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Are G36 clones duty capable?

10K views 33 replies 25 participants last post by  holdfastgreg 
#1 ·
Would you take your G36 conversion to war if Red Dawn happened tomorrow (Yes, i know this is highly unlikely but humor me)? How about for patrol work as LE? Which conversion type would be more suitable - plastic weld or stock block? I am curious of opinions of the reliability and durability compared to the real deal.
 
#2 ·
Tbostic and Chopstix Kid have been doing the welds for years without a single report of failure.
I think one of them actually tested the UMP by hitting a sturdy chair with it.. and they say I'm crazy!
So I would trust one of the weld jobs personally, but I have no idea if a department would allow one to be used for patrol.
 
#3 ·
Since these are conversions done by private individuals and not warrantied by HK, I doubt they would be allowed for use by LEOs, especially the ones where they cut up the receiver and plastic weld it back together. I think the conversions are relatively durable, but if I had to depend on a gun for my life, I'd choose a full factory gun first, instead of something that had been modified with aftermarket compliance parts of unknown long term durability. Besides for Red Dawn or Zombie Invasion, I'd probably choose one of my AR platforms due to the ease of finding compatible mags.
 
#4 ·
This is quite a silly question. A department could get *the*real*thing* for far less than they could get a conversion. So why would they get a conversion? If it's a SHTF situation, then anything that can spit bullets is in play.
 
#5 ·
If RED DAWN happen. You would want something every one had... WHY so you get spare parts off the death people. Magazines, uppers, and or firing pins and so forth. Something rare... you would dump it after you ran out of ammo or parts.
I agree with LOHE - both Bostic and Chop make excellent products.. I'm sure they would work thru red dawn..
 
#6 ·
Geez, did anybody else see Red Dawn? Issued weapons were not available to the partisans but its a moot point. I was just trying to provide a scenario for gauging conversions for practical applications. I don't plan on carrying an original or converted G36 in my patrol car as i'm not LE. What i am ultimately trying determine is how close conversions rate to the real deals for durability and reliablilty. Do welds, stock blocks or american made parts impair these characteristics and if so how much? If the Reds started parachuting in would you grab your G3 conversion or something else first like an AR?
 
#13 ·
I run my sl8/g36 for 3 gun where it sees more than its share of abuse. It has been dropped, beat, thrown into walls...you name it.. It still works

I have also run the gun through a few carbine course... it worked flawlessly.

We have a few real g36(c)s at work, and the cost the agency gets them for would make you cry.

I hear little to no issues with reliability, alot of agencies have dumped them for m4 style weapons. I think the consistency of the AR platform controls and ease of finding parts are the real pushes... maybe some better more aggressive sales people. S&W and others are known to make some stupid crazy gotta be loosing money deals to get departments on to their platforms.
 
#14 ·
So to answer your questions and clarify the above post...

Yes they should be as long as you have milled for the magazines.

But NO I think there are better options if this is a real duty weapon, one being a real g36 but those are only available through agency purchase. I dont know of any officers who can purchase the real deal for themselves directly.
 
#15 ·
I will give my honest answer... no. I would not grab an SL8/G36 conversion of ANY kind, mine included (assuming I had options). Reasons being...

1) Mill the magwell for G36 mag -- receiver gets really really flimsy in the middle
2) Reinforce the magwell with a steel plate such as I do -- near factory strength but it can still be flexed to the point where the plate will break free. Granted, it takes a lot (I mean a lot) to do it, but its failure point is still below that of the factory G36 or uncut SL8 magwell.
3) Cut/fuse the rear stub with 360-degree plastic welding and upper steel reinforcing plate -- I have put one through a considerable amount of stress, but as someone noted earlier, these babys ain't cheap so I doubt anyone has really given one an adequate torture test. But as with the magwell, I would suspect its failure point to be close to, but defintely less than that of a factory G36 or uncut SL8.

As Lohe noted, I did take a good whack at the back of chair with both an SL8/G36 and USC/UMP conversion on a couple of occasions. While I think it proves that they can handle an excessive amount of shock, you have to consider prolonged excessive abuse... something that these conversions (mine and most likely everyone elses) have not been subjected to.
 
#20 ·
While stationed in Germany with the US Army, jumped with the Germans a few times.

Combat jump, one of the Germans had his weapons case with G36 burn in, from the normal ruck lowering altitude of about 200 feet. His weapon shattered... Seen M16s and M4s do the same, and they need to be rezeroed, but no major damage.

Another training event with the Bundeswehr, watched a German soldier dive into the prone position, and his G36 magazine break open.
 
#24 · (Edited)
In a Red Dawn scenario? Grab something that fires 5.45x39. Preferably one of their own Ak-107/8s. They sent all the 30 cal stuff to third world countries... like the soon-to-be U.S.A.

The Chinese are doing exactly that. They normally use the 5.8x42 round, superior (or so they say) to the US 5.56 or the Russkazipski 5.45 in their QBZ-95. For their Red Dawn tactics, they also have a QBZ-97, which uses 5.56 and accepts standard US M-16 type mags.





Have something that shoots the bad guy's ammo. For Zombies, yer on yer own. A chainsaw comes to mind... a long one.
 
#25 ·
It don't matter to me a bit. The only gun I'll grab and leave the house with will be the AK74. Somewhere along the way I'm going to shoot the next poor bastard and take whatever he's using, and so on and so on. Longevity won't be a problem.
 
#27 ·
In a real 'Red Dawn' or Zombie apocalypse type situation where you are needing your gun that much, I think the whole idea of anyone living long enough to combat stress test their Chopstix G36 conversion or the need for 'spare parts' for any gun is quite optimistic. More than likely most people will be lucky to run more than a few magazines through their rifles in anger before they are killed anyway, so I think the question is not really that important. If I recollect in Red Dawn, the town folks who grabbed their guns and came out to fight the paratroopers were mostly eliminated on the first day. If you live a long time after STHF, you're probably not doing much shooting, and if you are doing a lot of shooting, you will probably not be living that long - so don't sweat it. Just make sure when you go down your G36 Conversion is in your hand so you'll go to Valhalla and become one of the Einherjar. -_^
 
#28 ·
If I recollect in Red Dawn, the town folks who grabbed their guns and came out to fight the paratroopers were mostly eliminated on the first day.
Well, for one, it was a movie, two, if you go out looking for trigger time with a 45acp in your hand against paras with AKs and the like, yes, you will have your wrist stepped on as the para pries yer 45 out of yer cold, dead hand for a trophy.
 
#29 ·
I doubt any invasion and any other situation I can't see greasing my neighbor cause he needs a cup of water. Plenty of woe all over the place not requiring anyone to shoot anyone. Well in this country anyway, so I think I'll save the vest and my clone will hold up fine. I'll pull out the G3 if it comes to the ever present need to bayonet or buttstroke a fella.
 
#31 ·
Ya'll grab whatever crappy small ARM weapon you want. When the zombie apocalypse hits, I'm going to fort Jackson here in Columbia and getting a humvee loaded with either the ma deuce, mini gun or mark 19. So ya'll stick with your AK's if you want. I'll still be here after it all ends and then get to shoot all the fa's I want!
 
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