Sacred cows make good hamburgers, and the gun industry has a few sacred cows. One of them is the MP5. The ole MP5 is a lot like the M1911 in its popularity. Its status is seemingly vaulted. Much like the M1911, the MP5 is outdated and entering into its twilight years as a serious professional firearm. Why these guns still remain so popular is beyond me. But I get it. At the time of its inception, it was super modern and extremely well made.

The MP5 is the 1911 of Submachine Guns

The MP5 came to be at a time when submachine guns were hefty, open bolt guns, and it offered a lighter weight, closed bolt alternative to counter-terrorism, special operations forces, and police forces around the world. In the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, it was great. In 2021 however, the gun's time has passed.

What Exactly Do I Mean?

Old gun designs don't automatically become obsolete with age. Some evolve and adapt over time, like the AR-15 series, and maintain their presence through sheer modularity. However, as time passes, new designs come around that outperform the classics. Guns like the M1911 cling, even though they are clearly outclassed by modern firearms.

The MP5 is the same, yet it sits in a vaulted position it really doesn't deserve. After over five decades of service, it's time to admit that the MP5 needs to retire. Better guns exist. Heck, even HK realized the MP5 hit its limit and produced a more modern alternative.

The UMP, or Universal Machine Pistol, came to be in 2000 and seemed to be the perfect weapon to replace the outdated MP5. HK's UMP was lightweight, came in 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP, and offered superior ergonomics to the old MP5. So what happened?

Well, 2001 happened. The GWOT began and we entered into the golden age of the carbine. It didn't take long for the military to realize the submachine gun had seen its final days. The Close Quarters Battle Receiver and, by extension, the Mk 18 brought the 5.56 carbine to near subgun sizes.

Why did the MP5 stick around?

That's easy. It was the dominant submachine gun when the age of the carbine began. Thus, it never really got a chance to be largely outperformed by modern submachine guns. So it's stuck around as this revered submachine gun, and most people ignore its glaring flaws.

What's wrong with the MP5?

In the later 1960s, the MP5 rocked, but in 2021 the lack of a last-round bolt hold open shows its age. The click of an empty chamber isn't the best way to find out it's time to reload in close quarters combat. Reloading, in general, is slow, very slow.

Without the LRBHO, your reload is considerably slower, and slow sucks. When the gun goes click, the proper reload procedure is to pull the charging handle to the rear and lock it into place. Then reloading requires you to grip the empty magazine and pull it from the magazine well. Again, this slows you down. Then, finally, you slap the bolt, and it closes, and you can shoot again.

On top of that, the safety inspires some weird grip styles to manipulate it. A friend once made a joke that they took the safety off when you crossed the border and only put it back on when you captured his capital. He was a big MP5 user in his professional career and attended the HK MP5 armorers school. He never cared for the MP5 beyond the Die Hard appeal.

Money, Money, Money

Is HK the mythical drug dealer D.A.R.E. warned us all about? They give you a little free sampler and hit you with the price after you're hooked? That's seemingly the issue with magazines. Factory models cost 80 bucks, and even ‘cheap' Korean magazines cost around 40 bucks. Holy heck, I don't get why.

CZ Scorpion mags are 20 bucks, and the CZ Scorpion scores a much lower price point overall for a modular, more modern subgun. Not to mention that the MP5 takes accessorizing to a whole new level of pain in the bum. Not only is the MP5 tough to find modern accessories when you do they cost your right leg or firstborn.

Adding optics via the ‘claw' mount is a major hassle in a world where the flattop upper receiver rules. Only recently did Magpul release an M-LOK handguard that allowed MP5 owners to affordably modernize their ancient weapon.

Not only are magazines and parts expensive, but the guns themselves are ridiculously expensive for stamped steel subguns. I get being proud of your creation, but even the Turkish clones cost $1,600 bucks on a good day.

Old School Steel

The MP5A3 weighs almost seven pounds. In fact, it weighs a hair more than my Colt EPR, which is a 5.56 carbine with a 16.1-inch barrel. Pretty dang hefty for a 9mm subgun. Firearms like the CMMG Banshee MK17 manage to be lighter considerably at four pounds, ten ounces.

Don't get me wrong, lots of modern SMGs weigh in close to the MP5. The APC9K, for example, weighs 6.7 pounds. That doesn't make much sense to me either. Speaking of other subguns, the whole category, including the MP5, is slipping into obscurity.

Suppressed MP5s are always fun.

It's hard to choose when modern AR-15s in full carbine configurations like the EPR weigh less and do more than the MP5. Sure the MP5 features a much shorter configuration, but the Mk 18 variants and numerous other short carbines narrow that gap.

Don't get me wrong, subguns are still tons of fun and they do have a narrow niche of use. In that niche, there are tons of better options on the market than the MP5. Heck, the MP5 can't even be the old, affordable subgun. It's expensive all the way around.

Check out all the mags, accessories, and gear at GunMag Warehouse.

It's time to just say it.

The MP5 is the M1911 of submachine guns. It got tons of great history, but like Uncle Rico, its glory lies in history. Better, more modern, more modular, and more ergonomic firearms exist that are even considerably cheaper in every way than the MP5. Let the old gal retire and stop pretending like it's still some uber weapon.

Read the original article in its entirety at medium.com.