SBS WEAPONS - MC51
Many of the Special Boat Service's missions involve stealth. Be they on a beach recon mission or manning a covert observation post, special forces troops are always looking for a quiet weapon to enable them to engage the enemy without alerting the whole neighbourhood. Throughout their history, the SBS have used the silent sten, the L34 and the HKMP5SD. These weapons are all sub machine guns chambered in 9mm, which, whilst certainly quiet, lack the range and stopping power of some other calibers.
It's believed that the SBS trialed and used, in limited numbers, the MC51 (Suppressed). Designed by UK defence firm, FR Ordnance, specifically for UKSF, the MC51 is a shortened G3 assault rifle with an integrated suppressor and is chambered in 7.62x51 nato ammunition. The MC51 is fed from 20 round magazines and can fire fully automatic, although it's more likely that an SBS operator would fire the gun in semiautomatic mode in order to prevent the suppressor from fouling.
The MC51 did not last long within UKSF. Problems with excessive recoil and reliability soon surfaced and the weapon was dropped in favour of the HK53 carbine.
