[TpaGreenHornet]

So before the 41p went in to effect I bought 3 guns. Two were Zenith's. A z5-p and a z5-rs. The other was a Kriss VEctor in 45. I know guns need to be broken in so I was spending my time getting some rounds through the Kriss since i had plenty of ammo in 45. I love my 45's. About a month ago I take a new friend shooting and figured I had a case of 9mm now would be a good time to start breaking in the Z5-P. I had read on here that Zenith recommends using 147 gr ammo for break in. So I had loaded up all 3 mags with Federal AE 147gr rounds. Load the first mag and cycle the bolt. point it down range and click! No boom. First time in 20 years of buying guns I didn't have the first shot fire out of a new gun. So I cocked it again ejecting the full round picking it up to look at the primer. no strike. Did this 5 times in disbelief and on the 6th it started firing. Rab smooth for the rest of that mag and the next. On the third mag after about 20 rounds it quits firing. Pulled the mag and cycled the gun to eject the good round and then have parts fall out of the magazine well. Gun is dead. Put the spring and little pin in the case and close it up.
I knew I had my other Z5-rs to break in also finally got to the range yesterday after work with it. well it fires but has a hell of a problem going into full battery. Using the same 147 gr federal rounds. After 400 rounds and too many to count failures i finally put it away. It almost seems like the recoil spring is too weak. It'll close enough to look like it's in full battery but not enough for a primer strike even though it will drop the hammer. When you pull the mag out to clear the malfunction it will then close the rest of the way into battery but has to be recocked ejecting the round. All the loose rounds on the table were some of the ftf in the first 150 rounds. reloading them and trying again would fire 95% of them from a magazine.

I'm wanting to deal with one person at Zenith. Who is the best contact from here for them?

TL;DR My two nib Zeniths are failures and my Kriss Vector is shining on

 

[Caius]

Have you tried recreating the problem with different ammo? Seems strange that both of your Z5s are acting up, it would imply some sort of fault in that batch. My Z5RS haven't had a single failure since day one and same with a buddy's Z5P.

 

[TpaGreenHornet]

The z5-p ran great after the first 5 rounds didn't fire, till it broke. After getting frustrated with my RS on the last mag where I had to drop the mag after every shot. About 350 rounds into shooting the RS. I loaded up all the the miss feeds and last 100 rounds I had in my friends Glock 19. The glock fired everything as fast as I could pull the trigger.

 

[Caius]

Might be wrong but AFAIK there haven't been a lot of reports of reliability issue with MKE guns. In fact, I think most users have had pretty good experience with theirs. I know mine is a solid performer so far. So either you have really terrible luck and got the two lemons of the bunch or you are doing something wrong. Are these guns new from factory? Did you clean and lube them prior to shooting?

 

[TpaGreenHornet]

I just got off the phone from Zenith. Talking with Rob Ill be getting a shipping label in the morning. He said from talking with me I've tried to break them in properly. I know they haven't had a lot of issues that's why I bought them and have form 1's in on them. No I didn't clean them first. I've never cleaned any bnib gun I've bough over the years and it's been a lot. As long as they get them shooting well I'll be happy. Things happen not everything comes out perfect.
I'll keep this post informed. I didn't post to bash just letting my experience be known

 

[killergrapes]

I've seen a number of people here and on other forums complain about issues with the 147gr flat nose rounds. My RS feeds them just fine, but really any mp5 clone should. I would have shot some other ammo before calling Zenith, but they do have a 5 year warranty, so why not use it?

 

[N4KVE]

No I didn't clean them first. I've never cleaned any bnib gun I've bough over the years and it's been a lot.

For me it's a MUST DO. New guns have metal chips, oil, & other remnants from the mfg process. Many customers buy a new gun, & go immediately to our range w/o cleaning them first, & have problems. To help them, I will quickly clean their gun, & they go right back onto our range, & the gun then works properly. While this may not be necessary for all guns, it is for many. It's certainly worth 10 minutes of effort. GARY

 

[gtguard]

For me it's a MUST DO. New guns have metal chips, oil, & other remnants from the mfg process. Many customers buy a new gun, & go immediately to our range w/o cleaning them first, & have problems. To help them, I will quickly clean their gun, & they go right back onto our range, & the gun then works properly. While this may not be necessary for all guns, it is for many. It's certainly worth 10 minutes of effort. GARY

I can attest to this with multiple rifles. Many have that brown tar-like substance sprayed on all metal parts and you can feel how sticky it is.

Good luck with the warranty OP.

 

[SOLgardener]

I can attest to this with multiple rifles. Many have that brown tar-like substance sprayed on all metal parts and you can feel how sticky it is.

Good luck with the warranty OP.

Yep- same here. I did a cursory clean of my RS and it ran pretty good. I tried firing some subs through my can wet and it made a mess. I got home and sprayed some carb cleaner in and cleaned out a good amount of brownish lacquer type coating. Once I worked to get this stuff out and reoil, it's been without any issue for hundreds and hundreds of rounds.

