MGI MODULAR WEAPON SYSTEM

Quick-change-barrels(Under 30 second barrel change)
Interchangeable Magwell Lower Receiver(accepts mags from many other guns)
AR15-based design, and takes all normal AR15 barrels and parts.
Now one gun can be used with many calibers, take magazines native to that caliber from other guns, and use normal AR15 barrel assemblies, all quick change!

Here are some pics:

AR15 MGI Modular Weapon System with AR15 Magwell installed, and MGI QCB upper receiver.



AR15 MGI Modular Weapon System with AK47(or 74) magwell installed, and MGI QCB upper receiver with 7.62x39 barrel in carbine configuration.


308 Magwell takes unmodified M14 magazines and fits in the AR15 platform. First Ever to do this!
This is a photo of an early prototype, and final revisions will take place over the next few months.
Availability expected late spring.






Since this is the AR Variant forum, I wanted everyone to see the "MOTHER OF ALL AR15 VARIANTS", which allows all variants to be based on ONE SINGLE GUN PLATFORM FOR CALIBERS UP TO 308 !!!!!!!!!!!!

Magwells for 9mm Sten mags, 45ACP Grease Gun mags, 10/22 mags, and duty pistol mags, as well as others, will be introduced as we go along. It's a whole world of AR variants that don't need mag blocks or franken-mags, or dedicated uppers for other calibers. One gun is all guns now!

This new system was introduced at the SHOT Show 2006, and has had some sneak previews prior to that.

Quoted: If the AK magwell uses the standard AR mag release, then I think that will be the closest any of us will get to having a KAC SR47 clone.

The AK magwell uses an AR-style pushbutton mag release, but it is moved down about 1/2" lower due to the geometry of the AK mag construction.

Quoted: I like the AK magwell.  I wish you guys were going to sell them without me having to buy the AR mag well too. You guys going to MPI the 7.62N bolts?

I think that MPI sounds like a intelligent idea for us to do on these bolts.
We only have one at the moment, and we have some more coming in for further testing.
We'll have to discuss with the metallurgists about appropriate test methodology for this different steel that we're using for the 7.62N bolts.

We also have plans to offer the high-strength bolt for the 7.62x39 bolt face, and possibly even for the 5.56 too.

Quoted: What 22 conversions are you targeting with the 10/22 magwell?  I'm hoping it will work with a full-auto dedicated Ciener/Atchisson upper from Kuehl..

We will offer a barrel and action system which will work in our MGI QCB upper receiver.
I see no reason why other conversions with dedicated uppers wouldn't also work with it.
However, we probably won't have opportunity to test it with all the available dedicated 22 conversions, and primarily target it for our particular conversion system.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: What 22 conversions are you targeting with the 10/22 magwell?  I'm hoping it will work with a full-auto dedicated Ciener/Atchisson upper from Kuehl.. We will offer a barrel and action system which will work in our MGI QCB upper receiver. I see no reason why other conversions with dedicated uppers wouldn't also work with it. However, we probably won't have opportunity to test it with all the available dedicated 22 conversions, and primarily target it for our particular conversion system. If it's still in development, would you whisper into the appropriate engineer's ear that it would be awesome if it would trip a RDIAS and not suffer from bolt bounce?   With Kuehl hanging it up soon, you might find that you would inherit a small but profitable market niche.

Our MGI 22 conversion system is already designed and built in prototype, and is made to work in full-auto applications. It will trip an auto-sear, and will not suffer from bolt bounce. We already have the system here, and use it regularly. It can be installed in a normal AR15 upper receiver, if you want a dedicated upper for it. We plan to offer it as a caliber conversion for our QCB, but it will fit in a standard AR15 upper too.

There will also be variants of this package for 22WMR and for 17HMR.

Quoted: nice! would be cool to see a QCB upper for the .308 as well.

The MGI QCB for the AR15  is the one for the 308 as well.
Our 308 kit fits into the  MGI AR15 QCB upper receiver, and uses the MGI AR15 Modular Lower receiver with the M14 308 magwell.
No oversized receivers are needed with our 308 package.
It's all on the same gun as the 223.
We're the first to ever do that.

Quoted: Um so what are the chances of seeing this with say a 12ga barrel and magwell.....

Ummm..............
Well, would you be willing to settle for a 20ga barrel, bolt, and magwell???
We are working on that.
12ga is a bit too big for the platform.

Probably won't see it this year, but it is possible to do the 20ga, and we have it on the development schedule.
20ga mag fed with  buckshot loads might be nice.

You'll see belt feed modules for the lowers for 5.56 and 7.63x39 probably this year.

All this stuff takes some time to develop, and we will do it as we go along.
It's all possible.

Quoted: I have been waiting for a 20ga AR platform based weapon for some time.  Would you have to register the lower as both a SBS and SBR or would a single tax stamp cover both? Would it be recoil operated or gas operated?  Will you be making 10 round mags for it?

