During the 1960s, Heckler and Koch developed one of the finest submachine guns in history. The MP5 went through many variations and became one of the most famous anti-terror tools ever fielded. The SMG was developed during World War I as a trench fighting tool. In that role, and later in house clearing in Europe during World War II, it worked well.
The 9mm cartridge owes much of its present popularity to the adoption of NATO standard 9mm pistols and submachine guns. However, the shortcomings of the SMG were brought to the forefront during the war on terror and in domestic use. The AR-15 carbine provided far greater wound potential and accuracy.
PTR 9CT Features
The MP5 survived the longest among the SMGs because of its stalwart reliability, excellent handling, and accuracy. Its day may be over in frontline service, however, that doesn’t mean it isn’t one of the coolest firearms ever.
A modern clone made in the United States is the PTR 9CT. This pistol is a close replica of the MP5. SMG clones often lose a lot in translation to semi-auto fire. Since most fire from an open bolt, simply converting them to semi-automatic fire results in a firearm that is inaccurate, jarring the shooter as it operates.
Moving from a room-clearing role to attempting accurate fire on the static range, these conversions give up too much in my opinion. The MP5 semi-auto is a different matter.
The original fired from a closed bolt, resulting in excellent accuracy. So does the PTR. The result is a superior firearm and one that offers superb accuracy. The pistol has the unmistakable MP5 outline, finish, and handling, giving it a lot of class and eye appeal.
The PTR and MP5 use roller cam locking and stamped construction. This isn’t cheap and the firearms are not inexpensive. The PTR, however, is affordable.
As for the 9mm cartridge, it is ideal for recreational use. Reliable high-quality loads are available. Since many of us use indoor ranges, and others are limited to 100-yard outdoor ranges, the 9mm makes a lot of sense. If the PTR 9mm was pressed into service as a defensive firearm, there are worse choices when facing a take-over gang.
Pride of ownership and recreation are my primary concern. The PTR, however, would make a great area-defense firearm — if the need arises.
The pistol is supplied in a nicely-sized carrying case with two, clear plastic magazines, a well-designed single point sling, and a sight tool. The magazines are ok. They offer good feed reliability and are not difficult to load to full capacity.
30 rounds is a chore in some magazines — not these. I cannot fault them. However, my experience with clear plastic magazines is that they shatter if dropped when loaded. I did not test the opinion. Instead, I obtained two German MP5 magazines. For peace of mind and critical use, these are excellent magazines. I should note, I never did experience any type of problem with the factory magazines.
Modern Upgrades
My friend who knows such things tells me the PTR pistol is so similar to the MP5 and the parts will interchange. The magazines certainly fit. The sighting system is superior, however, as the pistol features a rail and mounting a red dot is a great option.
When the MP5 was designed, red dot sights did not exist. The front sight is a protected post. This is among the finest close-range combat sights ever designed. Learn to use it well and you may not need a red dot! The rear diopter offers considerable adjustment.
The fit and finish are simply beautifully done. The nitride finish is evenly applied. The barrel is threaded. At 8.8 inches long, the barrel allows fast handling in crowded places. Velocity increase over a 5-inch barrel pistol is modest, but measurable — about 50 fps.
An M-Lok-type forend allows mounting lights and lasers. The pistol is all HK in design. It features a charging handle that is moved to the rear and locked in place to load. Insert a loaded magazine and slap the charging handle out of battery to load the pistol.
The upper receiver is built the old way — from stamped metal welded together. The work is flawless. The polymer trigger group is nicely shaped for most hands. The safety is marked “Safe” and “Fire.” This is an ergonomic setup that’s very easy to manipulate without visual orientation.
Trigger compression broke at 7 pounds. It isn’t difficult to manage this trigger considering the weight of the PTR pistol. It’s like you were pulling against a 2-pound pistol!
The PTR pistol features two magazine releases. One is a push button-type and the other a paddle release. Each is positive in operation. I think the paddle might work best for gloved-hand use. Moving to the end of the receiver you’ll find a polymer endcap. The single-point sling clips onto this endcap.
Operation and Handling
The pistol is 17.6 inches overall in length. This is compact for a carbine but large for a pistol. The weight is 5.5 pounds.
