Finally got around to putting together the MP44
Did a few things different but for the most part pretty standard MP44.
I have a couple things still to do maybe shoot it next weekend
there’s nothing like firing the first round out of a rifle that you built.
Wow! 7.92x33 Is a pussycat to shoot.
Things I did differently from the original is deleted the grip stick in the trigger housing shorten the followers in the magazines and made a plastic bumper for the operation rod to bottom out on and made a 4130 mag well support. Other than round off sharp corners on different parts this thing is pretty standard MP44.
All parts are from DK productions.
Barrel blank was from Green Mountain
update on the MP44
I have 200 rounds through it with one hangup Where the trunnion and sheet metal meet. A little hammer forming from the rib down solve this problem. The second problem I’ve had is the Bolt velocity is too high and it pretty much Destroys the cases not good for reloading. I drilled the gas port hole .142 and according to the original blueprints it’s .150 in hindsight I should’ve started .09 and work my way up.
I’m pretty sure the Germans weren’t too worried about reloading.
Fix for the problem drilled and taped a 10/32 in the gas block. I closed off about 85 to 90% of the hole. Now the charging handle comes back just aft of the MP44 stamp which gives me about 3/4 to an inch before bottoming out. Cases are now reloadable.
Another update on the mag followers that I cut.
For my rifle they work awesome I can load the magazines to 30 rounds and there is no nose down tendencies. I did machine a ramp in the barrel but it is very shallow I mostly did it just for looks but in my early Bench testing it never had it and I never had a Feed issue.
I do you run a buffing wheel on any part of the follower that I feel has a burger or possibly a sharp edge that could possibly hinder it from feeding properly.
I think with the combination of making sure that the trunnion and the magazine stops are parallel and that the mag well support is Tight up against the magazine you should have no feeding issues.
Well I tried my shorten mag followers in my 10 round magazine’s with the short mag follower I was Able to comfortably load 14 but you can get 15 in it But you have to force it to chambering. so I’m going to move where the spring sits up .25 and the 15th round will be comfortable in the magazine and be able to chamber without forcing it. I could shorten the spring but I don’t want to mess up the overall spring Rate.