Century Arms’ AP5 family has put affordable MP5-type roller-delayed, blowback firearms on the market manufactured by MKE, a Turkish company that was licensed by HK to produce its designs for that nation’s military. The AP5 lineup is expanding in 2025, with the AP5-SD pistol and AP5-L rifle.
The AP5-SD is a pistol designed to mimic the looks of the integrally suppressed MP5SD. It has an SD-style handguard and a faux suppressor attached to the end of the barrel to render the SD look. Underneath the handguard is a 5.75” cold-hammer-forged barrel that has both a tri-lug adapter and its muzzle threaded 1/2×28 TPI for use with accessories when the faux suppressor is removed. The handguard has an inside diameter of 1.5”, meaning many of the 9 mm suppressors on the market can fit inside it to maintain a compact overall length and the SD aesthetic. The AP5-SD’s look is completed with a “Navy-style” polymer trigger housing with pictogram markings. It comes with two metal 30-round magazines.
In addition to the standard pistol configuration that uses a receiver end cap with a Picatinny rail for attaching accessories, Century also offers the AP5-SD with an optional Magpul BSL pistol stabilizing brace. The AP5-SD has an MSRP of $1,700 for the non-braced pistol or $1,800 for the braced model.
To use a buttstock and be considered a non-NFA rifle, a firearm must have at least a 16” barrel. For MP5-type firearms, originally designed as compact submachine guns with an 8.9” barrel, this means adding an extra 8″ of barrel ahead of the front sight. Century has a unique solution to provide both compliance and authentic looks with the AP5-L. The end of the 16.5” cold hammer-forged barrel has a traditional tri-lug arrangement, as well as a threaded muzzle. When not using a muzzle attachment, the barrel can be covered with the supplied Aklys Defense faux suppressor, which makes the rifle look like an MP5 with a traditional-length barrel and a suppressor attached.
Since the AP5-L is a rifle, it must be assembled in the U.S. with a specific number of U.S.-made parts. In the case of the AP5-L, this includes the furniture and magazine. Century has partnered with Magpul on the furniture end. Five years ago, Magpul introduced a line of parts and accessories for MP5-style firearms. The AP5-L has an SL handguard with M-Lok slots, SL grip module with Magpul’s ESK extended bilateral safety lever, and a telescoping SL stock. The magazine is a MOD-2 32-round polymer box made by Overwatch Precision. The Century AP5-L has an MSRP of $1,900.
Both the AP5-SD and AP5-L have classic MP5-style iron sights in addition to an M1913 Picatinny claw mount that can be attached to the receiver for mounting optics. For more information, see Century’s website for the company’s AP5 products.
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