Here is another piece from our historic automatics collection – a very rare Walther MPK! The original Carl Walther factory in Zella Mehlis had never designed and developed a machine pistol up to the end of WWII. It had briefly produced Bergmann’s MP 35/I in the 1930’s until production was moved to Junker u. Ruh AG. In the late 1950s, Fritz Walther seized the opportunity to develop a homegrown design when the police forces in various German states began requesting a new machine pistol. Walther’s new design was produced in two versions, which differed only in length, the ‘Walther ‘MPL’ (735mm with the stock opened and 435mm with the stock folded) and the ‘Walther MPK’ (660mm with the stock opened and 370mm with the stock folded), which were both based on the proven blowback operating system firing the ubiquitous 9x19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge. The straight detachable box magazine held 32 rounds. Construction of the MP incorporated steel pressings for a robust overall casing. Design was highly conventional with an integral pistol grip at rear, the magazine feed just ahead of the grip and a short handguard shrouding the barrel within. Sights were affixed across the top front and rear of the weapon in the usual way through a combination aperture/open arrangement. The shoulder stock was a single-piece wire frame hinged at the rear of the receiver and at the base of the grip to fold over the weapon for a more compact footprint. The selective fire control was ambidextrous. Both models had a rate of fire of 550 rounds per minute. However, the effective firing range varied considerably between the two versions. In the early 1960s, the Berlin Police were in the market for a new machine pistol. However, they were forbidden from acquiring German firearms. Fritz Walther used his trump card and supplied them with the MPL and MPK marked ‘Manurhin’ and ‘France’, just as he had done with the P38 pistol. The Walther MPL and MPK did not achieve the success of some of its contemporary rivals. However, it was acquired by several West German police units and the West German navy. It was also exported in very limited quantities to the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Portugal, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Production of the Walther MPL and MPK ended in 1987. Nevertheless, this intriguing post-war German design is rarely encountered, and it is keenly sought after by collectors. Keep in touch if you are interested in acquiring this rarity and other autos from our collection!