Hi DevL,
I don't know the particulars about the tax stamp for short barrelled shotguns, but the lower is serial numbered on the rear half, and the caliber marked "Multi", so that should cover the calibers.
But with a shotgun, things seem to be different, so there may be a need to SBS a short shotgun barrel on the system. Those regulations are not my strong point.

We anticipate gas operation, and it's too early to say what mags will be used, or how many rounds.
This is not going to be in the immediate future, and I'd guess it is a year away.

Quoted: This is very innovative.  I'm very impressed. How does the magazine release work on the 308/M14-mag version?  Does the last-round bolt hold-open work on it as well? I really hope your product does well. This is great.

Thanks for your supportive comments about our system.
We appreciate that very much.

The photo was of the early prototype which arrived late at the show, and did not have the mag release hardware installed, and it was "in the white" with a light coat of black spray paint on it.
We were hard pressed to even get this to the show.
The mag release is the AR-style push-button type, and it is located in the oval hole that is shown in the photo at the bottom rear of the magwell, just in front of the trigger area. It works like the mag release that we have on the AK magwell, and is styled very similar also.

In this prototype, there is no last-round bolt-hold-open device, and it is not clear if we will have enough room to include that feature on this magwell. It is a very tight fit to get that mag in there, and there is very little room left. If we can figure out a way to include that feature, we will. I wouldn't count on an LRBHO on this magwell.

Quoted: How are you going to use the same upper for both 7.62N and 5.56? Maybe I'm not reading it right, but if I am that's pretty freaking cool!

Yes, you are reading it right.
This sytem uses the same lower receiver and upper receiver for all the caliber variations, and you just switch barrels, bolts, and magwells to get the package you want.
And it is all in the AR15 sized platform, with all the major external dimensions and most working parts being standard AR15(some are modified parts).
The receivers are MGI proprietary, but the barrels are normal AR15 barrels(non proprietary) and the mags are normal off-the-shelf mags from the various other guns that they were designed to be used in, such as AR15, AK47 or AK74, or M14, etc.
We build the magwells to take these magazines from the other guns, so that the caliber conversions we use have mags that are native to the caliber being selected in our gun.
No franken-mags or mag blocks are used, or needed.

We also are soon releasing pistol caliber magwells that will take popular SMG mags  such as Sten for 9mm and Grease Gun for 45ACP. Later, we'll release magwells for popular duty pistol mags such as Glock, Beretta, etc.

We are just getting started with bringing out the basic platform here, and there is a world of stuff that can be done with this platform as we go along.

We feel that this is the "new generation" of combat weapon.

Quoted: RDIAS compatible?

AT this time, it must be brought to a machinist by the purchaser, to be cut for RDIAS.

This may change in the future, but that's how it is for right now.
High shelf.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: How are you going to use the same upper for both 7.62N and 5.56? Maybe I'm not reading it right, but if I am that's pretty freaking cool! Yes, you are reading it right........ TWL, how exactly are you pulling it off? The only ways I could think of would be to shorten the bolt assembly some how, or have the carrier ride pretty far back in the buffer tube. I'm guessing you stretched the ejection port as well? Also, do you have any plans to add a top rail on the forend to make it monolithic, or close to being monolithic? I apologize if anything I say sounds dumb. This super modular stuff is foreign to me, but I'm very interested as this is quite a big leap in the AR system. Very good work!

Believe it or not, the stroke length of the normal AR15 is sufficient to work with this cartridge.
The AR10 was made a bit larger than it actually had to be, because of several reasons, and we had to go to some trouble to actually squeeze this into an AR15 platform.
It's a tight squeeze, but it does work.
One of the things that we had to do was eliminate the last-round-bolt-hold-open device because of the room required to fit in the M14 magazine. We may figure out some way to get that back in there, but it is not present in the current prototype.
The ejection port will require some enlargement to get a live round out of the port, which will be needed for clearing a chambered round in case of any malfunction. This should be easily do-able and still retain the port door function. The OAL spec for 308 rounds to fit in an M14 mag is 2.82", and the existing ejection port is 3" long. We'll likely have to open the front area a bit to ensure that it can get out easily. We'll also need to open the height of the ejection port slightly for this 308 round, but that can be done within the existing port door parameters too.
For some other caliber sizes that we envision, the port must be opened even further, and we are investigating ways that we can do that and still have a port door.

