Braxton Taylor
This week on Rifle Roundup, we have a large format pistol inspired by the Heckler & Koch MP5.
Military Armament Corporation MAC-5: MSRP $1099.99
Let’s face it: The H&K MP5 is one of the most iconic guns of the second half of the 20th century. When it showed up on the silver screen, you know the bad guys were going down. Carl Weathers carried one in “Commando” and Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis used them to great effect in “Lethal Weapon” and “Die Hard,” respectively. Okay, so all those were actually HK94s modified for the screen, but don’t tell that to my teenage self, watching and enjoying all three of those movies.
Time has passed. I’m no longer a teenager, but my love for MP5-style guns resonates to this very day. Fortunately for people like me, MP5 designs are now available from a number of manufacturers, including Turkish-based Military Arm Corp. The MAC-5 large format pistol is a dead-ringer for the MP5s of old, with a slimline handguard, removable tri-lug flash hider and two 30-round magazines. Also included in the case is a trigger lock, cleaning kit, an instruction manual, a tube for the gun oil of your choice and a two-point sling. And yes, there is a third position marked on the safety lever, but sadly, the MAC-5 is semi-automatic only. Rats.
Other than that, the MAC-5 looks, acts and feels almost exactly the same as every other MP5 I’ve fired. There is a sling stud on the back of the receiver, but that can be changed out for a brace or a stock if you want to wade into the paperwork and tax stamps that go along with the National Firearms Act. The roller-delayed blowback action is much smoother than the straight blowback action found in most pistol caliber large-format pistols, and 25-yard head shots were a breeze using either “push/pull” grip or with a sling added to the gun. On the downside, the safety is very stiff, but that’s about all I’ve seen after a break-in period of 200 rounds with this gun, and I expect that to loosen up with time and generous amounts of lubrication.
All in all, if you’re looking to get into pistol-caliber large format pistols, or you’re like me and want to own a treasured memento of your formative years, give the MAC-5 a serious look, you won’t be disappointed.
Shield Sights SMS/RMS/AMS Mount for H&K MP5: MSRP $139
Here’s a little trick that ol’ John McLane never thought of, or rather, never had access to back in the mid-’80s. Red dot sights have revolutionized smaller pistols, so it makes sense that they would work great with a large format pistol like the MAC-5. The problem is that miniature red dot optics weren’t really a thing back in the ’60s when the MP5 was being developed. As such, modern innovations like Picatinny rails and M-Lok slots are not to be found on the MAC-5, and that means you need to get creative if you want to add a red dot to this gun.
Fortunately for all of us, Shield Sights has a solution, a nifty little clamp mount that attaches to the top of an MP5 or MP5 look alike. The mount is dead-simple to install, just twist one screw and you’re there. Once attached, you’ll find that there are attachment points for mini red dots like the Shield AMSc and others, increasing the utility of the MAC-5 and other MP5-style guns.
Sightmark Mini Shot M-Spec M3 Solar Sight: MSRP $199
Enclosed-emitter dot sights are rapidly gaining popularity because they tend to handle adverse weather better than open emitter sights. This may not be that big of a deal if you live in the Mojave Desert, but in Florida where I live, sudden thunderstorms are a fact of life.
The Sightmark Mini Shot M-Spec M3 Solar is a good example of the state-of-the art in miniature red dot sights these days. It uses the RMSc footprint, which gained popularity as a way to mount red dots on skinnier slides like those found on 1911 pistols. The top of the receiver isn’t what you might call “full-figured”, so the M3 Solar, with its RMSc footprint works well with this style of gun.
As you might guess, the “Solar” part of the name of this sight means that the M3 can be used for up to 20,000 hours in conjunction with a CR1620 battery. The exterior of the sight is waterproof and dustproof up to the IPX7 standard and inside, there is a 3-MOA reticle that automatically adjusts its brightness to the ambient lighting conditions.
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