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MACMATCH READY SLOW-FIRE M11 MANUFACTURING INSTRUCTIONS by William D. Ehringer
WARNING: The design and modifications given herein are intended to be performed by a competent gunsmith. Any person modifying his/her weapon does so at their own risk. Always unload you weapon and remove the magazine prior to working on your gun.
The MACMATCH Ready Slow Fire M11 (MMM11) is series of modifications performed on a SWD M11/9, making the gun sub-gun match ready. In the process of doing all of the modifications, the final result will be a weapon that behaves in a much different manner than the Sharon and Wayne Daniels (SWD) M11/9. In general, the conversion is based on the designs of Jim Weaver and Captain Monty Mendenhall of the TASK team. Since my conversion was done only by talking with Monty, there are likely to be some deviations from the TASK team design. Listed below is a step-by-step method for converting your SWD M11/9 into a MMM11, as well as a estimated cost to do the conversion. Stock Adapter The first thing that you need to do is get rid of that flimsy wire stock that came with the gun and affix a real stock; a Colt M16 A1 stock (or CAR stock). My stock adapter was made by cutting a piece of one-quarter inch (NOTE: I had to use written text instead of numerical measurements because the web board has a problem reading the "inch sign") plate steel to the exact dimensions of the rear sight plate. When making this measurement, ensure that you measure from the sight post to the bottom of the receiver. To make the rails which lock into the lower receiver, I milled down two pieces of three-eighths inch rectangular bar stock to the exact dimensions of the rails from the wire stock (alternatively, you could cut the rails off the wire stock). These newly fabricated rails should lock into place, and protrude from the back of the receiver about one-quarter inch (i.e., they should be flush with the piece that you cut to the dimensions of the rear sight plate. Using a Dremel tool or end-mill, notch the plate to accept the rails, and TIG weld in place. A piece of one and one-half inch round stock was then placed in a lathe and the inside turned down, and tapped to match the threads of the Colt A1 stock buffer tube. I guessed on the internal threads and chased the threads a little at a time to get it "just right." M11 Bolt Conversion The MMM11 does not utilize the recoil spring for taming the blow-back energy of the 9mm round. Instead the buffer spring inside of the A1 stock is used. Strip the bolt down (remove the firing pin, the recoil rod, and the ejector rod). In the bottom center of the original bolt, you will see a hole that was used in the manufacturing of the bolt (I say manufacturing because I can see no other use for it in either semi or in the full mode). This hole is tapped one-quarter inch (the hole is slightly over-size for this tap, about 7 thousandths), but will work. The tapping should not interfere with the placement of the firing pin retaining pin (i.e., the threads should end about one-quarter inch prior to this hole). A piece of three-eighths inch steel rod is then turned down and threaded one-quarter inch. The rear buffer plate is then drilled twenty-eight sixty fourths of an inch (centered to the rod you just tapped) to allow the newly threaded rod to pass through the buffer plate. The purpose of the "original recoil rod" is now to retain the rear buffer plate to ensure that the ejector rod does not move forward during the cycling of the bolt. To make the original recoil rod a "non-functional" recoil rod, the original recoil spring was placed on the recoil rod and then cut so that only one-half inch of the original spring protruded beyond the recoil rod. This cutting reduced the spring tension of the original recoil rod to almost zero, and thus one must never use this modified spring without the "new recoil rod" utilizing the buffer spring of the A1 stock. Lower Receiver Modification To ensure that the rod will pass straight through the receiver, I used a piece of one-quarter inch wooden dowel that had one end pointed and the other end stuck into the newly threaded hole. The pointed in was dabbed with a small amount of paint or ink, and the bolt placed in the upper. The bolt was then slowly moved rearward to "index" the point were the rod should pass through. The lower receiver was then drilled in increments until a twenty-eight sixty-fourths inch hole was achieved. The inside of the hole was then polished and deburred to remove any points which might bind the rod. Cutting The Recoil Rod To Length This is a critical step, since a rod that is too short could cause the bolt to slam against the lower receiver or if it is too long the gun will not function. In my particular case, I used a CAR stock, and measured the maximum compressible distance of the buffer and spring. This distance (4 and one-quarter inch) was then subtracted from the distance from the rear of the bolt to the rear of the lower receiver (minus one-eighth inch). This distance is the amount the rod will "stick into the buffer tube" upon maximum compression. Then I added the distance from the rear of the lower to the inner face of the stock adapter (about one-half inch). The rods final length was then the product of these dimensions (which turned out to be the 4 and one-quarter inch; the original maximum compressible distance, which out of serendipity works perfect for a carbine stock. These measurements are likely to be different on a full size stock (A1 stock)), or possibly another CAR stock and thus you should go through these steps carefully to ensure proper function. Reassemble and Test Cock the gun and determine if the new assembly is binding. If it is, remove the assembly and look for wear points, file/sand as necessary to ensure smooth cocking. Use only two rounds in the mag, and run the gun in semi at first. After firing the two rounds remove the mag, and disassemble the gun and inspect the lower and upper for signs of contact. If the bolt is hitting the rear of the lower receiver, do not shoot anymore, and check your rods dimensions against the calculated dimensions. In addition to the above modifications, my MMM11 has the following accessories: 1. Craig Wheatley Sten Mag Well Conversion and Lanchester Mags 2. K-Grip Ported for control 3. Titanium Paddle Magazine Release-If someone wants the dimensions on this, I would be happy to share this with you as well. This paddle mag release allows the shooter to release the magazine with the hand grasping the magazine housing by applying slight pressure to the lower side of you hand. The off-hand can then remove and insert mags, thus allowing the shooter to never take his eye of the sights. 