I grew up in Ronald Reagan’s America, raised on 1980s action-adventure films in a family with a solid history serving in the United States military. As such, my formative years included a media-driven interest in many different types of firearms. Though my first gun was a Colt 1911, I carried a Walther PPK/S for the better part of a decade due in no small part to the James Bond films. Likewise, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the weapons of the great American West. Over the years, I have continued to seek out various firearms based on my historical (non-fiction and fictional) exposure to them when I was younger.

One firearm that had a huge impact on me when I was younger only recently entered into my collection. Though it has its faults, I loved the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Predator the first time I saw it at the local one-screen movie theater in my hometown in 1987. Though many of my friends were focused on Blain’s (Jesse Ventura) man-portable M-134 mini-gun, I was attracted to the Heckler & Koch MP5A3 (represented in the movie by a cut-down and converted civilian HK94A3). I still watch this movie about once a year and continue to love the scene of Dillon (Carl Weathers) using two of these sub-machine guns in a desperate last stand toward the end of the movie. Based on this background, friends were often surprised that I had only recently added the platform to my collection.

HK MP5 History

The Heckler & Koch MP5 (Maschinenpistole 5) was developed in the 1960s and saw official release in 1966. The design proved to be very successful, with over 100 variants and clones produced over the years. Its popularity is reflected in its service in over 40 countries, from the United States to Russia, and its popularity continues to this day despite being over 50 years old. The current civilian version is the SP5, which resembles the MP5A2.

For the purposes of this review, I will examine the current civilian HK SP5 and the Century Arms AP5-P imported from the MKE manufacturing facility in Turkey.

HK SP5

The HK SP5 is chambered in 9mm and has a barrel length of 8.86″ and an overall length of 17.8″. It weighs 5.5 pounds unloaded and comes with two 30-round magazines. The trigger is listed with a trigger pull of 6.7 pounds, a clean break, and an audible reset .12” forward of the break. The magazine release has two options: one is a push button on the right side, and the other is a push-forward lever behind the magazine.

The safety is ambidextrous and easily operated with the dominant thumb. The charging handle is forward of the bolt and operates from the left-hand side. The sights feature a closed forward ring and post front sight, as well as an adjustable rear sight. The barrel is suppressor-ready.

Authenticity

To achieve a more authentic 1980s look, I replaced the sling attachment point on the rear of the firearm with an SB Tactical retractable stabilizing brace. The installation was easy, and it gave me the function and look I wanted.

The overall quality and look of this firearm are what you would expect from HK, but the proof is in the shooting. My son and I took this gun out to the range and were both very pleased with the experience of shooting it. We were easily ringing steel plates from 75 yards using the provided iron sights. Even more impressive was how little muzzle flip or felt recoil we experienced.

The combination of size and weight, overall points of control, and the roller-delayed action resulted in a very smooth shooting experience. Both of us were able to get multiple hits reliably and at speed. My overall reaction was one of “Why did I wait so long to pick up this gun?” The HK SP5 is an amazingly pleasant and accurate gun to shoot, but is it worth the price tag? That is up to each of us to decide.

Century AP5-P

A potential solution to the cost issue is purchasing a clone of the SP5. There are several on the market, and most of them cost half the price of an original HK. Though I was tempted to buy a carbon copy of the HK SP5, I decided to purchase a Century AP5-P, which is a clone of the shorter HK SP5K. The Century AP5-P is based on the classic HK roller-delayed action design.

AP stands for “apparatus pistol,” and it comes with two 30-round 9mm magazines, a plastic case, a sling, and a cleaning kit. The bolt charging handle is on the left side of the firearm, and the thumb-operated safety is on the left side as well (set for a right-handed shooter). The magazine is released in a similar way to the HK with a right-handed push button and a back of the magazine lever. The front sight is an enclosed circle and post, and the rear sights are an adjustable set of notches. The overall length is 13.7” with a 5.8” threaded barrel. Finally, the overall weight is 4.8 pounds unloaded.

A Few Upgrades

Like the HK, I removed the sling attachment point at the rear of the gun and added a folding SB Tactical pistol brace. Getting the brace on was a little more difficult than with the HK, but still manageable. The trigger felt a little lighter than the HK, though it still had a relatively crisp break. The reset, however, was hardly noticeable and slightly inconsistent. This was not a major issue as I tended to fully release and re-engage the trigger on each press. The overall quality, look, and function were slightly below the HK SP5. Again, the question becomes a personal one of whether the better fit and finish is worth over twice the price.

The Century AP5-P was similarly impressive on the range, providing accuracy and very low felt recoil. The minor differences in performance were not noticeable at close- to moderate-range shooting.

Conclusions

Both the HK SP5 and the Century AP5-P were great additions to my collection. I strongly suggest adding one of these 9mm subguns to your collection if you are looking for a pistol caliber carbine (PPC), as they are incredibly soft shooting compared to other PCCs on the market. If you are able, there are reasons to go with the HK beyond name recognition, as the overall finish and fit are superior. However, if you are looking to add a more affordable option, there is still a lot to love with the Turkish-made Century Arms options.  Either way, you can’t really go wrong.