New Zenith ZF-56 Roller Delayed AR Hybrid

[Tartakovsky]

ZF-56 Roller Delayed 5.56 - Zenith Firearms

THE FUTURE OF ROLLER DELAYED FIREARMS Zenith Firearms stands as a premier expert in the field of roller-delayed firearms, setting the standard for precision engineering and innovative design. With a rich heritage of craftsmanship and a commitment to excellence, Zenith Firearms is proud to...

zenithfirearms.com

 

[Marty McFly]

Wasn't that guy asking for manufacturing advice for mass people from zenith?

Edit to add- Could just be a troll that picked an obscure company.

Legal questions from an MP5 manufacturer

I am reaching out as a gun manufacturer with a genuine interest in producing an MP5 variant that complies with the firearms laws in various north-east northeast states associated with your forum. We are working a new roller delayed 9mm carbine with a fixed stock and 16 inch barrel. What...

www.northeastshooters.com

 

[Nick Fury]

I’d be all over that 10mm version.

 

[PappyM3]

Oh god, why? Roller delayed on a 9mm compared to blowback is good. In a 5.56 compared to DI or piston operated is not an advantage.

And what do we get out of the deal? Attractive firearm? Nope. Good safety? Nope, using the shitty HK safety. Good trigger? I doubt it, looks like a shitty HK trigger. Good magazine manual of arms? Sure, just like every AR15.

Now, if they made a 9mm or 10mm roller delayed upper for AR pistol caliber lowers, then we’re talking.

 

[LittleCalm]

But you get a classic AR grip. That must count for something, no?

 

[Dennis in MA]

Wasn't that guy asking for manufacturing advice for mass people from zenith?

Edit to add- Could just be a troll that picked an obscure company.

Legal questions from an MP5 manufacturer

I am reaching out as a gun manufacturer with a genuine interest in producing an MP5 variant that complies with the firearms laws in various north-east northeast states associated with your forum. We are working a new roller delayed 9mm carbine with a fixed stock and 16 inch barrel. What...

www.northeastshooters.com

After yesterday's vote - the only modification is to sawz'all it in half before delivery to customer. ROFL!

 

[SavageShooter]

Oh god, why? Roller delayed on a 9mm compared to blowback is good. In a 5.56 compared to DI or piston operated is not an advantage.

And what do we get out of the deal? Attractive firearm? Nope. Good safety? Nope, using the shitty HK safety. Good trigger? I doubt it, looks like a shitty HK trigger. Good magazine manual of arms? Sure, just like every AR15.

Now, if they made a 9mm or 10mm roller delayed upper for AR pistol caliber lowers, then we’re talking.

Roller delayed or locked like the MG42?

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

I think I'd still want an HK33/clone for the retro aspect as opposed to a brand new design featuring the worst parts of HK's interface.

That said, this gun kind of confuses me. Has ambi bolt hold/release buttons and stanag mags, suggesting LRBHO. But also has classic HK charging handle notch.

 

[PappyM3]

Roller delayed or locked like the MG42?

Machine gun designs are pretty disparate from normal rifle designs.

 

[PappyM3]

…
That said, this gun kind of confuses me. Has ambi bolt hold/release buttons and stanag mags, suggesting LRBHO. But also has classic HK charging handle notch.

They’re not mutually exclusive. You wouldn’t be able to release the bolt with the paddle if you locked it back with the charging handle, but if it locked back with the LRBHO feature, you can just press the paddle bolt release button to close the bolt.

 

[SavageShooter]

Machine gun designs are pretty disparate from normal rifle designs.

The MG42 roller lock was quite radical for its time. Allowed for a then unheard-of high rate of fire.

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

They’re not mutually exclusive. You wouldn’t be able to release the bolt with the paddle if you locked it back with the charging handle, but if it locked back with the LRBHO feature, you can just press the paddle bolt release button to close the bolt.

Figured it worked like that, but still is a head scratcher. If it has BHO via bolt catch, then there was no point in having the manual lock back notch. Could be just a straight pull non-reciprocating charging handle. Hell, they didn't even orient the notch for a proper HK slap.

 

[PappyM3]

The MG42 roller lock was quite radical for its time. Allowed for a then unheard-of high rate of fire.

But the MGs when the MG42 came out did not use gas systems. They were recoil operated, so yeah roller delay provided an improvement. The MG42 would not be an improvement over a gas operated MG nowadays like the M240. Just like this Zenith offering. It’s a step back, not a step forward.

