I’m waiting on a M11/9 to clear NFA and have a 9mm Lage Mk2 upper waiting for it. I initially wrote off the Max 11/15 upper being that I have a couple of Colt M16’s and a HK sear with a few 5.56 host options. But the more I think about it the more I come to the conclusion “more options are better”. I’ve never seen one in the wild but they seem to run great just judging by the YouTube videos, even though they are fairly “ugly”. The other reason I am considering one is the current administration’s apparent intentions to serialize upper receivers as well. Just seeing if anyone has one and what they think about it? Not wanting to alter the M11/9 receiver I was considering the “internal recoil mechanism/IRM model. Thanks for any insight.

I love my 11/15 but I don't have any other 223 hosts and the upper is way cheaper then a registered lower. H&K sear is great but it hardly ever leaves my MP5SD.

I have a friend who has one for his M11/9 and have shot it multiple times.

I also have a bunch of other 5.56 caliber machineguns as well,  multiple M16s and HKs, AUGs, AC556, FNC.

The Max 11/15 is a really nice to have option for somebody who only owns a M11/9 and an M16 or HK sear is financially out of reach.  However,  I personally have never had the desire to purchase one for my M11/9 either.

Its not that the Max 11/15 is bad per say.  They run well, are reliable, take M16 magazines, etc.  Richard did a really great job getting a 5.56 upper out to M11/9 owners.   However, the Max 11/15 also doesn't offer anything that an M16 or HK 5.56 machinegun already does better IMHO.  While the MAx 11/15s  are not super expensive they are not cheap either at $3K.

As you mentioned they won't win any beauty contests and the Max 11/15 suffers from many of the same challenges that make the M11/9 not the worlds best subgun out there.  The M11 grip profile and grip angle isn't the must comfortable, trigger pull is pretty marginal, fires from an open bolt so first shot on target accuracy suffers a bit.

However this is coming from somebody who also doesnt really have much desire for one of the many different Lage 9mm uppers either.  I leave my M11/9 in fairly stock form and sometime swap in a tungsten bolt with a suppressor.   If I want a really smooth shooting subgun I have MP5s or if I want to shoot a slow ROF open bolt subgun I have a bunch of other options to pick from.  I appreciate the M11/9 for what it is, being a relatively small high ROF subgun.

Personally if you already have an M16 and HK 5.56 machineguns, I would much rather put the $3K 11/15 dollars toward a $5K Shrike/MCR upper.  

If you don't have a belt fed, the Shrike/MCR will give you belt fed option for your collection vs. the 11/15 which just gives you another magazine fed upper that won't be as nice as the 5.56 mag fed guns you already have.  


The other option would be to get a different HK host for your sear like one of the 7.62x39 PTR guns.   The 16" full size and 12" K guns in my experience is pretty plug and play once you swap the bolt carrier out for a full auto tungsten fill unit. They have a really smooth recoil impulse, slow ROF, and gobble up cheap 7.62x39 steel case ammo so make for a great range toy.  They have a really different personality vs. either the 5.56 or 308 guns for not much money.

Good luck with whatever you choose.  The 11/15 is a nice option, but with what you already own I would see the 11/15 probably just gathering dust vs. being shot on a regular basis.

I have a Fightlite upper already, the 22lr upper is intriguing.

jbntex a thorough report as always sir, it’s appreciated ....lol.....I’d love a MM23 or 21 belt fed, but they aren’t cheap. My rationale (which is probably highly flawed) on the M11/15 would be to keep “high mileage” off of the M16’s and plus its kind of a neat concept, even being an ugly duckling. Looks like I have some more thinking to do.

Not a bad idea to try and keep wear off your M16s and there is no right or wrong answer.

The guy who I shoot with that owns it bought it because he likes to tinker and play with different stuff.  He also has an HK sear, an AUG, a couple of RLLs, etc. and still bought the Max 11/15 anyway and shoots it on occasion.

I have another friend in town who also has an M11 and an M16 and was on the waiting list for the 11/15 upper from the get go and decided that it wasn't worth $3K for something so similar to his M16 and spent the money on a Shrike instead.

At the end of the day you can buy it, see if you like it and worst case you can probably sell it for $2500 without issue. I will say they do work and run so its not like you would be potentially buying a $3K basket case.

If they were $1000, I would probably buy one to play with it as well, but for me its just hard to justify $3K for basically a mag fed upper that I probably wouldn't shoot much.

The way mine is mocked up, idk ....it really grows on you.  longer barrel, bipod, eotech, beta mag...I bet mine could come in 2nd or 3rd in a beauty contest

Just need the lower put of jail ...let's go ATF!

Post some pictures of her....Mine just went on the clock mid April so I have a long way to go. The 2X4 pistol grip and the out of place/forward magwell may grow on me, kinda like an ugly girlfriend with a great personality and giggle switch.

If you paid $800 for a M11 you may go, ehhhhhh.
If you paid $7000, it's just a  drop in the bucket.

