Unleashing the Springfield Kuna 9mm Pistol

Article, Reviews

By Paul Rackley, GunBroker Editor

Not too long ago, video surfaced of a new roller-delayed blowback PCC being introduced at IWA in Nuremberg, Germany by HS Produkt of Croatia. HS Produkt has long partnered with Springfield Armory to import civilian versions of its products, such as the Echelon and the XD. American shooters quickly asked if this firearm would become available in the U.S. That question has been answered with the announcement of the Springfield Kuna.

Named after the national animal of Croatia, the Kuna is a handgun, a semi-auto pistol chambered in 9mm, though a .40 S&W version has been issued to the Sao Paulo Military Police in Brazil. The Kuna uses a roller-delayed operating system that temporarily locks the bolt into battery before reciprocating to eject the case and load the next round. It’s somewhat similar to the system on an MP5 submachine gun.

“The newly designed roller-delayed operating system of the Kuna was developed for this firearm and is designed for simplicity and reliability,” said Mike Humphries, Springfield Armory Media Relations Manager. “It offers a design with reduced reciprocating mass for minimized perceived recoil as well as muzzle flip.”

The basic features of this fully ambidextrous pistol include a 6-inch, cold-hammer-forged barrel, AR grip pattern, U-dot and flip-up sights, and flat trigger. It also comes with a Pic-rail end plate for attaching an arm brace, M-LOK rail for attachments and two 30-round magazines. It tops the threaded barrel off with a multi-port brake to reduce even more the mild recoil of 9mm, and its non-reciprocating charging handle automatically folds out of the way.

Watch the video below to learn how the KUNA got its name! As well as all its awesome features and specs!

From the Box

The Springfield Kuna comes in two variants. One features a Strike Industries FSA folding brace and the other does not. Both, however, come with an attachment rail for mounting a brace, if desired. With the included brace extended, the Kuna measures 24.5 inches, but drops to 15.5 inches with the brace folded to the left; The Kuna fires regardless of brace location.

This pistol comes with two sets of sights. The first are U-dots for extending the gun toward the target. The second can be used extended, but are designed around using a brace. The flip-up sights feature two circles, acting like peep sights, with a single post in the front circle. However, the Springfield Kuna also comes with a Picatinny rail on top for easily mounting an optic.

The upper receiver is monolithic forged 7075 T6 aluminum, while the lower is injection molded glass-filled polymer. The pistol breaks down similarly to an AR, with a front and rear disassembly pin. From there, it’s a little different, but not difficult. Simply push the upper receiver end cap down to unlock and pull it out. Then, pull the charging handle to remove the recoil spring assembly. Finally, turn the receiver down and catch the bolt and carrier, shaking gently if it doesn’t drop free. Springfield recommends stopping at this point, unless skilled, for cleaning. Reassembly is basically in reverse.

The Kuna, with the brace, is light, but solid, weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces, unloaded. The grip feels very familiar to AR shooters, as do the controls, which are all ambidextrous, intuitive and within reach of either hand. Even the forward charging handle can swap sides for preference.

Everything about the Springfield Kuna says fun and defense. The 9mm chambering provides options for plinking and training, along with countless defensive rounds with the power to stop an attack.

“The Kuna is a PDW built to combine capable power in a portable package,” said Humphries. “With its ultra-reliable operating system and dedicated 30-round magazines, the Kuna delivers impressive power and performance. These, combined with its fully ambi design, makes for a firearm well-suited for a wide range of applications.”

Early Testing

I started testing the Kuna with the brace folded and with the U-dot sights at 7 yards. Both slow and fast strings put accuracy right on par with my abilities. I followed this up extending the brace and the flip-up sights at 10 yards. Once again, accuracy was quite good using Winchester 115-grain Target & Practice rounds.

At that point I attached a Banish 46V2 suppressor, with an adaptor, and a Riton Optics 1 Tactix ARD 2 red dot, and sighted at 25 yards. The diameter of the Banish is large for a 9mm, but it still knocked decibels down to safe levels and that 8-inch can really added to its looks. The Tactix red dot was easy to mount on the forward section of the rail, providing a clear view through the optic, even with both eyes open. The Riton does not co-witness with the sights on the Springfield Kuna.

In accuracy testing, at 25 yards from a Caldwell Tack Driver bag rest, the Kuna performed satisfactory. There is no magnification on the Riton, meaning I held the dot in the center of the target and squeezed the trigger. I didn’t get rifle accuracy out of the Kuna, but I also didn’t expect it. If I was slow and careful, I could keep groups at around 3 inches at 25 yards.

Of course, long-range accuracy isn’t where the Kuna shines. The average person is not going to have inch groups at 25 yards; neither will most experts. The Kuna is a handgun with a 6-inch barrel and a brace for stabilizing. This pistol has the ability to outshoot most shooters, just like every other well-made pistol in the world.

The Springfield Kuna Shines

I put the Springfield Kuna into its zone by setting up defensive drills, particularly multiple target drills. This pistol transitioned easily, particular with the attached red dot. It didn’t matter whether the transition was between targets or from center mass to head shots. The Kuna just flows, especially with a suppressor attached, which provided better swing.

The flat trigger was beyond nice, breaking cleaning with about 5 pounds of pressure. Reset was also short, which allowed for very fast follow-up shots. This trigger is as good as any aftermarket trigger, including the Timney on my personal AR.

My only complaint at that point was not being able to get somewhere to see how the Kuna ran on steel. I had to test this pistol, which would be an absolute blast against a dueling tree, on paper. Other than that, I found the ambidextrous safety to be a bit stiff, it should become easier over time, and the brace to be not as intuitive as I would like.

Extending or retracting the brace requires pulling up on the pivot pin with a decent amount of pressure. Sometimes I could get it done on the first try, sometimes I couldn’t. This doesn’t matter when folding for storage. It can, however, seriously slow down deployment in a situation.

Now, just because it uses a similar operating system, the Springfield Kuna is no MP5. It doesn’t even look that much like one. However, the Kuna is probably the closest most of us ever come to getting our hands on a submachine gun. Whether it is or no, it makes for one heck of a close-quarters defense gun, and it is a blast to shoot.