10.5 M4 vs MP5 SD

[jenrick]

8 years LE, never a member of our agencies full time team, several years doing part time tac work while on patrol.

So long as your shorty M4's run well, and you guys have appropriate ammunition for them (not green tip, or other "ball" ammo) I'd go with them if I can fit a long gun into the situation. Getting suppressors that actually suppress would be high on my wish list for those M4's. On the off chance you have reliability issues with your rifles, or are required to run ball ammo, I'd personally choose the MP5. Reliability is paramount, and depending on the FMJ ammo you're stuck with it may fail to function properly somewhere past 25-50 yds. A good hot 9mm round will of course out reach this.

The MP5 is a heck of a subgun, but still a subgun. For the SD's I can see using it for when you really need to be quiet, or a few other specialist situations.

So overall if you've got good 5.56 ammo, and the rifles run, that'd be my choice.

-Jenrick

[kmrtnsn]

"I grew up hunting without ear pro and I hear fine. I also find the extra 6 inches pita working in houses and vehicles."

A huge difference between firing said weapon in the great outdoors versus in a 10"X10" room of in a cinder block stairwell. Whether a SBR M4 and a MP5 (we have both) I'd kill to have a can on either, ear pro or not. As much as I prefer the manual of arms, ergos, and compact size of the MP5, the overall utility of the 5.56 is tough to beat by comparison. Now, put an HK53A3 with an RDS in my hands and we're talking a whole new story.

[ftheie]

Check with the Los Angeles Co Sheriff's SEB unit. One of my buddies works on the SWAT team and told me their guys carry the MP5's almost exclusively for indoor work and anything short of rifle distances. But, these aren't the SD's.

I have 18 years in LE and have trained with both. I would prefer the MP5 myself for entry work too...and in particular the SD. I like the feel and balance of it, the minimal report, and for whatever reason, I can get it on target faster than anything else. And that's without an optic too.

[RyanB]

IIRC that's only on the SDs if you're shooting sub-sonics through it, as the barrel is already ported.

IIRC it shoots 115s at about a thousand feet per second. I'm told it doesn't always make it through windshield glass. Maybe a little faster than a .380 but somewhat short of 9mm handgun ballistics.

This would be a much better conversation if it was a comparison of the Mk18 to a standard MP5, the latter being significantly shorter and lighter than the SD.

What I'm getting at is that you'd have to have a significant advantage from the SD in order to justify keeping current with both. If I NEEDED a 9mm to go with an M4 I'd get a Colt, for obvious reasons.