Springfield Kuna: 2025’s Surprise Suppressor-Friendly SMG
Travis Pike
I don’t want to brag, but I knew about the Kuna months and months ago. Not because I’m cool, but because I follow worldwide firearm news and saw that Brazil had chosen a new SMG from Springfield Armory called the Kuna. While the Brazilian version is a .40 S&W submachine gun, Springfield Armory delivered the Kuna as a 9mm pistol to the U.S. market.
The name “Kuna” comes from the European pine marten, a small carnivorous predator found across Europe—including Croatia, where this firearm is built. The Kuna is from HS. Produkt, a Croatian company that has teamed up with Springfield Armory for over a dozen guns. It’s not a surprising partnership, but a 9mm subgun is an unexpected release.
Breaking Down the Springfield Kuna
The Kuna uses a roller-delayed blowback system, which HK made popular with the MP5 and G3 series of weapons. It would have been easier and cheaper to make the Kuna a straight blowback gun, but that would increase recoil and make the gun snappy, gassy, and much less refined than a direct blowback gun.
I’m all about alternatives to a straight blowback 9mm subgun, and glad someone has used a roller-delayed system. The MP5 is excellent, but it has the ergonomics of a gun made six decades ago. The Kuna wraps up the roller-delayed system in a much more modern platform.
While plenty will scream about Glock mags, they aren’t the best option for this kind of platform. They’re fine, but a true double-stack, double-feed magazine with a curve is a better option ergonomically and for overall performance. I’m almost allergic to the phrase proprietary magazine, but Springfield did it right.
Kuna magazines are a mere $25, which makes them cheaper than OEM 33-round Glock mags. While they are made primarily from translucent polymer, the feed lips are metal, which is a wise move for long-term durability and reliability.
The Kuna comes with sights, a rarity for modern guns. They are an interesting design. Flipped up, they are a peep sight and post. Flipped down, they act as a set of open sights, much like handgun sights. The peep sights are adjustable for windage and elevation.
A long optics rail runs across the top, and the handguard has numerous M-LOK slots for accessories. At the rear of the gun, we have a Picatinny rail for braces, and the gun comes with a Strike Industries brace. Overall, the Kuna has a very modern layout and features.
Ergonomics
Unlike the MP5, the Kuna has ergonomics that aren’t silly. The lower receiver controls are fully ambidextrous—magazine release, safety, and bolt release—and they’re all easy to reach and operate. The charging handle isn’t ambidextrous out of the box, but it’s reversible for left-handed shooters.
The controls are easy to reach and access, even when you use your non-dominant hand to run the gun. Switch hands and shoulders, and you’ll still be able to run the gun with the best of them. I was initially concerned that the safety might dig into my trigger finger under recoil, but that wasn’t a problem.
The pistol grip is an AR pattern, and you can easily swap it. It’s not necessary, though, because the included grip is fantastic. The all-metal M-LOK forend provides a pleasant grip space that’s easy to grip and go with.
The gun racks easily. As a roller-delayed system, it doesn’t require an ultra-stiff recoil spring, so the bolt rides back with ease.
With the controls and charging handle, the Kuna is quick to reload. It’s super easy to do a speed reload from the belt promptly and efficiently.
Shooting the Springfield Kuna
Now for the best part—shooting it. Since the Kuna comes with iron sights, I wanted to use them, so I did a quick and dirty zero. It was fast, easy, and as someone who doesn’t shoot with iron sights, I found it a pleasant change of pace.
So, how straight does it shoot? Darn straight. At 50 yards, I was landing hit after hit with the iron sights on various targets. This included a 10-inch gong and IPSC-sized silhouette.
The small front post doesn’t obscure too much of the target, and it’s easy to see and hit small targets. At 25 yards, I fired a few offhand groups, and they measured out to less than three inches or so. In a supported position with a table and bag to rest the gun, I was punching one solid hole at 25 yards.
Accuracy means nothing without control, and boy, do we get plenty of control with the Kuna. It has hardly any recoil. It barely moves, and the iron sights rise a hair and fall right back where I had them. I didn’t get a violent recoil impulse or much muzzle rise at all.
That translates into fast, accurate strings of fire. Bill Drills from low ready take less than two seconds with tight groups. Failure-to-stop drills are rapid and easy. Transitioning between multiple targets and delivering multiple rounds to each is quite simple.
The Kuna ran reliably without a single failure. I shot 147-grain, 124-grain NATO rounds, and stock standard 115-grain 9mm pills. There were zero failures across all ammo types and 500 rounds of ammo.
Suppressed
The Kuna works brilliantly suppressed. Thanks to its roller-delayed design, it runs reliably when suppressed and avoids many of the typical issues associated with blowback systems. One of the biggest advantages? Reduced or eliminated port pop.
Using subsonic ammo and the SilencerCo Spectre 9, the gun is not only quiet—it’s also well-balanced. Unlike straight blowback guns that rely on heavy bolts, the roller-delayed system keeps things smooth and evenly weighted, even when wearing a can.
The Spectre 9 has several mounting options for the Kuna, The barrel is threaded from the factory in 1/2×28. We choose to use the Piston along with a Fixed Barrel Spacer in this case. However, Direct Thread Mounts, 3 lug, or the ASR Mount are great options for the Springfield Kuna.
There is zero gas blowback to the face. It’s such a nice change from suppressing blowback-operated guns, and it’s a big reason why the MP5 has been so successful for so long.
It never feels front-heavy, and a suppressor softens the recoil impulse and muzzle rise even more. The Spectre 9mm works perfectly with the Kuna and would make an excellent home defense combination. Without a can, the Kuna handles exceptionally well, but with a suppressor, it’s just downright smooth.
The Kuna: Final Thoughts
The Springfield Kuna is shaping up to be one of 2025’s biggest surprises. When I first saw it making waves across Brazilian firearms media, I could only hope we’d eventually ever see one. Now that it’s here, I can say that it’s accurate, reliable, and has hardly any recoil.
And it suppresses extremely well. It’s a smooth shooter that runs like a typewriter. The price, with a brace, carries an MSRP of $1,149, which means the street price is about a thousand bucks. This puts it on par with plenty of straight blowback guns and makes it cheaper than any MP5.
I think the Kuna might be one of the best-selling guns of 2025.
Travis Pike
