Daewoo Precision Industries K5
The Daewoo Precision Industries K5 or K5/DP51 series is a 9×19mm semi-automatic pistol produced by S&T Daewoo of South Korea.[3]
Daewoo Precision Industries K5 | |
---|---|
A commercial DP51 version of the K5 9mm service pistol | |
Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
Place of origin | South Korea |
Service history | |
In service | 1989–present |
Used by | See Users |
Wars | Global War on Terrorism Iraq War |
Production history | |
Designer | Daewoo Precision Industries |
Designed | 1984–1988 |
Manufacturer | S&T Motiv |
Produced | 1989–present |
Variants | See Variants |
Specifications | |
Mass | 734 g (25.9 oz) DP51 751 g (26.5 oz) DP51 MKII 686 g (24.2 oz) DP51C[1] |
Length | 178 mm (7.0 in) DP51 (MKII) 177.8 mm (7.0 in) DP51C |
Barrel length | 104.14 mm (4.1 in)DP51 (MKII) 91.14 mm (3.6 in) DP51C |
Width | 33.5 mm (1.3 in) |
Height | 125 mm (4.9 in) DP51 (MKII) 118 mm (4.6 in) DP51C |
Cartridge | 9×19mm Parabellum |
Caliber | 9 mm |
Action | Semi-automatic |
Effective firing range | 50 m (55 yd) |
Feed system | 13- or 15-round magazine DP51 (MKII) 10-round magazine DP51C Also accepts 10-, 13-, 14- or 15-round S&W 5906 magazines, but they will protrude out from the magazine well.[2] |
Sights | Iron sights |
The K5 was introduced in 1989. It is recoil operated and uses a conventional Browning-type locking system. It is mostly carried by commissioned officers in the South Korean military.
Design
The K5 is a compact, lightweight pistol with an unconventional trigger mechanism called "fast action". The frame is made of forged 7075-T6 aluminum alloy with a matte anodized finish, while the slide is constructed out of forged 4140 steel with a matte finish. The barrel is made of forged 4150 steel with a 254 mm (10.0 in) (6 grooves) right twist.[1]
The pistol features an unusual "fast action" trigger mechanism which allows the hammer to be decocked while still keeping the mainspring compressed. The "fast action" (also known as Triple Action, and most recently known as Double Action Plus+) mode allows the trigger travel of the double-action mode and the trigger weight of single-action mode. This allows a more accurate first shot due to the lighter weight of the trigger. It is also safer due to the longer trigger travel required to fire the pistol. A light pull on the trigger causes the hammer to flick back, after which the pistol would behave in conventional single-action mode. The pistol can also be fired in traditional double and single-action modes.
The factory double-column type box magazines hold 13 or 15 rounds for the full size variant or for the compact variant 10 rounds. Smith & Wesson 59-series magazines are known to be compatible with the DP51 but will protrude slightly. The magazine release is of the push button type.
The pistol has three-dot iron sights. The safety consists of an ambidextrous safety external safety and a passive firing pin block which (as its name implies) blocks the firing pin from moving forward unless the trigger is pulled.
The handgrip panels are made of one piece polymer.
Commercial sales
The K5 was marketed commercially in the United States between the early to late 1990s through various importers, including FirstShot, Inc., Kimber of America, Inc., B-West Imports, Inc., and Davidsons, Inc. as the DP51, with a compact version known as the DP51C and .40 S&W caliber version known as the DH40.
It is most recently reintroduced through collaboration between Daewoo (now S&T Motiv) and Lionheart Industries of Redmond, WA in 2011 as the LH9, LH9C, and LH9 MKII (amongst other variants), featuring numerous updates including a redesigned hammer, wider slide serrations with added serrations to the front of the slide, redesigned grips, Cerakote finish, and optional Picatinny rail (as the MKII).
The internal design and basic functions remain identical to the original and all the parts interchange between the original and the Lionheart variants.
Variants
- XK5: Experimental prototype.
- K5: Standard mass-produced variant.
- DP51: Commercial version of K5.[4]
- DP51S: Semi-compact version with compact slide and full-sized frame.
- DP51C: Compact version of DP51.[4]
- DH40: Commercial version of K5 chambered in .40 S&W.[4]
- DH45: Commercial version of K5 chambered in .45 ACP.
- LH9: Updated Version of the DP51 introduced by Lionheart Industries in 2011.
- LH9C: Compact version of the LH9.
- LH9 MKII: LH9 equipped with integral picatinny rail.
- DP51: Commercial version of K5.[4]
Users
Bangladesh: SWADS[5] Guatemala: Purchased in 2011.[6] Indonesia: Purchased in 2011.[6] South Korea: Standard sidearm.[4] Singapore: Singapore Armed Forces Commando Formation (CDO FN) North Macedonia: Macedonia Armed Forces Thailand: 200 K5s transferred according to a 2019 SIPRI small arms report.[7]
References
- "S&T Motiv-About S&T-Business-Defence Business". www.sntmotiv.com.
- "A Look at the Obscure Daewoo DP-51 K5". 12 December 2012.
- "Business Outline, Defense Business". S&T Daewoo. Archived from the original on 2010-02-06. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
- "Modern Firearm's Daewoo DP-51 / K5 pistol". Archived from the original on 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
- "Bangladesh Military Forces – BDMilitary.com - Bangladesh's largest military, security & intelligence portal since 2005". www.bdmilitary.com.
- "[파워 경제인] 김택권 S&T대우 대표". 서울경제. 2011-09-15. Archived from the original on 2016-01-12.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20191211191444/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/S-Trade-Update/SAS-Trade-Update-2019.pdf
Bibliography
- Southby-Tailyour, Ewen (2005). Jane's Special Forces Recognition Guide. London: Janes. ISBN 978-0-00-718329-6.
- Hogg, Ian (2000). Jane's Guns Recognition Guide Second Edition. Glasgow: Janes. ISBN 978-0-00-472453-9.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Daewoo K5. |
- S&T Daewoo Homepage
- US Distributor Lionhart Industries Homepage
- Modern Firearms, World Guns, Daewoo DP-51 / K5 pistol (Republic of Korea / South Korea)
- Gun Review: Lionheart LH9 By Nick Leghorn on March 4, 2013
- Gun Review: Lionheart LH9 – Take 2 By Joe Grine on May 31, 2013
- Proper lineage: a review of Lionheart’s LH9 Aaron Cowan April 30, 2014