The MP5 and the FBI

[HCM]

I was issued the MP5 for 7 years... had to give it up for an M4. The Guns we had were date coded for the early 80s, and were pretty well beat to shit by 2010 when we were handing them in. I loved mine and found it an excellent gun to carry, especially while seated in my car. Sling low, barrel pointed at drivers door, 30 round mag between my legs, stock collapsed. I could open the car door, and yank that stock out in under 2 seconds. My m4 is just too bulk to ride like that (even at 11.5”), so it rides muzzle down in the passenger seat, and is a little slower to bail out with.

I got to run them in instructor school at Ft Benning, and at armorers school in Altoona PA. In Altoona, we got to have a “fun day” of shooting all the guns in inventory, including guns purchased for testing and never adopted. So we got time on the MP5/40, UMP in various calibers, 8.5” HK 33s, Uzis, etc. After several mags through all of those, there was a clear reason the MP5 was chosen. It is hands down a better gun. Are there better triggers? Yes. Are there better ergonomics and better manual of arms? Yes. But the total package and experience of shooting? The MP5 is almost cheating.

We just hit our first batch of issued MPXs. The last 3 MP5s in the office are going away. The MPX is good. Great trigger, ergonomic AR safety. Will it run like the HK did? We shall see....

For now, I still run the M4 with an H1 micro.

(Side note, if a that PSA MP5 rip off is worth a crap (which I am not optimistic about) I may have to have one...)

Your MP5 was beat to shit because it was the same vintage as the one Blues turned in when he retired.

I love the ergos of the MPX but I have my doubts.

I would got PTR over PSA.

[blues]

Your MP5 was beat to shit because it was the same vintage as the one Blues turned in when he retired.

That's what I was thinking...

I don't recall how new ours were when we received them, but they were in excellent condition if not relatively new. (I took good care of mine, so @Gadfly can't blame me. )

[JRB]

I've loved HK's ever since my Father let me first shoot his HK91, I believe I was around 10 or 11 years old. I went home with a very sore shoulder and a huge grin.
One of my Father's friends was an SOT FFL through that time too (late 80's, early 90's) and by the time I was 18 I'd had plenty of trigger time on all sorts of fun transferable and post-86 stuff.

Without question, the MP5 has always been my favorite. I got a chance to shoot several variants, including an MP5K-N and an MP5SD3, but never an MP5/10. I've always had a somewhat irrational love for the 10mm, so the MP5/10 has always been my 'if you could pick just one' choice. From what I've read here, it sounds like it's not just a matter of my irrational taste, but a good choice in its own right.

I'm cross dominant -left eye and right handed- so shooting long guns southpaw led to having to work around a lot of controls.
My workaround for the HK selector was to use my left hand index finger and knuckle to operate it, 'rolling' my hand off of the grip slightly as needed. The same technique held me in good stead running the righty-only selectors on issued M16's and M4's throughout my Army career. While I finally convinced my Commander to authorize the ambidextrous selectors at one point, I found that it was easier and faster for me to run the righty selector like I have been all these years.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences here! It has been a real treat to hear so many first hand accounts of using the MP5 in a duty capacity, especially the MP5/10. Thank you all for taking the time!

[Gadfly]

Forgot to mention, we ran the MP5 safety off. It’s not a “hair trigger” by any stretch. So, since we carried glocks with no safety, it was determined as long as you keep your finger off the trigger, MP5 could be run off safe as long as it was in hand. If you sling up or “let it hang” safety goes on. If your hand is on the grip when you were stacking on a door, we flipped them to single. I never carried it on burst.

When we went M4s, we started running safety on, thumb resting on safety. It’s easy to do on an M4. Unless you have an extra joint on your thumb, or have orangutan length fingers, an HK safety sucks.

[farscott]

The first SWAT commander they had - Larry F - was a master class USPSA shooter. As far as I know GCSO was the first agency to ever issue a 2011 as a duty weapon. As long as Larry was there to do the maintenance on the 2011s, they ran fine. After he retired no one new WTF they were doing maintenance wise and they started to have problems. They also put ALOT of ammo through them. Those guys still haven’t forgiven me for accidentally screwing them out of being able to buy them for $350 each when they went to trade them in. It was an accident, really.

Were these the hard chromed 2011 with "SWAT" rollmarked on the slide? Those were pretty decent deals considering a new SVI starts at $4200, but the price had to be balanced with the price of SVI parts. The lack of an interchangeable breech face in those pistols can be viewed as a plus (no screw to break and drop the breech face) or a minus (no way to replace a worn breech face). SVI will not work on the pistols due to the hard chrome finish and the age of the pistols.

[Lon]

Were these the hard chromed 2011 with "SWAT" rollmarked on the slide? Those were pretty decent deals considering a new SVI starts at $4200, but the price had to be balanced with the price of SVI parts. The lack of an interchangeable breech face in those pistols can be viewed as a plus (no screw to break and drop the breech face) or a minus (no way to replace a worn breech face). SVI will not work on the pistols due to the hard chrome finish and the age of the pistols.

That’s them. Had tritium Bomars as well, IIRC. The Major over the counties SWAT team called me one day and asked about a trade I value for them since they were going to be getting rid of them. With all the mags they were going to be trading in with them (back then the good hard to find SV mags), I told him he should try to get at least $800 per gun. He then asks me “so letting our guys buy their SV for $350 each like I planned is probably not smart?” Well, shit. Sorry guys.

[Coyotesfan97]

We ran our MP5s off safe during operations like Gadfly and Lon said. One thing I picked up was using your support hand you could put your palm on top of the receiver and manipulate the safety with you support fingers. This wouldn’t work if you had an optic. When we transitioned to M4s we switched to safeties on.

Anyone use the three point sling and clip to carry your MP5 like a backpack?

[Bergeron]

How do the various commercial 10mm clones stack up? I have faith that TPM or Brethren 10mm roller locks would be impressive, but what about the Omega, or other brands?

I rent sub-guns at indoor ranges about once a year, and have always enjoyed the HKs the most. I'd love to experience a 10mm.

[Casual Friday]

Awesome thread. I've wanted an MP5 since watching Die Hard for the first time as a kid in the late 80's.

I hope you guys don't mind me yelling down at you from the cheap seats, but I've been able to scratch my itch for one over the years with this GSG 5, but eventually I'm going to get a real one. I feel like my stable of serious use guns is well rounded enough that I can start buying some just because guns.

This one has been very reliable with a wide variety of .22 ammo with the factory mags. The Promags for it are garbage and will remind you that Promag stands for Please remember our mags are garbage. I'll form 1 it one of these days and put a collapsible stock on it.
Attachment 58116

[Gadfly]

Your MP5 was beat to shit because it was the same vintage as the one Blues turned in when he retired.

Probably was. It was a customs SRT gun.

My group was doing 4-5 loads a week. At least two stash houses a week. We were clearing a house with 14” 870s. You kick a bedroom door, and there are 23 bodies inside. Over a hundred bodies in some houses. And mixed in those bodies are 2 to 8 smugglers, often armed. And we get buck shot to work inside residences, mobile homes, and apartments.

Emails were sent, and they pulled SRTs MP5s and gave them to us. Since SRT had just dumped the AUGs for 11.5” M4s, they kept the rifles and we got the squirt guns. I was glad to swap the 870 out. It was not the tool we needed considering what we did.

A sub gun is still a better choice for what I do. I love my M4, but realistically, 10-20 yards would be a long shot for us. Across a parking lot, maybe 50 yards. I think the 9 MPX would work fine for most things.