Telling the difference between a machine pistol and a compact SMG

[AdAstra2009]

Originally Posted by Mazryonh

As I outlined above, the crux of difference between a machine pistol and an SMG is their ergonomics, though their select-fire/fully-automatic fire capabilities and caliber types are the same. A Machine Pistol has the ergonomics of a handgun or not all the ergonomics of a rifle, an SMG has (or should have) all the ergonomics of a rifle. And weren't SMGs invented and used before Machine Pistols were?

Well going by the dictionary definition an smg is just a machinegun that fires pistol type rounds.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti...bmachine%20gun