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Interesting piece of my history

sandwarrior

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Apr 21, 2007
6,598
2,188
in yooperland
Here is a pic of the exact configuration of MP5SD that I carried into Grenada. Full auto and suppressed.

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/pics.gunbroker.com\/GB\/727912000\/727912994\/pix930558646.jpg"}[/IMG2]

It's for sale here:

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/727912994

While it is an interesting footnote in history, I was not wanting to be one to have to pack this little beast. My nickname for it was the "nine pound BB-gun". As a CQB weapon, it's proven itself well over time. In fact, it's still a highly preferred weapon of both SWAT and Special Operations soldiers for that type mission. My problem with it, most notable when we got there, was that there was too much range between us and the Cubans/rebel Grenadians to be effective. The ranges we encountered were actually more to the outer limits of what even the M16 fared. By the time we had gotten to where we thought we were going to use it, most of the opposition had surrendered. The real range killing thing it had was we had to use heavy slow bullets made to function in the gun. Not all that hard, but they were a lot different than what the sights were made for using high velocity light bullets.

The internal workings are just like an HK91/R3 and HK93. A delayed roller blowback system. The receiver is precision stamped (a truly remarkable manufacturing breakthrough if you ask me), the sights welded on top. The buttstock collapses on two rails or bars. Extended and in the right shooting position, this is actually a quite accurate rifle. I found this out AFTER we got back from Grenada. I had only trained on the weapon a few times and all that was CQB, not extended ranges.

Just like it's bigger brothers, the trigger group is modular and is removed by pressing out two captive pins. Breakdown is pretty easy as is assembly....once you know how to set the bolt so it goes in correctly. I was surprised at how short the barrel actually was, and how much space the suppressor took up. That was a very quiet suppressor. Especially in comparison to the ones we used on our M16's. Those it seemed, didn't suppress any noise at all. But their combat accuracy was stellar.

In '85 when we went to Germany and trained with German Paratroops, we had an across the board accuracy evaluation and the M16 won hands down against the R3's. We both loved shooting each others weapons, but they shot better with ours and we shot better with ours. We brought a few of these with us and surprisingly, they did not get to use them as para's. to them it was a toy version of the R3.

Anyhow, when it was all said and done, with CQB training intensifying after Grenada, I still preferred a 1911 with a 10 rd. mag for building clearing as opposed to these. Turning a hand to get on point is better any day than turning your body. It is a lot easier to miss with a pistol though, than with one of these. A split second of not focusing and the wrist will turn much easier than a body in correct shooting position. We also took a bunch of these to Honduras for the side-by-side training that was going on with the M249. I needed to shut my mouth, but didn't, when I saw these getting pulled out and said, "What the fuck are we gonna do with these here?" "A total waste of our time" A few sidelong glances from the XO and S3 officers, and the ops Sgt telling me to hold my opinions to myself (mil-speak for STFU) so we could get on with the training, and I was once again my happy quiet self.;):cool:
 
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My former team member with MP5SD in Iraq. Rockin' the Chocolate Chips and IR Glint tape. Notice the preferred SF headgear back in the day.

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My former team member with MP5SD in Iraq. Rockin' the Chocolate Chips and IR Glint tape. Notice the preferred SF headgear back in the day.

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The guy rear center rear looks like a guy I met one time, with one of my friends from SFUWO, initials P.H. I like the headgear too! I never was one for wearing hats if I didn't have to.

One of the things that always drove me nuts was "special ops one day-grunt infantry the next". Meaning we'd get all dolled up for a mission complete with cool stuff and the next day we were being shamed for "going Hollywood"...."Real Soldiers would never wear that". wtf??

No headwraps/dewrags, nothing "un-issued"on the outside of the uniform. We took the utility strap off our ruck that helped keep the 2-quart canteen in place on the ruck to use as a sling for the MP5SD's and got chewed out for it "not being authorized" Again, wtf?? i got sick of that. I have to say, if I stayed in I would have been Bragg bound and out of the RGR Rgmt!

Post Grenada was a ticket puncher for "Legs" wanting to further their careers. What I saw in SF was still pretty much mission accomplishment. Although many I knew back in the day tell me the bullshit seeped in there too. Holding people to miniscule outdated rules and regulations like they were acts of God. Sometimes we all got a little "too Army" for our own good.

Added: Stupid SOB, I go off on my rant~~forget the point of my post

So Buffalo, what was your general opinion of the MP5SD?
 
I was issued an Mp5 Navy (not silenced) for my stint working security for the White House Military Office. I love the damn things. Recoils like a .22 and never gave us problems. Incredibly controllable full auto, light weight, and compact. Everything we did was urban, most inside buildings, so they made sense.

If I was ever going to pony up for a Class 3 full auto, the MP5 is on the short list, too much fun.
 
I had an MP5/40 on the PD for a while. Until the new chief came in and decided that we didn't need auto weapons any more. I loved the damn thing! Nice little cloverleafs when firing on burst. Totally controllable. Of course, what I really wanted was the SD... but that's what we had. Along with a couple of surplus M16's. But we had to sell them off as it was decided that we didn't 'need' auto weapons.

I still have a c. 1980;s MP5 SBR. One of my better investments back when you could still get them! 9mm. Semi-only. It runs like a typewriter. But still nowhere near as fun as that .40!

