Question for those with MP5/clones

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Question for those with MP5/clones

Posted: 3/10/2017 10:59:27 AM EDT

May seem like an obvious question but do you find they run and operate smoother after several thousand rounds? I know mechanical things run smoother after they loosen up or wear together after a while and figured that's the case with these guns.

I have a Z5-P and the charging effort is quite high. I had my gun smith cut a radius on the BC and that helped a little but not much. I got to handle a SP89 while I was there and that thing was smooth as silk operating the charging handle. I've run around 300 rounds through my gun already and it ran perfectly using steel 115gr all the way up to 158gr brass and was quite accurate.

My main question is, is this typical of a new MP5 style gun or should I send it to Zenith and have it looked at. I've had a few people operate my gun and all thought it was quite stiff.

Thanks,

Posted: 3/10/2017 11:06:54 AM EDT

[#1]

9mm roller locks should be easy to charge. Rifle-caliber can take a few hundred rounds to "break in". Something sounds funny with your gun

Posted: 3/10/2017 11:27:55 AM EDT

[#2]

Yeah, I have a PTR 91 and it's much easier to charge.

Posted: 3/10/2017 11:46:31 AM EDT

[#3]

Just got off the phone with Rob at Zenith. They are sending me a shipping label and want to take a look at it. They agree that it shouldn't take that much effort to charge.

Posted: 3/10/2017 1:15:21 PM EDT

[#4]

Quote History

Quoted:
Just got off the phone with Rob at Zenith. They are sending me a shipping label and want to take a look at it. They agree that it shouldn't take that much effort to charge.

View Quote

I made a polished "ramp" at the rear of the bolt carrier where it contacts the hammer. Made charging the weapon much easier. I wish they came standard with some sort of ramp like that.

Posted: 3/10/2017 1:44:04 PM EDT

[#5]

I no longer have my original Turk packs to compare against but from what I've seen the Turk SEF semi auto packs have hammers that sit a little higher than their German counterparts. This possibly adds a little extra tension to the initial charge effort. It also doesn't help that the roller lock design is very Germanic in its reliance on several components being in near perfect alignment, so one of several different parts could be slightly out of spec causing the whole shebang to be uneven.

Edit: Also the shorter K guns have a noticably stiffer cocking feel than the larger full size guns, even when they are in perfect working order.

Posted: 3/10/2017 2:24:10 PM EDT

[#6]

Quote History

Quoted:

I made a polished "ramp" at the rear of the bolt carrier where it contacts the hammer. Made charging the weapon much easier. I wish they came standard with some sort of ramp like that.

View Quote

I had my smith do this yesterday. Made very little difference.

Posted: 3/10/2017 2:26:02 PM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:
I no longer have my original Turk packs to compare against but from what I've seen the Turk SEF semi auto packs have hammers that sit a little higher than their German counterparts. This possibly adds a little extra tension to the initial charge effort. It also doesn't help that the roller lock design is very Germanic in its reliance on several components being in near perfect alignment, so one of several different parts could be slightly out of spec causing the whole shebang to be uneven.

Edit: Also the shorter K guns have a noticably stiffer cocking feel than the larger full size guns, even when they are in perfect working order.

View Quote

One thing I did notice is that with the bolt carrier out, the cocking support didn't move smoothly inside the support tube. Felt like it was binding.

All I need to do now is find a shipping box and send it back. I'll let everyone know what the outcome is.

Posted: 3/10/2017 2:32:06 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:

One thing I did notice is that with the bolt carrier out, the cocking support didn't move smoothly inside the support tube. Felt like it was binding.

All I need to do now is find a shipping box and send it back. I'll let everyone know what the outcome is.

View Quote

That isn't a good sign. The cocking tube should feel almost too loose when the action is removed and the retention bearing is unlocked.

Posted: 3/10/2017 3:19:25 PM EDT

[#9]

My Z-5P was _crazy_ hard to charge. It also seemed to get cases stuck to the bolt or something and would jam, I had to pry the round out. I got a new ejector lever and it seemed to fix the jams, but charging handle was still hard to pull.

It did lighten up after shooting it a bit, it's now just "stiff" to pull, but the gun operates reliably and I'm pretty happy with it.

So I think it's normal on these for a very stiff charging handle. Optimal? Correct? Not sure and yours may be much worse and have a different issue, but mine's OK now.

Posted: 3/10/2017 4:54:55 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
Yeah, I have a PTR 91 and it's much easier to charge.

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Huge red flag. The rifle caliber guns use the cocking handle to "pop" the rollers out of the trunion. Pistol calibers don't have this. Your PTR91 should require A LOT more effort than a 9mm to charge.

Posted: 3/10/2017 5:54:54 PM EDT

[#11]

Package went out a little bit ago. I'm thinking maybe an issue with the cocking tube/support maybe? We'll see.

Like I mentioned, I handle a SP89 yesterday and it was smooth as butter to operate. If mine were like that, I'd be thrilled, very easy to charge.

Posted: 3/10/2017 6:12:18 PM EDT

[#12]

I have a POF MP5, HK SP5K and A HK91. all of them pull back smoothly, the 91 takes a tiny bit more effort with the heaver spring.

The POF and the SP5k have no differences worth noting.

Posted: 3/10/2017 9:09:03 PM EDT

[#13]

The Zenith folks will take care of you, they are good people.

Posted: 3/10/2017 9:24:28 PM EDT

[#14]

Yeah my Zenith was tough to charge at first. Just shoot it and break it in. The overall quality seems to be very good, although yeah the tolerances seem to be a bit tighter. My American Cohaire clone has very loose tolerances and is much easier to charge, although the quality isn't nearly as good. One thing I noticed with the Zenith is if the hammer is already cocked it's much easier to charge the weapon, but if the hammer is down you have to use some elbow grease. Another thing I noticed is the angle in which you apply pressure to the charging handle, pull it straight back, don't put upward or downward force on the charging handle or it will be impossible to pull it back.

Posted: 3/10/2017 9:38:09 PM EDT

[#15]

I have a Z5K as well as an SP5K. The charging handle is noticably stiffer on the Zenith, however I only have about 400 rounds through the gun. That being said, it functions flawlessly and appears to be just as accurate as the HK. If you feel tension when the bolt is out there is a problem of some sort. I have heard great things about Zenith and I'm sure they will take a look at your concern and resolve any issues.

Posted: 3/11/2017 10:14:41 PM EDT

[#16]

I went shooting with a buddy today, he has a S5PK that only has a hundred or so rounds and his charging handle is much easier to operate than mine. I'm ok with a gun that needs to be broken in or a certain model needing more effort, but this one was way too stiff. Hopefully the issue is small and an easy or fix, or the issue is me which would also be an easy fix!

If it's me, I'll sell it and get the RS model. I'm very happy with the quality of my Zenith and especially how awesome Rob was on the phone, I'm definitely sending more money their way! I can't wait for the Z43 rifle to come out.

Posted: 3/12/2017 8:56:21 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
I have a Z5-P and the charging effort is quite high. ,

View Quote

Had a gun like that, the cocking handle extension was too long causing the bcg to hit the handle, pin was bent and was hard as hell to charge.

Posted: 3/13/2017 4:26:20 PM EDT

[#18]

My Z5P was stiff at first but fine after a couple hundred flawless rounds. Earl

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Question for those with MP5/clones

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