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Meatball's Featured Reviews |
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Airsoft Core |
By Infrared
Published: December 7, 2003
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If somebody asked me to name the first submachine gun that came to mind, I'd immediately say the MP5. It's among the world's most famous submachine guns along with the Uzi and the original Thompson submachine gun. It also happens to be my personal favorite submachine gun for many reasons, and it's in use all over the world in the hands of police and military forces as well as government agencies. The original H&K MP5 series are 9mm and fire from a locked, closed bolt, which means they're more accurate than most other submachine guns. There are a myriad of accessories available, and one can have an MP5 in just about any configuration. The original MP5 series (A1, A2, and A3) had a three position selector switch which was on the left side of the grip frame only, and this was typically marked "S-E-F" for safe, semi-auto, and full-auto (in German), respectively. More recently, H&K designed a new grip frame with a pictorial, ambidextrous selector assembly. The originals had four positions - a white box with a single bullet and an X through it (safe), a red box with a single bullet (semi-auto), a red box with three bullets in it (three-round-burst), and a red open-ended box with a stream of bullets in it (full-auto). Since then, that design has been modified to numerous configurations such as semi-auto only, two-round burst, and so forth. Tokyo Marui has gone with what's called the Navy configuration on their MP5 series Airsofts. This means it's the pictorial ambidextrous selector switch with three positions: Safe, semi, and full. The versions of the MP5 that I will be reviewing here are the -A4 (full stock), and the -A5 (collapsible stock).
Appearance
Tokyo Marui has done a fantastic job on the exterior detailing of this Airsoft. Everything from the differing textures on the grip frame and the receiver to the proof marks to the weld marks on the rear sight and the cocking tube are all very authentic-looking. The entire weapon is well proportioned (as opposed to the -SD3 I had a few years back, read my rant about it if you like). The magazine is made of metal and looks just like a real MP5 mag apart from the BB feed tube on the top, which is concealed when the mag is in the weapon. The magazine even bears "9mmx19" and an actual H&K factory code "IF". The selector switch and the accompanying pictorial guide are extremely well done. Both the full stock on the A4 and the collapsible stock on the A5 look very close to the originals.
Function
Both MP5s feel nice when hefted. Everything seems just right - all the controls are pretty much self-explanatory and easy to use. On the A4 the battery goes inside the stock (and you can use standard or large battery packs which is a nice option), and on the A5 it goes beneath the handguard. The magazine fits nicely into the receiver, but I noticed a little side-to-side movement. This doesn't make much noise at all, and if you're moving slowly it shouldn't make any noise. The magazine can be released one of two ways: by grasping the magazine with the weak hand and pressing the flap-style catch toward the magazine, or you can use a finger to push the release button on the right side of the receiver. The flap is usually the fastest way to go, and it's ambidextrous. You can move the simulated cocking lever back and forth, or lock it in the "open" position, which doesn't do anything to the gun but it's a nice feature to play with, and also a vital addition if you're using the Airsoft to train for using the real thing. The pistol grip is comfortable and the trigger placed well. as is the selector switch. It is easy to operate without changing your hand's position on the grip. The selector switch has positive detents to mark the three fire modes so there's no danger of the gun accidentally coming out of one position and going into another. Along the top of the receiver are places to mount an H&K compatible scope mount, which might be handy if you want to do precision work as a counter-sniper or some such. Also, you could mount a red dot sight for fast target acquisitions in low light. The sight picture is just like the real thing - it practically aims itself. Center the front ring in the rear peep, put the front sight post on your target, and squeeze the trigger. The rear sight is adjustable side-to-side for windage, and you can adjust the Hop-up to account for vertical changes in point of impact. The magazine is easy to load: you take the loading tube that comes with the MP5, fill it up with BBs (the tube will hold around 60 or 70 but the magazine only holds 50), insert the tip of the loading tube into the feed tube in the top of the magazine, push the BBs down into the mag with the plunger that's included, and you're all set. Just pop it into the gun and you're ready to go. As far as the two stocks go, I prefer the A4 stock to the A5 stock. It's sturdier, it's a little longer and it provides a better cheek weld and thus better sight picture, and you can use different battery sizes. Also, having the battery in the stock avoids putting pressure on the barrel from having the battery in the foregrip, which can adversely affect accuracy. The A5 stock is nice because it can make the MP5 pretty compact, which can be useful at times, but it's sort of flimsy and it's short to the point where I have trouble being comfortable while aiming the gun. Also, since it's made from two metal rails, it's less comfortable than the contoured plastic of the A4 stock anyway.
Firing on semi-auto, both MP5s have slight felt recoil. One potential tactical disadvantage is that the motor drives the piston back before the shot, so the gun is making noise a split second before it actually fires. Not a really big deal, but it might give someone enough warning to duck before they were hit if they were a little ways away. On full-auto, these weapons are sheer joy to fire. The recoil is low, but just enough to give you the impression that you're firing a submachine gun and not a pellet gun. Full-auto fire is very controllable, and these two guns hold decent groups at ten yards using a 50-round mag. And, on top of all that, these are relatively powerful (as are most AEGs). A full auto burst at seven yards chewed through two pieces of paper and through the back of the cardboard box I was using as a pellet trap. Just think, too, there are upgrade kits to make these things more powerful!
Update
One thing I forgot to mention with any of TM's MP5s that I've tested is that if you're firing full auto with a standard capacity magazine, it will empty the magazine no problem. However, if you fire your last shots on semi-auto, it won't even feed the last two or three BBs and when you remove the magazine they will come tumbling out of the gun in a potentially noisy manner. It's hard enough to reload silently as is without having a few BBs rattling out of the gun's magazine well and clattering to the floor (or dry leaves or any other surface that BBs will make noise on).
End of Update
Accuracy
These two guns are pretty accurate considering how short the barrels are. Once sighted in at ten yards, they could hold center and get groups of about three or four inches diameter all day, and they could do a lot better in the hands of someone who practiced regularly. On full auto, they perform just the same, and that's an impressive testimony to their controllability. I would say that a short full-auto burst from these two Airsoft variants of the MP5 would be capable of hitting a stationary human sized target outdoors out to 25 or 50 yards, which is a good distance. Accuracy is probably even better indoors due to the lack of wind and other environmental factors.
7.5x11" target fired at ten yards, semi auto, 50 rounds .2g, sighting in using Hop-up
7.5x11" target fired at ten yards, full auto, 50 rounds .2g
7.5x11" target fired at ten yards, full auto, 200 rounds (hi-cap magazine) .2g
Overall Impressions
These two MP5 Airsofts are excellent for indoor or outdoor use. The full-stock A4 is a bit sturdier and more pleasant to fire than the collapsible stock A5, but the A5 is more compact if that's what you're looking for. You can add a tracer unit for some real fun in low light combat or even general target practice. The stocks are interchangeable on all the regular MP5 series by Marui, so you could buy the A5 and purchase an A4 stock to exchange the two. This would probably be an optimal situation. You can add a high capacity magazine for extended firepower. These are very versatile Airsofts.
- Infrared
Team SASOT
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