So I thought I’d take a few minutes and give an update on how “easy” the blem receivers are to assemble that came from Zenith a few weeks ago. I took one at random from the box as well as the parts I ordered and tried to put it together “just like an AR15” as it should be that simple….right?
Well here’s a break down of what I found along the way:
•I tried three different bolt assemblies (all original HK94 take outs) to find one that had a decent bolt gap. All had 00 rollers and a standard 100 degree locking piece. First one was at .004 and the second was .026 with the third one coming in at .014
•Tried to install the magazine paddle release bushing only to find I had to open the hole by one drill size as it was slightly out of alignment when the paddle was on the bushing.
•Went to install the magazine catch only to find I had to open that hole up too as it was too tight on the slider. I also found that I had to drill out the magazine release button hole and matching hole in the magazine catch as the roll pin supplied was .110 and the hole was only .101 (sorry to break it to you-but roll pins don’t like to collapse .010 when they are big, let alone small)
•Ground down the heavy welds To make it more appalling to the eye and gotta say that didn’t look too bad….oh and had to grind the rear stock pin bottom so the lower and stock would interface correctly.
•Found that the cocking handle cap hole (in the front sight ring) was crushed/egged by .050 and I had to recut so I could install the cap correctly.
•When using an HK rear sight (off a demilled MP5 kit I got in) I found that the rear sight mount was slightly thicker so a few strokes of a file were needed so the rear sight would slide freely if adjustment was needed.
Now for the range report:
After cycling and dry firing in the shop to make sure it was working correctly, I took it to the range for test fire. Right out of the gate I found that the trigger wasn’t resetting. I could feel it grinding on something when it was trying to reset after firing (didn’t hang up while dry firing) took the trigger pack apart and found that there was a rivet head in the housing that was sticking up ever so slightly, putting pressure on the trigger and causing it to not freely rebound (this trigger group was purchased from Zenith too)
All in all I spent roughly 5 1/2 hours on this “easy to assemble” blem receiver. Now that it’s done, I can say that it’s a great shooting weapon, BUT I can also tell you that it’s not for someone who has never worked on an HK roller lock firearm before and not for someone who thinks it’s just a “plug and play” like “building an AR”
Well here’s a break down of what I found along the way:
•I tried three different bolt assemblies (all original HK94 take outs) to find one that had a decent bolt gap. All had 00 rollers and a standard 100 degree locking piece. First one was at .004 and the second was .026 with the third one coming in at .014
•Tried to install the magazine paddle release bushing only to find I had to open the hole by one drill size as it was slightly out of alignment when the paddle was on the bushing.
•Went to install the magazine catch only to find I had to open that hole up too as it was too tight on the slider. I also found that I had to drill out the magazine release button hole and matching hole in the magazine catch as the roll pin supplied was .110 and the hole was only .101 (sorry to break it to you-but roll pins don’t like to collapse .010 when they are big, let alone small)
•Ground down the heavy welds To make it more appalling to the eye and gotta say that didn’t look too bad….oh and had to grind the rear stock pin bottom so the lower and stock would interface correctly.
•Found that the cocking handle cap hole (in the front sight ring) was crushed/egged by .050 and I had to recut so I could install the cap correctly.
•When using an HK rear sight (off a demilled MP5 kit I got in) I found that the rear sight mount was slightly thicker so a few strokes of a file were needed so the rear sight would slide freely if adjustment was needed.
Now for the range report:
After cycling and dry firing in the shop to make sure it was working correctly, I took it to the range for test fire. Right out of the gate I found that the trigger wasn’t resetting. I could feel it grinding on something when it was trying to reset after firing (didn’t hang up while dry firing) took the trigger pack apart and found that there was a rivet head in the housing that was sticking up ever so slightly, putting pressure on the trigger and causing it to not freely rebound (this trigger group was purchased from Zenith too)
All in all I spent roughly 5 1/2 hours on this “easy to assemble” blem receiver. Now that it’s done, I can say that it’s a great shooting weapon, BUT I can also tell you that it’s not for someone who has never worked on an HK roller lock firearm before and not for someone who thinks it’s just a “plug and play” like “building an AR”
