In this weeks segment, I am going to share something special. Special as in SPECIAL OPERATIONS. This is one of the pistols used in the Mark23 trails. It is H&K’s submission, that eventualy went on to win the contract.
If you have never held/handled a MK23, its about the size of a shoebox. It is the largest, most unwieldy pistol that I have ever held (besides a blunderbuss). My small girly hands could not operate the slide release or the saftey from a normal pistol grip. Here are some pictures including a size comparison with a 60MM Mortar.
The Box
Pistol with LAM (laser/light Aiming Device). It has red laser, IR laser and White Light if I remember correctly. Battery’s were dead so no idea.
With the H&K (?) suppressor submitted in the trails.
Had tritium night sites
This was right before I got yelled at for handling with no gloves…I’m like this shit was jumped,dived, and humped all over…It’s going to be fine.
And Lastly, Here is it next to a 60MM Mortar for size comparison.
Final Words. They guys at Crane and Navspecwar must have been high as a kite when they decided to procure this weapon. It is hard to articulate how large and unwieldy this gun is. Add to the fact that it only shot .45, it just seems like a waste of money and space, with no ballistic advantage to it’s size. Very cool gun, and I’m sure it had almost no recoil suppressed, I cannot think of a scenario where this would be needed. The HK tactical is 98% of the Mk23 and about half the size. Rumor has it that they have moved onto HK45’s and HK45CT’s.
Hope you guys enjoyed… Stay tuned for next week’s…
The suppressor was probably manufactured by Knights or B&T, they are the usual suspect when it comes to HK.
And sure it’s as absurdly big as a Desert Eagle, but you have to remember 20 years ago (fuck it makes me feel old to say that) this shit was cutting edge. HK was the first handgun with rails, Glock then evolved the design and finally somebody said to put a picatinny down there.
I still remember getting my first USP9 back in 94, still one of my favorites.
I got to handle a couple MK23’s a few weeks ago and was amazed at how huge they are. It would be completely impractical, but I really want one. Maybe some day…
I live and work near Crane. In the early 90’s, I think it was 93, a few of us got to to go Crane. We shot this pistol and Colt’s entry at one of the many indoor ranges there. Crane has a spectacular museum as well. We have been fortunate to be able to have Crane as a neighbor.
I always wanted a Mk23 but I kind of gave up on owning one when I sold my Wilcox LAM collection. The Wilcox Nightstalker LAM unit had some really neat features that you don’t see on modern units. The mounts themselves were sighted in rather than the laser itself. Also, the laser had several blink modes and the incandescent light could be dimmed.
I would love to hear about it’s operational uses(non sensitive obviously) if you would like to elaborate.
I am putting together a request from Crane and hopefully wiggle a trip out there to hand pick out some new pieces. Apparantley they have some MK11’s and 12’s that need a new home!
Crane made up 1400FPS ammo to include armor piercing, incendiary, and explosive… The gun is built to never break, if I remember correctly the two SEALS charged with testing the first two submitted pistols fired 25,000 PROOF rounds through each pistol and then used up another 20,000 rounds of +P ammo before one of them suffered a tendon injury and they halted the test. The gun is indestructible.
Having handled a few of these beasts I can say they truely are a large pistol. I can’t imagine trying to use one of those with that LAM and suppressor on it. Need a sling for that sucker.
I had a chance to shoot one a couple of years back.
Like the others have said, it’s huge. The “crew served pistol” joke definitely has some basis in reality. I think the only thing I’ve seen larger is when Jack Nicholson shot down the Batwing in the first Batman movie. On the plus side, very little recoil and very smooth shooting.
Thanks for the great series, I’ve been looking forward to these as they come out!
They’re called cheese charges. They act as the propellant. If you’ve ever heard a mortar crew giving commands like “Charge 2” or “Charge 3” etc, the number of cheese charges is what they’re referring to. The ones in the picture are probably just foam or otherwise inert.
