Today, a comparison between a semiauto CETME-L rifle from MarColMar Firearms and one from HMG (albeit an example I built myself).
Semiauto pistol
Astra 600/43: A Straight Blowback 9mm for the Wehrmacht
The Astra in this video is coming up for auction here… When Germany acquired a land border with Spain after the French capitulation in 1940, they took advantage of the opportunity to purchase Spanish firearms, […]
Conversion
John Martz Custom P38s: Babies, .45s, and .38 Supers
Guns in this video: Baby P38 .38 Super P38 .45ACP P38 John Martz was a WWII US Navy veteran who spent a career in metalworking before turning his gunsmithing hobby into a full time occupation […]
Prototype
Toolroom Prototype Smith & Wesson No.3 Revolver
Lot 3197 in the September 2020 RIA Premier auction. Good inventors are always trying out new solutions to problems. Those solutions may or may not work (hence Thomas Edison’s 10,000 ways not to make a […]
Had heard that MalColMar had actually changed the angle of the magwell in later guns, tilting it just slightly off the vertical & thereby improving feeding over the original? Anyone have insight?
Yes, the original suffered from notable feeding issues and could not use proper NATO magazines, that’s why it uses its own. MalColMar fixed this and allows it to use NATO mags.
What parts did MCM actually use of the kits? They used a new barrel, new trigger group housing, new furniture, refinished everything, new springs, new magazine etc. What was left original besides the muzzle device?
Not at all “a protectionist thing” (law enacted to tilt a market in favor of domestic manufacturers), given that the US industries copying foreign “assault weapons” (and compliance parts) arose after / as a result of these laws. The domestic-design MSR sector (Colt, Springfield) was much smaller then, routinely condemned as “merchants of death” by the same people who promoted 922(r), and slammed shortly thereafter by a ban on their own comparable products.
I have one of the first 40 HMG production guns made, and as Ian stated they only produced 100 rifles. Mine has run 100% reliable with the original springs, but as a precaution I did install MCM’s new spring kit. My only issue, that I found was somewhat common, is that my rear sight is cranked almost fully to the right for it to be properly zeroed at 100yds. It’s a fun gun to shoot and surprisingly accurate. She runs steel case like a champ so at least she’s a cheap date.
Yes, the original suffered from notable feeding issues and could not use proper NATO magazines, that’s why it uses its own. MalColMar fixed this and allows it to use NATO mags.