The CMMG Banshee MkGs has been on my radar since CMMG announced it. I’ve liked the Banshee line for years, and the range video above covers first shots with the new MkGs version. The findings there line up with what I’ve seen handling these guns here at the shop, so consider this my dealer’s take on where the platform stands, with credit to the video for the live-fire results.
What’s new on the CMMG Banshee MkGs
The MkGs runs Glock magazines, which is the right call for a 9mm carbine. Mags are cheap, they’re everywhere, and half my customers already own a pile of them. For this version CMMG moved to a proprietary upper receiver instead of a standard AR-15 upper, paired with an 8-inch barrel, a hand stop, and their own flash hider.
The controls are where the gun earns its keep. You get 45-degree safety throws, ambidextrous everything, and a charging handle that feels right under the hand. If you already run an AR, nothing here will feel foreign.
Radial delayed blowback makes it soft
Most budget 9mm carbines are straight blowback, which means a heavy bolt slamming around and more recoil than a pistol cartridge has any business making. The Banshee’s radial delayed blowback system is different, and it shows. Rapid fire is genuinely soft, closer to a high-dollar roller-lock gun like an MP5 than to a blowback PCC, at a fraction of the price.
That low recoil is why I point new shooters and home-defense buyers at guns like this. It’s easy to shoot well, and easy to shoot fast.
The feed issue worth watching
I’ll be straight with you, because the video was too: it wasn’t a flawless range day. When chambering a round by dropping the bolt with the bolt release, the gun didn’t always strip the first cartridge from the magazine. The bolt would hang up now and then, needing a quick rack of the charging handle to get running. The behavior showed up across several ammo brands and multiple magazines, so it wasn’t one bad mag.
That could just be break-in. New guns often smooth out after a few hundred rounds as parts wear together. But until it’s proven out, I’d hold off on calling the CMMG Banshee MkGs ready for serious defensive duty. Run yours hard at the range first, like you should with any gun you’re betting on.
My take
Feed hiccup aside, this is a fast, accurate, great-looking 9mm carbine and one of the most fun guns in its class. If the early guns break in the way I expect, the CMMG Banshee MkGs will be an easy recommendation for a first PCC or a soft-shooting home defense setup.
We stock large-format pistols and handguns here in Roanoke, plus mags and ammo to feed them. If you’re weighing a PCC against a braced AR, my AR pistol guide is a good next read, or call me at 817-393-4000.
Lance Rankin is the owner and Chief Gunsmith of Western Sport, a family-run Type 07 FFL and Class 3/SOT dealer in Roanoke, Texas, serving shooters since 2007. Born and raised in Texas with over 50 years of experience handling firearms, Lance purchased Western Sport in 2017 and turned his lifelong passion into his profession. He specializes in AR-15 and AR-10 platform rifles, manufactures Western Sport’s own AR-15 line under the Rankin Industries brand, and runs the shop’s in-house Cerakote coating operation. When he’s not behind the counter or the workbench, you’ll find him on his ranch deep into the night, hunting coyotes with an AR-15 and thermal optics. Lance holds an MBA and personally shoots and tests the products Western Sport sells.
