Today, a comparison between a semiauto CETME-L rifle from MarColMar Firearms and one from HMG (albeit an example I built myself).
Select-fire Rifles
H&R’s Experimental M14 Guerrilla Gun
This M14 is being sold by Morphys on October 30, 2018. While Harrington & Richardson was making M14 rifles for the United States military, they were also experimenting with other variations on the design. Among […]
Semiauto pistol
When Revolver Meets 1911: The Coonan .357 Magnum Automatic
Dan Coonan first designed his pistol in graduate school as a drafting project: a 1911 pistol chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge. No easy feat, designing a self-loading pistol magazine to cycle a big rimmed […]
Bolt Action Rifles
2-Gun Action Challenge Match: US WWI Infantry (M1917 & M1911)
In this month’s 2-Gun match, I am competing as a WWI US infantryman, with an M1917 Eddystone rifle and an M1911 pistol (both are genuine WWI-era originals). I am also using a reproduction US 1917 […]
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.