Handling the PTR pistol is a dream. The bolt is positive in operation. There is nothing like the sound of an HK-type bolt flying home! The magazines were easy to load and reliable. I repeat, as this isn’t always the case with high-capacity 9mm magazines. I am not a full-auto expert, but the open-bolt design (First used, to the best of my knowledge, in the 1870s Roper shotgun. You cocked the bolt, pulled the trigger, and the bolt went forward and fired the shell. Then cocked it again.) was designed as a necessary design feature for SMGs.
When the bolt is open the trigger is pressed, and the bolt flies forward. Often, the firing pin is simply molded into the front of the bolt. This prevents ammunition cook-offs in a hot chamber. The MP5 was designed to fire accurately and demanded a closed bolt.
The design envelope included a demand for taking out threats at 100 yards — with headshots! It will certainly do this on-demand. All parts were heavy military-grade. The bolt and extractor are impressively machined. The closed-bolt system and precision machining are expensive. This is not a boiler-tube Sten SMG!
Accuracy and Reliability
During the evaluation, I primarily used the iron sights. However, I had the option of mounting and using the TruGlo TruTech Micro dot as well. This is an affordable red dot, but not the least expensive.
The TruGlo TruTech Micro sits at a good price point and offers good performance. It is the right size for the PTR 9mm. The experience was interesting. Hit probability soared with this red dot sight. Most of the evaluation, however, was undertaken — as issued — with iron sights.
Let’s get to the heart of the manner. So far, I had fired 11 full magazines from the pistol without a single failure to feed, chamber, fire, or eject. I made a point to fully load the magazines to check reliability. It is asking a lot to feed from full compression with 30 rounds to minimal spring compression and the last round. These magazines do the job.
I began firing from the hip walking bullets into the B 27 target. Results were very good. The pistol points like a finger. After attaching the sling, I developed a knack for firing accurately at close range and destroying the X-ring.
Most of the ammunition expended in the first few range sessions was PMC Bronze. It is affordable and goes bang! I also used an unknown brand, ZQi, with good results. A good quantity of Remington UMC 9mm FMJ was fired, along with Federal American Eagle 124-grain FMJ. The pistol is more accurate than I can hold.
I braced the PTR 9CT against my truck bed (My rolling, made in Japan, 4,480-pound firing brace.) and carefully fired a few rounds at 25 yards. I fired five of the American Eagle. Two were in the same hole, two more in another hole, and one single hit. This dog will run.
At a later date, I was blessed to be able to benchrest the pistol using a pistol rest at 50 yards. Among the most accurate 9mm Luger loads ever loaded, is the Fiocchi 124-grain XTP Extrema. This load breaks 1,198 fps in the PTR.
I was able to butt the pistol into the rifle brace and use sandbags for accuracy. Later, I had good results simply bracing against a log post. 50 yards is a stretch for any pistol, but I was able to put five rounds into 4.5 inches — three of these in 3.0 inches. I have considered investing in a brace, and perhaps I will obtain one at some point, but the fact is, the pistol is fun just as it is.
PTR 9CT Specifications
Caliber: 9x19mm
Operation: Roller-locked delayed blowback
Barrel: 8.8 inches
Overall Length: 17.6 inches
Feed: MP5 pattern detachable box
Weight: 5.5 pounds
Sights: Protected front post, fully-adjustable rear diopter
Finish: Nitride
If it were to be kept at ready for personal defense, it would be in the home and at close quarters. The pistol handles incredibly well. I like this pistol. It isn’t for everyone, but it is well-made, reliable, and completely interesting.
As iconic as the HK MP5 is among shooters and collectors, it would be hard imagining not wanting one — until you see the price tag. However, the PTR 9CT solves that argument, so what’s holding you back? Share your answer in the comment section.
The PTR 9CT is a well-made firearm that is certainly worth its price tag. Combat accuracy with the PTR 9mm pistol is excellent — with a little practice. 
Firing from a solid, braced hip position was simply fun! When loading these magazines, the author made certain to load 3-5 and then tap the rear of the magazine body to properly the seat the cartridges. 
The PTR pistol offers both a paddle-type and a push-button magazine release. 
A modern M-Lok rail is an asset of the PTR over the original MP5. The pistol fed a wide range of ammunition without any stoppages. The PTR pistol’s safety lever is well designed and easy to manipulate quickly. The indents are positive. The TruGlo TruTec Micro offers just the right size unit for this formidable pistol. 
