As these short shooting clips are uploaded to my channel I’ll be updating this post. Nothing informative to be honest, I just don’t get to actually shoot often so I try and record it whenever I’m able.
In 1995, Heckler & Koch produced a variant of the infamous USP that chambers the .45 ACP cartridge. This is me, shooting one such weapon badly.
My 2nd ever time shooting a shotgun, in this instance (what I believe to be) and Ithica Model 37. It’s either a WW2 vintage or dressed up by Battlefield Vegas to add the barrel shroud/heat shield, bayonet mount and front sling point arrangement.
This gun is somewhat descendant of the most common pump shotgun used by the US in the closing act of WW1. The most interesting feature by today’s standards is that, as the keen eyed will have noticed, this gun ejects downwards from the same opening in to which shells are loaded.
On the one hand less openings is better in terms of reliability in any location outside of a ‘clean’ city and keeping the environment out of the gun. On the other hand this feature has basically died away and most modern pump shotguns are 870s, Mossberg 5xx series or copies thereof which all have a standard side ejection design. Then of course there’s the options of directly loading the chamber easily in a pinch and quicker swaps between solid and pellet type shot loads.
I really expected the UMP in .45 ACP to be horrible being a ‘cheaper’ blowback SMG mostly made of plastic. Sure it’s not an MP5 but honestly, not bad at all to shoot. Hopefully I’ll try out the 9mm variant some day.
For those who might not know, the UMP was designed by Heckler & Koch in the 90s to replace the MP5 since it is quite a bit cheaper and easier to make compared to the stamped steel and roller-delayed gun. It has seen some limited adoption and use but never as much as the MP5 despite the lower price; which is unusual of course
For me I think the problems are the fact it is barely lighter than the MP5 (less than 0.5lb), but a lot bigger and bulkier thanks to the plastic receivers – like the G36 of SMGs in that respect. There’s also that bit more recoil given that the blowback has no real delaying system. Aesthetically though it clearly has something going on as this gun is in so many games I lost count long ago.
This was an interesting experience as at a previous year’s show I had fired a civilian Scorpion and found the recoil absolutely terribly bad for a mere 9mm weapon. This gov-only style gun however with both burst and automatic modes was gentle and easy to control in the higher rates of fire. I’m not sure if the difference is just some phantom artifact of my memory, whether the guns themselves were somehow different or maybe the two 9mm ammunitions were very different.
I think I’ve been in to Battlefield: Vegas 7 times, and over the course of those trips, gradually worked through everything in their collection that I’ve ever used in a game, seen in a film or otherwise had an interest in. Modern or historical.
This is an auto 9mm MPX, clearly an early one given the KeyMod. For me this was on the list to try (especially in auto) because it was meant to rival the venerable and infamous king daddy of SMGs: the MP5.
Not sure what I was doing initially in semi, just not used to it I suppose, but yeah I’d have to agree that in auto it’s right there in terms of low rise, no push, highly controllable. Even for someone with no training in using SMGs on auto, and only ever shot them on holidays in general.
Being locked breech, rotating bolt with a gas piston, it’s just a better system (recoil wise) than the huge number of blowback PCCs on the US market. Nicer than a stock Scorpion for sure, though a lot pricier and probably more finicky from first hand reports I’ve heard. Great modern ergos, just like an AR, but not nearly as cool to own as the German legend.
Back in 2022 I paid a lot for 2 mags to shoot through a full fat, full caffeine MP7 at Battlefield Vegas. In 2026 that damn place was closed during SHOT week, but luckily another range event also had a proper MP7 so I got to compare experiences.
I found the example shown here to have no real push back as one would expect with the 4.6, but I also found it oddly erratic, rattling in all directions unpredictability. You can compensate for climb in one direction, not when it jumps around in a different direction with every round. If you watch my chubby flank jiggling right behind the stock you can maybe get an idea of what I was seeing through the sights (again, erratic behaviour). Also note the cocking handle comes loose, like ARs can when the pocket on the left side of the upper is worn.
Having fired another MP7 now (albeit with less rounds) my suspicion is this rental had been driven like rentals always are, and it was probably suffering as a result. I can’t say definitively that that is what caused the jumpy behaviour, as I don’t know the internals of this design super well. I just know the nice shiny iteration I fired recently felt softer, smoother and far more consistent.
Again this is based on extremely limited experience, but there aren’t many people who have regularly used the MP7 in auto, so it’s just my 2 pence.
MW2/BF3 millennial nostalgia fan service.
Is the 14.5/16 barrel with the standard plastic handguard, the folding stock and an AAC 3 prong the most aesthetic setup for the Masada/ACR? It’s up there, I’ll say that.
I think perhaps the gas port has been eroded and the recoil springs worn tf out on this example, because it recoiled way more than something like an M4A1 or G36K, even a SCAR-L or Bren 2. That seems to be a trend when picking options you know will have been super popular at busy rental ranges, where more niche stuff fares much better. If anyone owns an original example of the Bushmaster/Remington though let me know how you find it.
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