Peru
Provenance
Confidence in this record
70%
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/mgp-79' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "mgp-79", "name": "MGP-79", "manufacturer": { "id": "sima-cefar", "name": "SIMA-CEFAR", "countryCode": "PE", "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": "4209b05e791253c46dc318d4d4b8337b178d8d5a3dba61d5e709bafc78219034" }, "category": { "id": "submachine-gun", "name": "Submachine Gun", "description": "Automatic firearms chambered in pistol calibers" }, "country_of_origin": "PE", "year_introduced": 1979, "barrel_length_mm": 240, "weight_empty_g": 2650, "action_type": "blowback"}