MP5 Mag Wobble

ReluctantDecoy

NES Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2017
Messages
7,103
Likes
9,218
Location
Cambridge, MA
Feedback: 1 / 0 / 0
Hi All,

Just seeing if anyone out there has any experience with forward/back mag wobble on an MP5/MP5 clone, and if so, if you were able to correct it.

I have an admittedly not so great clone, so I figure most of my issues are due to poor replication. Although I've also seen this issue posted about Zenith clones (bad batch, or so I heard), so even a bigger name brand can also run into this issue.

Mag seats and releases fine, and for the most part it doesn't seem to affect feed or ejection, but the fact that I can rock an inserted mag nearly a CM at the bottom of the mag forward and back seems like a problem. I tried making a ramped shim for the front interior of the mag well, and while that solved the problem of wobble, it makes mag release extremely difficult. The cylinder part of my mag release paddle seems to move a couple MM towards the mag when you operate it, so removing wobble space also seems to remove operating space for the mag release. Do I just live with it? I just hate how much it rattles, and I'm sure this is beating up my mags with so much movement.

I was thinking flattening the barrel of the mag release paddle would work in conjunction with the shim, but I wanted to see if any other solutions are out there before I take this more drastic measure.
 
How much wobble? does it wobble with the bolt forward? I have a may 2019 zenith Z5P with some wobble with the bolt to the rear. It doesnt bother me at all. A user on reddit was able to reduce his wobble by bending the front of his magwell in.


View: https://www.reddit.com/r/MP5/comments/b9xf0g/zenith_mke_z5rs_lots_of_mag_wobble_with_bolt_open/


Mine is just as bad, if not worse than this video you posted. Side is side is negligible, but forwards/aft is pretty bad. However, never having owned or even touched an MP5 before, I wasn't sure what was in the range of normal tolerance. This seemed off though. I believe mine wobbles both bolt open and closed, but will have to pay closer attention if there is any difference.

Edited to say: whoa--guy fixes his with vice grips and some tape? Will have to check that out. Never occurred to me to try to re-shape the mag well. I was trying to shim mine. Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Mine wobbles about a 1/4-1/2" with the bolt open. I have heard that is in the normal range. If the gun runs, I wouldn't worry about it. I know on a Zenith, if you send it back, they will squeeze the magwell tighter
 
It is designed to rock in. some wobble is normal. if it feeds with no issues stop screwing with it. ( HK roller locked guns are kind of unique unto themselves. )
 
It is designed to rock in. some wobble is normal. if it feeds with no issues stop screwing with it. ( HK roller locked guns are kind of unique unto themselves. )

I listened to the guys here and just left it alone. Doesn't seem to affect performance, and if I'm being honest, I don't even notice it while actually firing the gun. Just an unexpected fit tolerance that I just initially figured was a stamp flaw in my lower end clone.

That being said, my clone doesn't seem to like flat nose rounds. Crushes the bullet into the shell and jams a lot with them. Probably a separate issue though.
 
they were designed to shoot ball ammo. You would have to ramp the barrel a little to get them to feed. with the gun built it would not be worth doing.

Good to know. That would explain the crushed flat nose rounds. It would feed the first round slapping the charging handle home, but the subsequent action reloaded rounds would always jam. Haven't tested hollow points yet, but I would suspect similar results.
 
Yea remember they are designed as mil/police guns and that means ball ammo. if they feed others great, but unless you tweak the feed ramp (the MP5 really doesn't have one) or the chamber end of the barrel (you can do this with a little feed ramp into the bottom of the chamber quite a few old school SMG's had this) But like I said once assembled unless you press the barrel out you ain't getting to it. (and you are very likely to bend the receiver doing it without the right tools. ) feed it nice round nose ammo and have a great time shooting it. I love mine and it is my favorite of all my 9mm carbines. Kicks like a .22
 
Good to know. That would explain the crushed flat nose rounds. It would feed the first round slapping the charging handle home, but the subsequent action reloaded rounds would always jam. Haven't tested hollow points yet, but I would suspect similar results.


I have had no issues with hollow points. I use Speer Gold dots
 
I have had no issues with hollow points. I use Speer Gold dots

I haven't tried any yet, but maybe that's a good starting point. Seems like with a lack of a true feed ramp, my clone attempts to violently shove the round in the chamber, typically compressing the bullet a bit into the casing. Was really bad with the flat nose, but have notice even with the ball that this still happens to a degree. That's why I was worried that hollow points, with their flatter noses, would also jam.
 
While I got this MP5 knowledge base here on this thread already, thought I'd ask a question about something I saw over the weekend. I saw (under glass, that is) what was listed as a 9mm HK MP5 A3 stock. However, the roll mark where the caliber is typically stated said "Cal .6mm BB". What on earth is that? Is that an airsoft conversion? I've never seen anything like it before.
 
sounds like airsoft.

True, but they claim its a "full auto" 9mm, and they rent it for a rather obscene amount of money, so I don't think they are advertising it as airsoft. Is an HK airsoft MP5 utilizing a legit MP5 upper, sans barrel and FCG? That would be one hell of a shortcut to a german MP5, if so.
 
True, but they claim its a "full auto" 9mm, and they rent it for a rather obscene amount of money, so I don't think they are advertising it as airsoft. Is an HK airsoft MP5 utilizing a legit MP5 upper, sans barrel and FCG? That would be one hell of a shortcut to a german MP5, if so.

They clone {real steal} very hard. One China mfr once made an airsoft clone of the Stag AR15 from Chinesium that apparently was such a good copy that its lower could be stripped and populated with actual AR-15 parts and form a functional carbine.
 
Back
Top Bottom