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My M53/MG42 is almost there

4K views 45 replies 7 participants last post by  RetVet 
#1 ·
The last major task I have is riveting the camming piece into position. The receiver otherwise is complete with grip mods done/installed and working fine. A few pesky problems to diagnose though.....

1. I can't manually pull the bolt back far enough with the cocking handle to eject a cartridge. The raised tab on the rear of the ratchet plate prevents the handle from going back far enough.....about 3/16th" shy. Ratchet plate installed where it needs to be less the tip of the cocking handle protrude in the ejection port. I think I simply ground off too much on the tip of the cocking handle when I notched it where it interacts with the tab on bolt carrier. Easy fix.

2. Getting the bolt back past the camming piece at the point of unlocking the bolt/barrel is now a bear. It was working fine after welding the receiver halves, so I'm confused as to what's causing the problem now.

-Barrel slides back and forth freely without binding under pressure from recuperator.
-Barrel installs and the door closes smoothly.
-No apparent sharp corners or obstructions noted in transition between camming piece ramps and the rails.
-At times I can hear the bolt disengage the barrel and the barrel return forward, but the bolt still resists being pulled to the rear.
-Tried several different bolt head and barrel combinations, no diff. All this with the top cover and feed tray removed.
 
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#28 ·
The lube is MIL-COMM TW25 grease. It's a synthetic white grease, very slippery. Not cheap. About $75 for a 16oz squeeze bottle, but you only need a little dab.
 
#29 ·
RV,

your gonna find out real quick that while you only need a little dab.... your gonna be cleaning this thing EVERY single time you shoot it. lmao

yep it does sound like our hammers are hitting the same place... you may be better off than you thought.

now about those parts... man i hate to even answer this.

the last letter we got on a build said: that if it was made in another country to start with that it was still a foriegn part no matter how much altering you did to it...

that really sux, but the letter was specific to a build about "reworking" bolts and when does it become a US part... this lead to Jestism just making US bolts for the Suomi and baretta's and giving up on conversion's of them.

but if you using Pirates FCG set up you will have all US FAL parts in there... so parts count is no real issue from there.

you can get a US made rear stock from Dan at angola arms if your still a part shy.

sdk
 
#30 ·
I have 5 US made parts for this project so far excluding the bolt/carrier and pistol grip frame. Wise Lite Receiver, Falcon hammer,trigger,sear, home made pistol grip panels. Should be good to go.

I modified a test hammer by adding weld to the top of it then grinding to get a taller flat surface on the front. I'll test it out later today if I get the time.

As for cleaning I clean everything shot same day. Never have been one to let a firearm go dirty regardless of the ammo being used.
 
#31 ·
on this particular build.... the front booster bushing and cone area is pretty important..

mine was not quite loose enough to start with (had a burr in there) and sure enough started to hang.

thanks to Pirate for pointing out that this area should be really free to move.. polished it up and slicked it down.. no more trouble.
 
#33 ·
I wouldn't use the Turk ammo in one of these,save it for bolt action.Romy is good,Portuguese also yugo if you can get it.I like Pirates stuff,there is also a setup that has an entire new US made grip,from Thompson Machine.I have one of each,differant FCG internals. ---bil
 
#34 ·
Not sure how the AR15 trigger group setup is used in one of these, but I recall reading somewhere about using a stronger hammer spring instead of a stock one.

Is the face of the hammer hitting the striker squarely and far enough into the swing? Regardless of which FCG parts used it seems this is a common issue.

I tested mine again yesterday. It went bang just fine, but didn't cycle the next round in. Hand cycled it and the belt didn't move. That particular belt was a post war one, so maybe it was meant for 308 only? I loaded dummies into a different (wartime) belt, definitely for 8mm, and was able to cycle through all the rounds without a hitch. Guess I'll test fire again this afternoon with a WWII belt loaded up with more Romanian. Hopefully, this will be it.

Ditto on the Turk ammo. I've read of too many semiautos getting blown with that stuff.
 
#38 ·
I tested mine again yesterday. It went bang just fine, but didn't cycle the next round in. Hand cycled it and the belt didn't move. That particular belt was a post war one, so maybe it was meant for 308 only? I loaded dummies into a different (wartime) belt, definitely for 8mm, and was able to cycle through all the rounds without a hitch. Guess I'll test fire again this afternoon with a WWII belt loaded up with more Romanian. Hopefully, this will be it.
Kudos, getting closer.... waiting for range vid.
 
#35 ·
RV,

so did that second belt "run thru" or did you just cycle it by hand??

funny ive got a belt that just WONT cycle as well switch the same ammo to the other belt and no problem.. thought it was just me.

looking forward to the full report.
 
#37 ·
Sources for the 'exact' spring I need. Pirate, do you have one you could send me? How are the projects coming you are working on for me? ;)

I still have had zero luck tracking down a dual dove tail for my zb39. At this point I would settle for a MKI. Bueller.....Bueller......Bueller.....Anyone?
 
#39 ·
Didn't get around to test firing today. Sleep was more important (night shifts). Maybe tomorrow afternoon, but definitely this weekend. Might have to take the MG34 along and perhaps the 1919a4 too. Just have a belt fed blow out!
 
#42 · (Edited)
Test fired again with better results, though still a few fail to fire (about 1 out of 5). I think it's good to go and I just need to polish the hammer parts more to make them slicker. All rounds fed and ejected fine. I doubt it's advisable, but I'd bet I could bump fire this thing from the hip.


I riveted the camming piece into position. Decided to make it permanent instead of using a bolt and lock nut.

I plan on parkerizing the beast in a week or so now that I have some other items needing to be done as well...................like the Polish Tantel I built yesterday.
 
#43 ·
RV,

glad to hear you got it going now.. and yep you;ll polish a bit more on it and then all of the sudden it will just run all of the time.

dumb question: since your riveted the cam ring in place, will it parkerize under it? (im not a parker)

oh and refresh my brain, which hammer set up are you using?
 
#44 ·
I'm using FAL fire control parts, Falcon Arms to be specific. Yep, just need to polish a bit more and I'm sure it'll start going bang with every trigger pull.

As for parkerizing, if the solution can get into the area it will get parkerized and if it can't then things like moisture won't be able to get in their either. I look at it as being no different than parkerizing an AK and wondering if the surfaces between the receiver and trunnion will get parkerized.
 
#46 ·
It's an easy metal finish to use. It helps to have a long stainless steel tank in order to do long parts like barreled receivers, but small parts can be done in a small cooking pan on the stove if push comes to shove. I've done that a few times when I just had a few parts to do and didn't feel like setting up the tank and heating 10 gallons of solution!
 
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