4. MAC scope mount TIGed to the upper receiver 5. Tasco PDP4 Red Dot Scope 6. Improved cocking knob which resembles a "chess pawn" 7. Moly-resin the entire gun (both upper and lower receiver) The Cost Factor The cost of the slow-fire conversion is going to depend on whether you do the conversion yourself or have someone do it for you. I did the conversion entirely by myself, and the cost was relatively low. My guess is that I have (including the CAR stock and materials) no more than $125 in materials, and probably 5-8 hours of machining time (say at $40/hr..cheap), that comes to $325 on the low end and $525 on the high end. While this number may sound high, your investment is likely recouped in terms of ammunition costs in 1-2 years. Well I hope you all enjoy this conversion, and I look forward to hearing any critique (either good or bad) on the conversion as you examine the plans or actually do the conversion. Good luck!! Your Friend In Liberty, Bill (Wild Bill) More details from Wild Bill One of the most important things you can do to your SlowFire M11 is to properly attach a good sighting device. This is not a trivial matter because of several factors. Firstly, the MAC factory scope mount (MAC 1-800-344-4622, Cat#850-202) is slightly elevated (about 3/4"), which can cause sighting problems. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, is the method that MAC uses to attach their scope mount to the upper receiver. Their mount has a channel milled on one side (which fits over one of the upper's "ribs") while the right side has three small Allen head set screws, which in theory, are supposed to hold the scope mount in place. Hah, don't believe it for one second. After only two mags mine was moving. So, how do you solve this problem? You need to TIG the scope mount to the upper. I did so, but VERY CAREFULLY, as the thin sheet metal of the upper can easily warp or burn through if you are not careful. Make sure when you attach the scope mount that it does not interfere with the action of the gun (i.e., it does not interfere with the cocking knob's removal or, if you install one of my competition cocking knobs, hitting your optics) This is the type of mount I currently have on my MACMATCH Ready SlowFire M11. I am impressed with the quality of the mount, and after a little practice at the range it's "elevated properties" are not even noticeable. Your second option, is to attach a "Weaver-type" rail to the back part of your upper receiver (ala Jim Weaver and Matt "Mongo" Bright). If I am not mistaken, Jim perfected this design on his SlowFire M11. The problem with this design, is that no (or at least to the best of my knowledge) manufacturers produce a steel Weaver rail. Because most are made of aluminum or some alloy, attaching the rail is not a straightforward job, and requires either tapping, or a welder who really knows their stuff. This design does have the advantage of lowering the optics, which makes target acquisition a little easier. As far as optics go, it really comes down to what your plans are for the gun (i.e., competition, plinking, looks). My M11 has a Tasco PDP4 Red-Dot sight which I feel is superior to just about any red-dot on the market for competition. The big reason for my support of this optic, is that it has a very large field of vision and clear optics, which makes target acquisition fast and easy. This comes in very handy when you are trying to move the gun from one target to another, where the extended field of view allows you to pick up the secondary target much quicker than with a smaller sized tubed optic. However, other red-dot scopes are also great candidates. In fact, I was considering trying a C-More or Halo-Sight to see if target acquisition is better. The choice though will ultimately depend upon your (and the Misses) particular desired use and the amount of money you want to spend (I bought my Tasco PDP4 for $140 about a year ago). The muzzle breaks I have seen on the three different SlowFire M11s I have encountered have varied from commercial to "homemade". The one on my gun was made by myself. However, it is just as easy (and to be quite frank probably more effective)is to simply thread the end of the muzzle and attach a commercially manufactured break. Quite honestly, the recoil from my particular gun is not all that bad (I use 115 gr. FMJ in competition) and just a K-grip installed on the front works fine for me. One thing that is for sure, is that the reduced cyclic rate of the gun makes the M11 a much more easily controlled weapon, and the use of a muzzle break may or may not significantly improve the already dramatically reduced climb of the SlowFire M11. The only other thing I would do in the meantime is to purchase from I.M.A. (International Military Antiques) 3 Lanchester mags (at $90) and start degreassing them and finishing them. Whenever I go to the range, these are a must. They are twice as reliable as the Sten mags, and hold 50 rounds. In the last KCR sub-gun match, I had three of these mags loaded (Oh yeah, you need to also purchase a Austen mag loader from Sarco, cost $25) and only needed the three that I had to finish (also helped me take 3rd in the Bowling Pin match, because the added firepower gives you that extra few shots). I hope this helps in your quest to build a SlowFire M11. |
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