Cheers,

Sirhr
 
It is what is. An M4 can be just as small and almost as light and do way much more. I really wouldn't want to shoot someone with a 9mm if my life depended on it. Only reason to shoot a pistol round is if it has to be suppressed. That photo is the most uniform bunch of SF'ers I have ever seen. We usually look like a hobo convention at a Surplus store.

"Overkill is Underrated"
 
Is this now a MP5 thread ? Love them

 

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Here's my cool-guy picture contribution. The flowers are super tactical.

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Now a days - they run about $37k if you can find one -

The sear or the whole weapon? I've been seeing these (MP5SD) for about that. All of a sudden this past year, I've seen all kinds of weapons jump in price with no reason why. No one is buying that much right now.
 
The sear or the whole weapon? I've been seeing these (MP5SD) for about that. All of a sudden this past year, I've seen all kinds of weapons jump in price with no reason why. No one is buying that much right now.

Just the trigger pack is the registered "sear" there is one on gunbroker now ..... https://www.gunbroker.com/item/721770245 - let us know how you do with the bidding ;) HK just hates us!
 
Here's my cool-guy picture contribution. The flowers are super tactical.


Ledzep, were you working at WHCA as a Yankee White in the Corps? If so what time frame? I was up at Camp for Clinton's 2nd administration...
 
Yep, I was 2010-2012 with Obama/Biden. I wanted to go to Camp but when the time came I could either go to WHCA or wait a few more months at the barracks and that wasn't a hard choice.
 
HA! You mean you didn't enjoy 8th & I... I was at the barracks almost a year waiting on my clearance and at Camp from fall 1997 threw July 2000. We were hurting for people while I was there, had several Marines kicked out. Did you eve hear about the 2 Camp Marines who drove their car into the White House (actually the Old Executive Building, but right there) after a hard night of drinking in Georgetown? They were my Marines, good guys just liked to party a bit... That was a rough month after that went down.


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I do remember that story, actually. That's funny. I'm amazed by that program, honestly. Putting Lances and junior Corporals in pretty high places LOL... There were a few stories I heard from my buddies about a mess at Camp, guess someone got wind of a personal firearm, and the 1st sgt gave a grace period to everyone to turn in contraband before a health&comfort and it turned up an armory of personal stuff. I guess that was a couple months of no fun. At WHCA they still had us on a short leash from some Marines in the mid 2000's that stole a car in Rome and drove it down the little narrow alley ways (drunk, obviously). That said, the chain of command at WHCA was awesome. We were "administratively" attached to 8th&I so had the same CO, XO, 1st sgt etc... as the barracks, but they didn't have clearance to come on the compound so it was by request/invite only that we saw them. Operationally it was a Gunny, a Sgt, then the pool of corporals and lances.

I kept my nose relatively clean. I think the worst thing I did was get on top of all of the buildings at 8th&I. Commandant's house, annex, the barracks, Latrobe gate, etc... One thing I will say is that the screening for that program singled out some of the best guys I've ever met in my life. Going to work was 8-12 hours of hanging out with my best friends. After going to the fleet there were about 5 guys in the company that I actually wanted to be around for any duration. It's so much easier when everyone does their job and you don't have to babysit.
 
Yeah man, there were some rough times up at Camp. We did some crazy stuff, looking back I laugh at what we got away with but at the same time the level of professionalism and level of security we maintained. It was a lot like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. I was definitely fortunate to have served with some amazing Marines. I think our work schedule was the driving force behind our miss haps, we worked some damn long shifts. Looking back on it we had a lot of responsibility for our age, I was 19 when I got to Camp as a Lance Corporal standing the most junior post and in less than 2 years I was a meritorious Sergeant, platoon leader (our chain of command was also very unique), and Sergeant of the Guard. Meaning when my platoon was on during a visit I only answered to a Company Gunny, 1st Sgt, XO, and CO but the SOG ran the show 99% of the time.

Sorry to derail the thread guys, it was a fairly small group of Marines who did our job and kinda cool to look back on it. Back to the regularly scheduled sub gun bad assery!
 
Yeah man, there were some rough times up at Camp. We did some crazy stuff, looking back I laugh at what we got away with but at the same time the level of professionalism and level of security we maintained. It was a lot like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. I was definitely fortunate to have served with some amazing Marines. I think our work schedule was the driving force behind our miss haps, we worked some damn long shifts. Looking back on it we had a lot of responsibility for our age, I was 19 when I got to Camp as a Lance Corporal standing the most junior post and in less than 2 years I was a meritorious Sergeant, platoon leader (our chain of command was also very unique), and Sergeant of the Guard. Meaning when my platoon was on during a visit I only answered to a Company Gunny, 1st Sgt, XO, and CO but the SOG ran the show 99% of the time.

Sorry to derail the thread guys, it was a fairly small group of Marines who did our job and kinda cool to look back on it. Back to the regularly scheduled sub gun bad assery!

jbell,

Not a derail, just an "attachment", as it pertains to what we used as in the original post. Good to hear you guys like the MP5's unlike myself. I did alright with them in CQB, but, as noted still preferred the 10 rd. mags in one of the custom .45's. I know some pretty hot-shot dudes who swear up and down by these.