 

[NORCIMMUS]

I recall reading somewhere that Zenith recommends shooting their guns straight out of the box with NATO spec rounds to ensure reliability and proper break-in. Can't find where I've read/heard that. I normally strip of all factory grease/lube when I acquire a new gun but I actually left it the way it was from Zenith for about 250 rounds.

 

[K5GHOST]

Interesting report. Please report back and let us know what MKE says and their remedy. Also, I believe MKE recommends 124gr, NATO, NOT 147gr. as you mentioned originally.

 

[TpaGreenHornet]

For me it's a MUST DO. New guns have metal chips, oil, & other remnants from the mfg process. Many customers buy a new gun, & go immediately to our range w/o cleaning them first, & have problems. To help them, I will quickly clean their gun, & they go right back onto our range, & the gun then works properly. While this may not be necessary for all guns, it is for many. It's certainly worth 10 minutes of effort. GARY

Guess maybe I should start. It's just never been a problem before or with anyone else I've ever shot with. Now I did get mil sur and that will be cleaned as it's coated in cosmoline.

I can attest to this with multiple rifles. Many have that brown tar-like substance sprayed on all metal parts and you can feel how sticky it is.

Good luck with the warranty OP.

They didn't seem like they were overly oiled so I didnt worry about them.

I recall reading somewhere that Zenith recommends shooting their guns straight out of the box with NATO spec rounds to ensure reliability and proper break-in. Can't find where I've read/heard that. I normally strip of all factory grease/lube when I acquire a new gun but I actually left it the way it was from Zenith for about 250 rounds.

Customer service told me on the phone that 124/ 147 was good for breaking in. He was fine with the Ferderal AE ammo I was using. He actually said the z5-p is more picky on ammo cause of the short action but the z5-p was running through them no problem till it spit some parts out.

 

[TpaGreenHornet]

Interesting report. Please report back and let us know what MKE says and their remedy. Also, I believe MKE recommends 124gr, NATO, NOT 147gr. as you mentioned originally.

The guy was great on the phone. Was very apologetic and emailed me the warranty return forms for both guns right away. He thinks the bolt in the rs might be hanging up on the magazine because it finishes going into full battery as soon as you release the mag to clear the malfunction. I'm not sweating them it sounds like they are gonna make them right.

 

[leibstandarte10]

I've seen a number of people here and on other forums complain about issues with the 147gr flat nose rounds. My RS feeds them just fine, but really any mp5 clone should. I would have shot some other ammo before calling Zenith, but they do have a 5 year warranty, so why not use it?

IME, it's been hit or miss with MP5s (including real HK ones) and flatnose/hollowpoint rounds. I didn't have much success with the Federal 147 grain flatnose rounds either. Try Winchester Train and Defend 147 grain instead.

 

[aziroc]

OP, sorry to hear about your problems and hopefully Zenith takes care of you.

I know my z5rs had a few small issues when i first got it. a few FTE's per mag, but the only ammo i had made (reloads) were very low power 115gr for my full size usp. so i knew this had to be the issue. my 2nd time out i took some normal 147s and 115s and shot a few mags and it went fine.

 

[Traveler2]

Shot my new 5RS after a good initial cleaning, Ran about 200 Rds of 124 gr MEN & some Hungarian Ammotec. Ran flawlessly and is accurate, can't wait to SBR it.

 

[TpaGreenHornet]

Just to update this thread so it's not a endless thread. Just got an email back from Zenith. They replaced and adjust some parts on both guns. They recommended run heavy on the lube when breaking their guns. I have to say the customer service has been amazing during all of this. Here is the email copy and pasted for you to read.


Hello Todd,

I wanted to write a quick note to let you know that your Z-5RS and Z-5P will be shipping back to you tomorrow once we’ve had a chance to sonic clean and lubricate them. I will provide you with a UPS 2nd Day Air Tracking Number in the afternoon so that you know when to expect them. Our armory department replaced the cocking tube support and collar on your Z-5P and had no issues during the test fire procedure. The Z-5RS required a minor adjustment to the magazine well but was mainly binding due to the lack of lubrication on the bolt carrier assembly. When the magazines are fully loaded and under tension (especially with a new model that isn’t broken in), the bolt carrier tends to drag when feeding if it’s not properly lubricated. We typically advise running heavy lubrication whenever possible, unless your in a very dusty/sandy environment, in which case a dry lube would be best. I have attached two completed return forms so that you can see the details regarding the test fire procedure and any repairs or adjustments that were made. I am uploading the files in jpeg format for simplicity. I’ll be in touch with you tomorrow to provide you with shipping information. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Respectfully,

 

[dan1612]

Hmmm. I don't remember cleaning or lubing mine before shooting it the first time. IIRC, I ran half and half 115 and 147. My RS had no problems at all, but I mainly run it suppressed, so maybe the extra backpressure helps. Kudos to Zenith for working the warranty, love mine, its a work in progress but what gun isnt? Haha!

 

[JohnnyBoi]

You should pretty much clean any new gun that's not a glock 🙂

 

[FergusandCo]

They had to have issues way beyond lubrication.

Parts falling out of the mag well is pretty much a show stopper.

Are they problem free now?