Firing braced yielded excellent results, and the author is just beginning his acclimation to this interesting firearm. The pistol is enclosed in powder smoke but hasn’t moved during a firing string!
Robert Walsh: Sigh..NO need to be a gun snob and that’s the dumbest analogy thus far.
One big reason why the HK is more expensive is solely due the HK name and it being imported the PTR is US made both are technically the same gun one just has a high dollar name attached. But both are great guns and very well built
I am a 30yr gun collector and most HK rifles and handguns of course the Mp5 own 7 to exact 4 HK’s including a 1979 Mp5SD and a 81 Navy selectfire pre-ban (both of which makes the Hk SP5 dirt cheap by comparison but I don’t shoot em) and 2 of the new SP5’s one still in the box (collection status) and the other I SBR’ed running a Griffin can. But I also have a PTR and a Zenith Mp5 clone. I can say for a fact all shoot the same or shoot great they all can interchange parts etc.
So please stop the gun snobbery its obvious you are on Hkpro as we would block such elite-ism or you would get a lot of flak. Tell me this do you even own an SP5 or any “real” Hk firearm and not talking an Umerx Mp5 .22.
I also love the G36 got one converted by Tom Bostic and recently bought one of his clone TG36’s the 2 are near identical. Don’t knock clones son as most don’t care about a label its the iconic MP5 look and feel that they want and if they work, affordable ($1700 ain’t cheap dude) with good built quality so much the better.
Tommybuilt is rumored to be working on a Mp7 clone or Tom told me himself and if he does make one I could care less if its labeled HK or not. As like the TG36 there are NO HK made G36’s anymore. Even if it did have HK stamped on like the Walther/Umaerx .22’s they just licensed the name but they are NOT actual Hk’s either
“Roller cam locking and stamped construction. This isn’t cheap.”
Actually it is. Milled from a casting or forging is expensive, before polymer became the material to use for reduced costs stamped guns were preferred due to their low cost and ease of manufacture without expensive machine tools and the skilled labor to use them. What you are paying for here is the demand for MP5 clones.
HK made a whole line of roller locked guns, all using the same basic design with minimal changes needed for the different calibers. PTR makes a .308 HK91 clone as well, and except for the size of the parts being larger in some areas the guns are almost identical, with the 9mm version being a bit simpler as it lacks the bolt lock and the different cocking knob required to unlock it. No mechanical buffer in the stock. Smaller parts, less material used, less and simpler made parts. Sounds to me like the MP5 version should cost less to produce. So why is the MSRP and “street prices” $600 more for the cheaper to make gun?
Subguns do not require an open bolt to avoid cookoffs, the small amount of powder used in a pistol cartridge rarely heats the bbl up enough to set of a chambered cartridge. Cookoffs are a thing mainly with belt fed rifle caliber MGs, which is why most of those use an open bolt.
Most subguns use an open bolt because it is simpler and cheaper to make. All it needs to fire is the bolt slamming forward, the trigger mechanism simply has to hold the bolt back to control the firing. As was stated, the firing pin is normally machined into the breechface of the bolt. Many open bolt FA only subguns simply have a sear to block bolt movement and a trigger to pull the sear down to fire. 2 parts and a spring or two along with the bolt itself is the entire moving part inventory. Now look at a typical hammer fired closed bolt like the MP5. A firing pin hole is bored through the bolt, a firing pin and spring is added, along with a way to retain the firing pin. The simple trigger and sear now has to have a hammer installed and a safety selector, where the open bolts typically just use a notch in the cocking handle track like the HK uses to lock open the bolt.
Killin me man …. Title “afordable” multiple lines in the artical about best price point……..not one flippin mention of the Price lol .
Travis,
This is currently, $1,690. Because people often read articles on the blog that are several years old, and then complain because the current price does not match the price in the article, we quit adding prices (most of the time, occasionally one slips past the editors) in articles several years ago. ~Dave
You state “My friend who knows such things tells me the PTR pistol is so similar to the MP5 and the parts will interchange”. Could you ask him if any further machining would be necessary to make this into a registered SBR with collapsible stock? You would have to take off the butt cap and see what is under there.
At the end of the day you are sitting in a Cadillac with a Datsun motor trying to compete in the Auto bon. No doubt you ate watching the real HK zoom by.
Might be a good choice to complement a Halloween costume.
From 10 feet at the range you might get a wow, until further examination shows a knock off of the …Real thing.