Regarding the monolithic nature of our new MGI QCB upper receiver, it starts out as a forged flattop receiver, and a one-piece billet-machined ,4-full-rail anodized handguard, with the QCB locking block involved in this assembly.
The top handguard rail is at the same height as the receiver top rail, and although there is a short gap to allow for our QCB locking mechanism parts, the handguard top rail slots are "timed" with the receiver rail slots, so that any long mounts that "bridge the gap" from receiver rail to handguard rail will be perfectly aligned and spaced for that application.
Regarding the construction techniques, our receivers have "timed threads" on the barrel nut boss of the receiver, to allow our locking block to index vertical, and we use that as one part of our handguard-fixing method. We also have 3 countersunk bolts which further secure the handguard to the receiver, and the handguard butts-up directly against the entire receiver face when it is installed, so that the entire face is a supporting item for strength. When the assembly is put together, an aircraft-grade molecular bonding agent is applied to the parts, so that the joint is actually stronger than the metal around it.
The result is that the assembled unit becomes "monolithic" and effectively is a one-piece unit that cannot come apart after it is assembled. It's "triple joined".
When "test to destruction" in torquing modes were done, the forged receiver portion of the unit ripped in half before damage to the handguard assembly occured, and no movement of the joint was observed.
This is the strongest upper/handguard assembly that I have ever seen. It is brute strong.
I have some photos coming in of the new version of the QCB upper, and I will probably be posting them later today. These units won't be available before the end of March, according to the latest reports from the production staff.

We are aiming for the top with this system.
It is not inexpensive, but we are "pulling out all the stops" to make this system the most effective and best AR15 system on the planet. There are no corners cut with this system. In the past, we made some concessions to keep costs low, and make it more affordable for those on a budget. We have changed that now, and we are building the best we can do, and the price will be what it is.  Unfortunately, it will be out of the price range that some can afford.   In the future, we have plans to offer some new guns to compete in the lower price range. This MGI Modular product line will be the "flagship" of our company, and other guns in the future will give a "nod" to the more price-sensitive markets.

We have achieved our short-term goals of introducing the most advanced individual combat weapon platform in the world. We plan to advance that platform even further, and fully exploit the new aspects of design and performance benfits that this new platform system can provide. At this time, there is no individual combat weapon that is available, or or even known, that can match the performance benefits of our MGI Modular package. It truly stands alone right now.

Here is a pic of the MGI crew at the SHOT SHOW 2006

Left to right:  Mack Gwinn, Crystal Gwinn, Barb Walsh, Mack Gwinn III, Tom Lyons(twl)


And a pic of the MGI Modular System


And a few pics of the new MGI QCB upper reciever system with the improved handguard

Quoted: I gotta say that does look pretty promising. I have one last question then I'll quit annoying you. Will this be offered with a rifle length forend? Thanks!

Yes, we have a modularized handguard system also, which is part of this MGI Modular System.
The standard handguard is carbine length.
There is an extension that mates into the front of the carbine length handguard, which is styled exactly the same as the rest of the handguard, railed exactly the same, and forms a railed handguard for the rifle length system that is continuous and barely noticeable that it is even 2 pieces. This extension is precision sleeve-fitted into the carbine handguard, and 2 countersunk allen-head screws hold it secure, so that there is no wobble, and it is a fully load bearing extension capable of accepting bipods, lights, lasers, sights, etc, without worry about strength.
There is also a similar extension that can be used for midlength barrels.

So, we have a modular railed handguard that is capable of being configured for whichever length of gas system you may be using with the barrels you select in your quick-change-barrel(QCB) system. No need to be "stuck" with a dedicated handguard length. You can easily configure the basic handguard to whichever length is required for the barrel being used at the time.

I'll try to get pics of this extension piece to show you.
There is a distant view of it on the table in front of us in the SHOT Show pic of the crew that I posted above. It's the unit with the ACOG on it at the rear of the table in the center. You can see that it is a longer version handguard, but unfortunately the detail isn't very visible in that photo.

Quoted: hell yes       That looks killer tom                   how long do you estimate before i am able to get mine?   thanks    ADAM

Adam,
The most recent information that I have on availability of the new QCB is that they should be in by late March. I've got the first one on hold for you.

Quoted: Oh boy!  I like this system a lot better with the rails actually cut into the handguard.  The previous system with the handguard made out of a tube and rails bolted on was way less elegant looking.  Looks like you guys added a retainer for those QR handles that release the barrel.  How's that work?  (Kinda looks like it fits the picatiny rail, that would be cool.) One of my buddies has an early version of the QCB, and it was really awesome.   The only thing was that the handguards finish looked worse for the wear.  What kind of finish is on this new handguard?

Glad you like it!

The new retaining system for the cam levers is basically a slide-lock that does ride on the bottom rail, and moves forward to reveal the levers for opening the barrel change mechanism. Then it slides back over the levers, containing them in the holes in the slide-lock, so that the levers are completely enclosed and snag-free when the system is closed. The slide-lock shown in the photos is a preliminary prototype, and we are improving that part before the product is released. It  will be re-styled and a secondary push-button safety lock will be included to ensure the slide-lock cannot  accidentally move during use.

The finish on the new model MGI QCB is hard anodized finish overall, just like the finish on the rest of the upper receiver. No more powder coating! This is top-of-the-line.

No retrofits to older QCB units are possible with this new handguard system.
Differences in the way it is manufactured make retrofits impossible.