About a month ago, JP Enterprises published a teaser video where they showed their new pistol caliber carbine called JP-5. They’ve been designing this PCC for about two years and were planning to release it at the SHOT Show 2021, which, as you know, was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Recently, in the February edition of the JP BULLETin, the company revealed more information on this new firearm.  Let’s first watch the mentioned video then see what else is now known about the design of this new JP PCC.

One of the reasons for starting designing a new PCC was the high demand for their existing pistol caliber carbine, the GMR-15. In fact, according to JP Enterprises, today they sell more PCCs than rifles. The JP-5 is however not a new iteration of the GMR-15, but a carbine with a different operating mechanism. GMR-15 is a direct blowback gun and the company has completely explored the capabilities of this operating system. To make something better, they drew inspiration from the H&K MP5. Yes, JP-5 is a roller-delayed blowback gun and is designed to have all the benefits of this operating mechanism such as the lighter weight of reciprocating parts and consequently smoother cycling action with lower recoil impulse.

The controls and overall ergonomics of the JP-5 are similar to AR-15 based PCCs and the gun is fed from Glock magazines. JP Enterprises mentions several reasons why instead of just making an MP-5 clone they went with merging the MP-5 operating mechanism with the AR-15. These reasons include the need to have a free-floated barrel, compatibility with AR-15 accessories, the possibility to use better AR-15 pattern triggers, compatibility with handgun magazines and last but not least, the location and ergonomics of controls.

The unfinished lower receiver of JP Enterprises JP-5 PCC

In the near future, the company will release more information on the internal parts’ construction of JP-5 carbine, and we’ll see what solutions they incorporated into the design of this PCC. I wonder if they directly borrowed any parts from the MP-5 such as the locking piece or rollers or maybe the bolt head assembly?

The price of JP-5 PCC is not yet determined but it will be higher than the price of GMR-15 which has a base MSRP of $1749. The price level difference is one of the reasons why JP-5 won’t replace the GMR-15 in the company’s catalog but will become a separate higher-end PCC offering. The estimated start of shipping of JP-5 carbine is Q3, 2021. We’ll make sure to follow the development of this project and report the news to our readers. Stay tuned!

Pictures by JP Enterprises, Inc., www.jprifles.com

Hat tip to John B!