The longer barrel and the beta mag help with aesthetics...there is a YouTube video of a dude who did similar and that is what pushed me to pull the trigger.  Not sure about the carry handle placement yet ...just dicking with it for fun

Also as above poster stated, m16 25k-30k is out of my realm for 1 single firearm...but for under 12k I have a subgun with multiple uppers and calibers...that all work with accessories and ammo I already have.

EDIT:

Here is the youtube video that I mentioned above, thing runs like butter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1GHe-Bl5ec

IMO it Doesn’t make sense if you already own a 5.56 platform but if all you have is a Mac you don’t have the budget to upgrade then the max11/15 is a great way to get into the 5.56 world and is worth the price.

With that said if you have the money go for it.

It technically doesn’t make sense to buy a 5.56 HK  if you own a M16, but it’s your money and your collection do what you want with it. Life is short, enjoy it.

I find the MAX11-15 to be the logical evolution of the poor man's HK trigger pack. If you have no other 5.56 platforms it's completely worth it. As part of the beta testing it was run with 7.62x39, 458 SOCOM, and 300 blackout barrel configs so there's always that too if you're handy with barrel swaps. You aren't just married to 5.56. IRM was able to handle all of the calibers I believe too. No real disadvantage other than the high speed flying recoil spring if you aren't careful during assembly/disassembly.

@Heineken

Looks great! I like the LMG setup. IMO the handle looks perfect....LOL...I’ve watched that same video. That guy is so matter of fact it's unsettling and funny at the same time.

I was in the same boat. I had an M-16 and an M11/nine. I bought the 11/15 upper for options. It shoots really well, probably smoother than the M-16. My thought for getting it was if I had to sell one of the MGs I would always have a rifle caliber.

With that said, I recently sold the M11/nine and all the Lage goodies to a highly motivated buyer. I may regret it later but decided to dedicate my attention to the M-16.

I say buy it. You won't regret it. It's the only thing rifle caliber wise going for the mac series of guns for the foreseeable future.

Yes, very much so.

I was on the 11/15 waitlist for a while but ended up passing on it.  If you have an M16 or HK sear, that $3K is probably better spent on hosts and uppers. Since you already have an M16, I would definitely recommend a dedicated .22lr CMMG upper with their sear trip kit. It will probably take some experimenting with ammo and springs, but well worth it when you get it running. Get the BDM .22lr 50 round drums while you can.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion. How long is the "foreseeable future"? Is that 6 months,  a year, ten years? The guys working on modifications for the MAC style family of RR aren't going away. A&S Conversions is working on resubmition Of the Tenko 10-16. That should be this summer. We have changed the design such that the ATF won't be able to get it to fire with a C-clamp, vice, some angle iron, and zip ties. Once we get approval we will reconfigure the adapter for use with the M11/NINE. It won't be next week, but we are working on it. At least to me, I would call that the foreseeable future. YMMV.

Scott

When asked a question about the cost of operating a large yacht, the late J.P. Morgan is said to have responded, “You have no right to own a yacht if you ask that question.”

Disclaimer:  I have no affiliation with or financial interest in any vendor or manufacturer; and I am not a competitive shooter or a blogger who receives any form of compensation for endorsements or favorable public or private comments.  Use of vendor and/or product brand name is for informational purposes only.

Best of luck.
MHO, YMMV, etc.  Be well.

If you can see 10 years into the future we need to talk....


The ATF will continue to pull that type of shit until someone come down on them and that won't be our current china joe and the hoe.

And in any case, as far as I know there's nothing stopping someone from buying a Lage M11/15 now and (hopefully) enjoying it.  Then, if and when the Tenko 11-16 comes out, buying that and selling the M11/15 to help fund the Tenko.  There are Stony Creek Armory and Alliance Armament uppers as well as Lage uppers that come up for sale every now again.

Disclaimer:  I have no affiliation with or financial interest in any vendor or manufacturer; and I am not a competitive shooter or a blogger who receives any form of compensation for endorsements or favorable public or private comments.  Use of vendor and/or product brand name is for informational purposes only.

Best of luck.
MHO, YMMV, etc.  Be well.

I have a M11/9, M10 and an FNC and still haven't bought the 11/15 upper.  End of day, I might shoot 500 to 1k rounds of 5.56 through my FNC in a year back when ammo wasn't nuts.  I find punching holes in paper close up more enjoyable in 9mm anyway and you can hit steel inside of 50 yards.

Does the 11/15 convert well to 7.62x39?  That might be enough to get one, but only when ammo gets cheap again.  I was waiting to see the Tenko in 7.62x39 but who knows if that ever happens.

I instead bought the suomi upper for my M10.  I like it a lot.  If you happen to have kids and newbies around to shoot, its a great machine gun for them given its weight and ROF.  Put a bipod on it and its easy peasy for new shooters.

If you just want to tinker with something, go for the 11/15.  Otherwise how much wear and tear are you really going to save vs. the cost of $3k?  

I don't have a M11 so no max11/15 to look at but my understanding is to covert it to 7.62x39 you'll need to change the barrel with gas tube and block, bolt (not the carrier) and use an appropriate magazine. About the same as with an AR but not as easy.


I want a Tenko too.