Here is a link to a great article about the MP5 (by the master, Ken Hackathorn).
Thanks for the link. The recent importation of MP5 type firearms manufactured by MKE has rekindled my interest in this platform. The MP5 has long been one of my favorite firearms. They are a dream to shoot.
I will always have a soft spot for the MP5. I have wanted one for a long time and will most likely continue wanting one.
I had dinner with Mr. Hackathorn after a class a few years back. He said almost everything that is in that article. I remember some other folks at the table giving him the stink eye. He didn’t seem concerned.
Good article. I fell in love with the MP5 after having an opportunity to famfire it before our push into Kuwait many years ago. I’ve wished I could have one ever since.
Greg - thank you for posting the link to this! It was a freakin’ fantastic article IMO… It is nice now and again to get a REALITY CHECK from an individual who is able to ladle them out from a giant pot of experience.
Always good to read an article from Ken.
The MP5 is just friggin’ cool as hell. There’s nothing in the firearms world as cool as slapping that bolt handle to chamber a round.
Take that crap to the MP5smg.net! 
Really interesting read, two things I noticed:
While I don’t doubt his rationale that the M4 might have some “Superbowl” appeal, I thought one of the main reasons that the swtich was made was because of more body armor on BGs, like in West Hollywood shootout?
I thought his comment about the difficulty in taking the safety once it is shoulder mounted was interesting. Wouldn’t the gun be used mostly by officers in a stack, where they would have the guns on safe until they were ready to shoot.
I’ve only shot an MP5 and MP5K a couple of times and they are a hoot. I got the GSG-5 to play around with and let people plink with.
Well I think that Ken made a good point in the article. The MP5 is an indoor CQB weapon and the West Hollywood thing was an outdoor running gunfight. So if that incident did in fact contribute to the switch, then the rationale in that instance may have been flawed.
Great article. Thanks for the link.
Nevermind…
that was a great article. made a lot of sense.
that was also an outdoor shootout.
it may actually be wise for major swat teams to stock and train with both weapons.
that said, wouldn’t a 4 round burst or 2 of 9mm knock an armored bad guy on his ass?
Would it knock the shooter on his or her ass?
To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction
I am indeed fortunate to have had the opportunity to have been instructed in the proper use of the MP-5 last Summer by Mr. Hackathorn himself.
I would love to win the lottery and be able to afford one.
The problem is that you never know when your indoor gunfight is going to transition to the outdoors…
For example, as you are moving up to a house with a long driveway to serve a high risk warrant, the Bad Guys decide to start shooting before you get a chance to stack and enter; your team is pinned down 50-100 yards from the dwelling–if you only have MP5’s, you might be in a world of hurt.
Same scenario, but this time when the bad guys see you coming, they jump into vehicles, egress at high speed, and engage your team in a mobile running gunfight–once again, MP5’s are not the weapon of choice to be stuck with in this situation.
You are called to an active shooter scenario at a mall–even inside the structure you may have 100+ yard shots; if the bad guys are able to get outside, you potentially have even longer shots across parking lots. Once again, here is another situation when the MP5 is not the gun of choice.
If they still made the MP5 in 10mm, then I’d feel a bit better about carrying an MP5, however, as much fun and handy as MP5’s are, most times I’d prefer an AR15.
In today’s world, if you are a SWAT officer and are only wearing IIIa armor, you should seriously re-think your protocols.
Yeah, you definitely need to keep some rifles around.
Doc,
Could you provide some more insight into the 10mm MP5? I had one built from a .40 kit with a 10mm barrel. Any specific ammo you would suggest?
Spooky
I was lucky enough to be a C3 back when MP5’s were cheap as dealer sample keepers.
The MP5SD is my favorite one of bunch and a blast to shoot.
I believe that Ken’s point is that for 80-90% of what a lot of SWAT does day to day the MP5 works pretty well.
Like PDW’s, SMG’s are niche weapons. In their niche, they work pretty good.