There’s always those firearms that you dream about but never think will come to fruition. Enter the MP5, especially the short-barreled (SBR) version.
My first foray into the MP5 would was when the GSG-5 came out. For those that don’t know it’s a .22lr MP5 clone. It had a stock and a faux suppressor so it could have the required 16” barrel without looking terrible. It was built to airsoft quality, so not the greatest, but mine has been 100% reliable since day one. I added a cheap Chinese red dot and the GSG collapsible stock. After they became a huge hit H&K sued them and they had to change the rifle, it now looks nothing like the MP5 and honestly, looks terrible. H&K did license the MP5 name and looks to Umarex who came out with the exact same MP5 clone as the GSG-5, except this one was licensed and said “MP5” right on it. I bought one of those too and like the GSG-5, it was completely reliable, although I did sell it to a friend who really wanted it. I still have the GSG-5.
That’s as close to an MP5 as I thought I’d ever get. H&K sold their semiauto version, the SP5 but it was several thousand dollars and there were some clones that were well built and well respected in the firearms community but they were also a couple thousand dollars and that was just too much for a clone in my opinion. Then the Turkish company, MKE, bought the original tooling from H&K and starting building their now, famous AP5 line of clones. Aside from being built on legitimate H&K tooling Turkey’s economy is not nearly as strong as the United State’s. So they can build and thus sell them at a fraction of the price. Century International Arms starting importing them to the US and the very quickly the reviews starting coming in. And the reviews were almost entirely positive. For under $1,000 you could now own an MP5! Now came time to decide what variation I wanted. I loved the look of the MP5k but I didn’t want it as a pistol as it’s to large to fit that job well and I didn’t want to pay the $200 for a tax stamp, then pay to have it engraved with my name. Something about having your name on a firearm that I just don’t care for. My second favorite style is the classic MP5A3 which was the rifled version with the collapsible stock. So I decided to go with that version but then something changed. A report was leaked that stated the ATF was going to decide that pistol braces were now stocks and that if you had one you could turn your pistol into an SBR for free. I won’t go into the politics and how much I hate every part of that but I will absolutely take advantage of the situation to help myself. So I bought the AP5-P with a pistol brace attached which is the MP5K version. Less than a week after I received it the ATF posted their final decision on pistol braces and I immediately applied for my free SBR tax stamp.
A little over a month later my SBR was approved and now that it’s registered as an SBR with the ATF it was time to actually make it into one. I bought a folding stock and a vertical grip that had a rail on one side. I put those on, tossed a light on the rail and bought some spare magazines. I took it to the range and she’s functioned flawlessly. Not a single hiccup with zero modifications to any of the functionally parts of the rifle. And let me say, the infamous MP5 slap to release the bolt is more fun than it should be and the delayed roller design make it feel like a .22lr.
I could not possibly be happier with my little MP5K clone! MKE has done us a great service by producing such a quality product for a wonderful price. It’s the deal of the century!
Stay safe, be kind, and help those in need.