General Facts

TYPE
Pistol

ORIGIN
South Korea

NICKNAMES
DP51 (civilian sales model)
XK-5 (early prototypes)

DESIGNED
1984 - 1988

DESIGNER
Daewoo

PRODUCTION
1989 - present

PRODUCERS
South Korea - Daewoo

QUANTITY
Unknown

UNIT COST
Unknown

CHARACTERISTICS
Fast trigger mechanism
A little heavy compared to modern pistols

Introduction

The K-5 is a late Cold War era pistol of South Korean origin. It was designed to supplement and replace older handguns in South Korean service. The design is derived from the Smith & Wesson pistol series.

Design

The design is based on the Smith & Wesson M59 pistol and it looks rather similar. The K-5 has a unique and unconventional trigger mechanism. Once the weapon has been cocked the hammer may be released while the spring retains tension. This allows for a very light double action trigger pull. The rest of the K-5 is conventional, using a aluminum frame and steel slide.

Firepower

The K-5 fires the 9x19mm round from a double stack 13 round magazine. It is semi-automatic and has a quoted maximum effective range of 50 meters. Civilian models are also sold in .380 ACP, .40 S&W en and .45 ACP.

Users

The K-5 is used by the South Korean military and is also in law enforcement use. Various models are sold and exported on the civilian market.

K-5

K-5: Baseline model for South Korean military use. Chambered in 9x19mm.
DP-51: Civilian model identical to the K-5.
DH-380: Civilian model chambered in .380 ACP.
DH-40: Civilian model chambered in .40 S&W.
DH-45: Civilian model chambered in .45 ACP.