 

[Mesatchornug]

But the MGs when the MG42 came out did not use gas systems. They were recoil operated, so yeah roller delay provided an improvement. The MG42 would not be an improvement over a gas operated MG nowadays like the M240. Just like this Zenith offering. It’s a step back, not a step forward.

But but but
Kraut Space Magic!

 

[PappyM3]

Figured it worked like that, but still is a head scratcher. If it has BHO via bolt catch, then there was no point in having the manual lock back notch. Could be just a straight pull non-reciprocating charging handle. Hell, they didn't even orient the notch for a proper HK slap.

Personally, it depends on how ambi the lower receiver is. It would be nice to be able to lock the bolt back without removing my trigger finger hand from the grip. But it certainly would be a good bit of extra complexity for that capability.

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

Personally, it depends on how ambi the lower receiver is. It would be nice to be able to lock the bolt back without removing my trigger finger hand from the grip. But it certainly would be a good bit of extra complexity for that capability.

My side charging AR has an ambi lower. I can't imagine what that would be like without it, as the charging handle is straight pull with no notch. Internally, there's not a whole lot going on for this feature set. Just an extension to the bolt catch that reaches the other side of the receiver. It really doesn't add all that much to the complexity of the system other than a tiny bit of weight to the bolt catch. I suppose it could be argued that mags with weak springs might become an issue to trigger LRBHO, but I've never seen it.

 

[PappyM3]

My side charging AR has an ambi lower. I can't imagine what that would be like without it, as the charging handle is straight pull with no notch. Internally, there's not a whole lot going on for this feature set. Just an extension to the bolt catch that reaches the other side of the receiver. It really doesn't add all that much to the complexity of the system other than a tiny bit of weight to the bolt catch. I suppose it could be argued that mags with weak springs might become an issue to trigger LRBHO, but I've never seen it.

Yeah, that all makes sense. I suppose having the ability to lock back with the charging handle doesn’t add a lot of complexity, because they still need the charging handle anyway.

Speaking of bolt catches, none of my ARs are ambi, but I’ve found the Redi-catch to be really handy. It lets you lock the bolt back by pressing the mag release buttons. Obviously it doesn’t help with a mag in the gun, but most of the time I’m not trying to lock it back on a loaded mag. And if the bar/spring were to break, the failure mode is that it reverts to just a normal system.

Redi-Catch - Redi-Mag

This Redi-Catch allows for the bolt to be locked open by pressing the magazine catch with the trigger finger while pulling the bolt back with the left hand.

www.redi-mag.com

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

Yeah, that all makes sense. I suppose having the ability to lock back with the charging handle doesn’t add a lot of complexity, because they still need the charging handle anyway.

Speaking of bolt catches, none of my ARs are ambi, but I’ve found the Redi-catch to be really handy. It lets you lock the bolt back by pressing the mag release buttons. Obviously it doesn’t help with a mag in the gun, but most of the time I’m not trying to lock it back on a loaded mag. And if the bar/spring were to break, the failure mode is that it reverts to just a normal system.

Redi-Catch - Redi-Mag

This Redi-Catch allows for the bolt to be locked open by pressing the magazine catch with the trigger finger while pulling the bolt back with the left hand.

www.redi-mag.com

That's an interesting piece of gear there. But I can't seem to wrap my head around it. Would make sense to lockback without a mag, but if you run dry on a mag, you press the mag release to drop the empty mag, and the bolt drops before you get a new mag in? Or am I messing up the sequence?

 

[Mesatchornug]

I have a PDQ lever that I'm starting to play with on one of my rifles. I think I still need to clean up the slot a bit more

AR15 Ambidextrous Bolt Release, PDQ

Shop AR15 Ambidextrous Bolt Release, PDQ and more online at aeroprecisionusa.com. Free shipping on all orders over $99.

www.aeroprecisionusa.com

 

[PappyM3]

That's an interesting piece of gear there. But I can't seem to wrap my head around it. Would make sense to lockback without a mag, but if you run dry on a mag, you press the mag release to drop the empty mag, and the bolt drops before you get a new mag in? Or am I messing up the sequence?

No, it doesn’t drop the bolt, only locks it back. Otherwise yeah, you’d have all sorts of issues.

 

[Tartakovsky]

I think I'd still want an HK33/clone for the retro aspect as opposed to a brand new design featuring the worst parts of HK's interface.

That said, this gun kind of confuses me. Has ambi bolt hold/release buttons and stanag mags, suggesting LRBHO. But also has classic HK charging handle notch.

Jeff at PCS is happy to make your dreams not dreams. My guess is last round bolt hold open feature, unlike an MP5.