PCC Showdown: H&K SP5 vs Kalashnikov USA KP9 vs CMMG Banshee

Since SHOT Show this year, I have gotten three different 9mm carbines that are all interesting in their own ways. The Kalashnikov USA KP-9 is a virtual copy of the Russian Vityaz submachine gun, much more sophisticated than the other 9mm AKs available today. The CMMG Banshee is a delayed blowback AR with a very clever operating mechanism and the ability to fit a standard AR lower. And the H&K SP-5 is the long-awaited semiauto civilian iteration of the MP5, my favorite submachine gun of all.

As I have done videos on each of these, lots of people have asked to see them compared to each other. Today, we are doing that! I have a selection of cool target systems from MOA Targets – an 8-plate duelling tree, a mini-Mozambique, and a Redneck Star. These will serve to test target transitions, precision shots, and moving targets respectively, and we will see which of the carbines comes out on top!

10 Comments

  1. Since I have never shot an MP5, I can only address experiences with AKM and AR 15 platforms. AKs are good, but ARs are the best handling and most intuitively accurate modern firearms I’ve had real trigger time on. It does not surprise me it edged out the AK style carbine. I keep one of each ready to go in time of need, but the AR ( mine is a SIG 400) is what I pull out of the case when I go out the door. The only rifle closer to my heart is my Winchester M70, that serves more specific roles.

  2. Given how much time you must have spent with the AR during the WWSD project testing, I expected the Banshee to come out on top just from muscle memory.

  3. Of these, which is the most idiot-proof in terms of handling and training? And yes, I include the reloading procedure on the issue of idiot-proofing (you don’t want to shoot your friends during a reloading cycle, so please keep your finger OFF the trigger until you’re ready to get to the next target).

    • The MP5 and the AK-PCC. Simple and straightforward in their manual of arms. I think the AK has an edge here, becuase you have to intenionally move your right hand off teh pistol grip to actuate the safety lever. No playing around with the safety lever out of boredom. It is also big to be used with gloves or with hands frozen blue. The M16 manual of arms is more fiddly and has here a button and a bolt hold open (why did my rifle stop and lock open?) and there the forward assist and the charging handle can be overlooked. No, really, I have seen people not immediately finding it on an M16. G3 and AK are gross motorics. All IMHO of course. Not that the M16 is bad in this regard and lots of recruits succesfully learning to handle an M16 show, that it is doable. Even for the below 100 IQ.

  4. If you’d like to see how a full-length PCC HK compares, I have a PTR 9R (HK94 clone) you could borrow

  5. This would be a fun target set to run the WW1 battle rifle classics against (or even the WW2 ones so the MAS 36 get’s some more deserved screen time). I know it can’t cover (necessarily) things like the sight limitations of, say, the SMLE Mk3, but even a 50m run would be interesting to watch how the guns transition and manage moving targets.

    Maybe trying to hit the target in motion as opposed to at the apex might give a more interesting level of difficulty that thing’s like the sights and ergonomics would impede or assist with?

  6. You can also count spent cartridges
    MP5 42
    CCMG 45
    AK 50-59.

    And what about the direction of extraction?
    At least, the glasses did not scratch? 😉

  7. You got the HK T-shirt off of Jeff, I’ve got the same one. You did the star wrong. Every subgun match I’ve ever been to will have you shoot one of the bottom targets first. That really gets it moving!

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