Chrome
Firefox
Edge
Featured in numerous movies and video games, its design found across toys from G.I. Joe to paintball guns, and its more than a hundred variants and clones adopted by over forty nations around the world, the MP5 submachine gun is not only one of the most iconic firearms of the last century but also now more accessible in various forms to the civilian marketplace than ever before.
PTR US, Century Arms, Zenith Imports, and HK are some of the manufacturers we talk about in this video, where we bring our own MP5-alikes to the range to target shoot and discuss how the MP5 market has evolved into today’s options for any of you out there thinking about getting your first MP5.
Once upon a time, these MP5 derivations were quite the status symbol to flex on the range. So much so that many people don’t realize how prolific and accessible they have become from around the Covid timeframe onward. Those ban-era MP5s with no tri lug in the front nor paddle mag release, the HK94 and SP89, were the only civilian options in the game for a long time. You would have to convert them to a non-ban-era-specific MP5. You would get a parts kit and have a builder build it out with a flat they had to press into the receiver, weld the trunnions on, press the barrel, and so forth. It was more involved than trying to build an AK. If you watched “Die Hard” with Bruce Willis, the MP5s they used in that movie are all converted ban-era MP5s.
Coming into the 2010s, ATI started bringing in MKE Turkish-made MP5s using licensed tooling and made them more accessible to the American public. So much so that even longtime AR-15 enthusiasts like Josh (of 9-Hole Reviews) got one now that they have become more affordable. Where they had been typically around $5,000 or more, they can now be found for between $500 and $2,000.00.
We have a Century AP5. The MKs went from ATI to Zenith Imports to Century Imports. There are allegedly different eras of quality control, depending on who the importer was and what they would accept. More or less, the price point would reflect the amount of quality control. We have not had any notable quality issues with our recent MKE imports, but allegedly, some people had to switch out quite a few parts for H&K parts to get the reliability back. We shot a video recently where Henry put some German parts into an MKE just as a sort of preventative measure.
We also have more American-manufactured MP5 options now. Before PTR released its PTR 9, the only domestically manufactured options were Bobcat or Vector, and those manufacturers did not have a good reputation for producing reliable MP5s. The PTR 9, on the other hand, runs well for us.
We also have an SP5K and an SP5, which, to H&K enthusiasts, is a kind of Christmas miracle, because we didn’t expect anything to come out of the German market at this point. Of all our sub-guns, the H&Ks run the smoothest. You pay for that reliability, though. The H&Ks cost two to three times more than the MKE base MP5 clone. Of course, if you build out your MKE the way we did ours, they become rather expensive as well. If you’re looking for an economic solution or alternative, the MP5 world is probably not the place to play.
However, If cost is not an obstacle, then more good news is that the MP5 system is surprisingly modular and flexible. Its push-pin system means you can swap out components without needing tools. It works a little bit differently than what you might consider modularity to be on an AR platform, but you can swap pieces out, swap lowers out, swap trigger packs out, stock components, hand guard components, optic mounts, etc., and it’s all bolt-off-and-on, pins-in-and-out. With the rising availability of MP5 options, there has also been an explosion in aftermarket MP5 parts, giving us even more flexibility to kit our MP5s in various ways and mimic various MP5 eras. Right now, we have a mid-2000s-era European-looking MP5 and others that hearken back to the 90s.
One barrier to entry with the MP5 system for many might be the unfamiliarity with the operating system. AR shooters specifically run into an issue with the reloading process because the MP5 charging handle must be locked back to reload. When you run dry and get the “click,” you pull the charging handle back and lock it up, draw your mag out, place the new mag in, and then put the bolt back forward. That’s the four-step process. It’s not complicated, but between the hand position, the smaller size of the firearm, and the slightly different reloading sequence, it's easy to trip it up if you’re used to reloading AR-15s.
If you can get past that, though, the MP5 is very shootable. It feels nothing like shooting almost any other firearm, except perhaps other roller-delayed guns. The recoil impulse is so low. It can be a lot of fun to shoot. Henry has become an MP5 nerd over the past couple of years, so if you’re interested in MP5s, be sure to check out our channel, where we have a number of videos profiling the MP5, including full, detailed classic documentaries and some shooting videos as well. Until next time, we’ll see you on the range.
--9-Hole Reviews
