Post by Claymore
MARUSHIN UZI 9MM
Background
The uzi submachine gun was developed in Israel by Usiel Gal an officer in the army and manufactured by IMI iin the early 50's and has been adopted by police and military all over the world since then.
OUT OF THE BOX
The uzi is an all metal model (zinc) apart from the grip and front stock which are ABS also on the non factory version the trigger guard and housing are also ABS, on the factory version the trigger guard is metal.
The model comes in a dull black not matt or gloss but something in between. It is a very accurate reproduction of the uzi in size, looks and weight. This is a great looking modelgun and when you pick it up its hard not to be impressed, the stock on this model is the metal folding stock which again is accurate and works just as it should. To open the stock out you simply pull the shoulder stock down and pull into position.
You can also get a solid wood stock which would add more weight and if you are lucky you can get both stocks with one model.
The uzi has not been made for many years now by Marushin so any model you can get hold of is likely to have been fired, although there are some out there that are still unfired (my factory version appeared to be unfired). The fact that it has been used doesn't really matter, the model is very solidly built and being metal lasts long. Of course the trouble with a discontinued model is spares if you need them, like a new mag for instance the chance of getting one of them is as likely as finding rocking horse s*&^$, fortunately you should not really need other spares.
There are not many markings on the uzi, just by the rear sight on the left side it has MP UZI under that Kal 9mm under that a number and under that IMI, on the cocking handle bolt plate ther is smg marushin apart from that all you have is D.E.S above the selector lever which indicates safe, semi and full auto.
The barrel of the uzi is open so smoke can come out of it and as the barrel is short you can get a fair bit which is good.
LOADING AND FIRING
The mag holds 32 rounds of 9mm but i only put in 30, the mag then fits into the grip, a good push and it locks in place. The rounds are the normal plug fire type that are used in the MP40 and are still available which is important as the rounds don't always last that long. The threads get damaged so the base does not screw on to the body of the round or it gets loose and this can mean the base will literally blow off the body and jam in your gun. So you need to keep a good check on your rounds.
To fire you first need to make sure that the grip safety situated on the rear of the grip is depressed, same principle as on the 1911 45 colt, you need to grip so that it is depressed and then the cocking bolt can be pulled back. The uzi works from an open bolt so it locks back when you cock it, to fire select semi or full auto and squeeze the trigger (making sure the grip saftey is dpressed) and away you go.
The uzi has a pretty high rate of fire so it wont take long to empy a mag.
FIRING ADVISE
So far i have never got a whole mag of 30 to fire there has always been a few jams, although adise from this forum has got it working better yhan it ever did.
First the round ejector which is a small piece of metal inside the lower receiver behind the mag housing, this can get bent so cause jams, so make sure its at a 90 degree angle. Next the rounds themselves, if you use just one 7mm cap the gun will function but might give you problems as the uzi has a heavy bolt to blowback, also the sound you get from one cap is very poor.
You can use a 7mm and a 5mm together, this will give a lot more blowback power and a much better noise but it will slowly destroy your rounds, as said before the rounds are not strong and 2 caps puts a lot of pressure on them.
Last thing and what i do now is place a spent cap as an extra seal in the round and use one 7mm cap, this gives a much better blowback and good noise and does not appear to overstrain the round. Also i now use silicone to lube but have not tried it with the uzi this might take away the need for the cap as a seal, we shall see.
DO I LIKE IT
OH!! yes, the uzi needs a lot of tweaks to get it running right and there are still a few things i think mine needs to get it running better, but when you fire it, its great. It fires fast and makes a good noise not just from the caps but from the fact it is a metal model. More than that its an UZI an absolute classic used all over the world and still in use in different guises, mini uzi etc.
You have to accept the fact that it needs constant attention to keep it running right, that said i am determined to get moine totally sorted so that you can burst fire successfully. Apart from that the uzi causes no problems, no breaks which have plagued me with other models which is a big plus.
Stripping this gun is simple, there is a button at the rear of the cocking plate by the rear sight, push this in and the plate comes off giving access to the bolt, this pulls out anf you have access to the barrel pin, barrel and trigger housing are also easy to dismantle so its easy to keep clean
OVERALL
The uzi is an excellent replica and the fact that it fires is the icing on the cake, you can get annoyed with the jams but that does not detract from the fact that it is still a very accurate reproduction of a classic firearm.
There is one other thing, the paint. On my factory version its fine but then i have only put about 20 rounds through it to test it. My normal version is losing paint everywhere and is in serious need of a paint job.
So anyone out there who can advise me what paint (a spray i would think for a good finish) to use i dont want a gloss finish and obviously i need to take the old paint off and give the zinc surface a polish, do i need to put a primer on first.
Any help on this will be appreciated.
The top uzi is the real one by the way mine is the bottom with paint coming off thought i would put a real one in for comparison
Sun Sep 28, 2008 12:19 pm
