Heckler & Koch MP5
| Heckler & Koch MP5 | |
|---|---|
Heckler & Koch MP5A3 | |
| Type | Submachine gun Semi-automatic Carbine (MP5SF, HK94, SP5, MP5 .22 LR) Pistol (SP89, SP5K) |
| Place of origin | West Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1966–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars |
|
| Production history | |
| Designer | Tilo Möller, Manfred Guhring, Georg Seidl, Helmut Baureuter |
| Designed | 1964–1966 |
| Manufacturer | Heckler & Koch |
| Produced | 1966–present |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2.54 kg (5.6 lb) |
| Length | 680 mm (27 in) |
| Barrel length | 225 mm (8.9 in) |
| Width | 50 mm (2.0 in) |
| Height | 260 mm (10.2 in) |
| Cartridge | 9×19mm Parabellum 10mm Auto (MP5/10) .40 S&W (MP5/40) .22 LR (MP5 .22 LR) |
| Action | Roller-delayed blowback, closed bolt |
| Rate of fire | 800 rounds/min 900 rounds/min (MP5K) 700 rounds/min (MP5SD) |
| Muzzle velocity | 400 m/s (1,312 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 200 m (656 ft) |
| Feed system | 15-, 30-, 40-, or 50-round detachable box magazine, 50-round drum magazine and 100-round Beta C-Mag drum magazine |
| Sights | Iron sights. Rear: rotary drum; front: hooded post |
The Heckler & Koch MP5 (German: Maschinenpistole 5, lit. 'Submachine gun 5') is a submachine gun developed in the 1960s by German firearms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. It uses a similar modular design to the Heckler & Koch G3, and has over 100 variants and clones, including selective fire, semi-automatic, suppressed, compact, and even marksman variants. The MP5 is one of the most widely used submachine guns in the world, having been adopted by over forty nations and numerous militaries, police forces, intelligence agencies, security organizations, paramilitaries, and non-state actors.
Attempts at replacing the MP5 by Heckler & Koch began in the 1980s, but despite functional prototype weapons having promising performance, a formal successor did not enter commercial production until 1999, when Heckler & Koch developed the UMP. However, despite being more expensive the MP5 remained the more successful of the two designs, because of its preexisting widespread use, design familiarity, and lower recoil due to its roller-delayed action as opposed to the UMP's straight blowback action.