The two guns built on the HK MP delayed blowback operating system are the HK SP5 and the Century Arms AP5. Ever since the 1980 SAS rescue at the Iranian Embassy in London, the MP5 has been an icon of smooth-shooting reliability and reduced recoil. The same smooth-operating delayed blowback action used in the MP5 is found in both of these guns. Both also feature the rotating drum diopter sight, which has four different apertures that allow the shooter to choose a large aperture for rapid target acquisition at close quarters or choose a smaller one for precise aiming when shooting targets at longer distances. Since the AP5 is basically a clone of the SP5 , both guns are highly similar except in price and overall level of exterior finish. The SP5 has a better finish, but it costs about twice as much as the AP5. Both guns take HK 30-round magazines.
The trigger-control event involved shooting the target five times with a slow cadence and no time limit. The goal was to see which gun was easiest to shoot precisely while standing using an unsupported position. The Wilson Combat and SIG/Sauer tied for first place. The Ruger PC Charger also did well, but was removed from further testing due to a lack of reliability with hollow points. During this phase, the Century Arms AP5 experienced multiple failures to feed with hollow points and was removed from further testing.
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