Marushin MP40 kit - whats involved?

*** Originally posted by deadlyelement ***

I was just having a look at http://www.gunsnguys.com/ and noticed they sell the Marushin MP40 in kit form for about £87 which surprised me (sounds cheap to me anyway lol)

How much work is involved in these kits? how complex are they? i've got absolutely no idea whatsoever, so any pointers would be appreciated.

Are they straight forward to put together? or going to cause me alot of hassle and end up being disappointed?

I guess the instructions will be in chinese/japanese aswell?

Cheers

*** Originally posted by mark ***

The Marushin MP40 kit is extremely straight forward assembly wise and as far as I have heard is that the worst part of the assembly is the barrel insert which is hard to press in. The kit is time consuming to some but I can assemble them in 1-2 hours or less. Yes, the instructions are definitely in Japanese only. However, the instructions pictures are step by step and show all of the assembly steps clearly. Besides, the price is right £87 (or $146.64 U.S) cheap enough to experiment eh?

*** Originally posted by deadlyelement ***

Thanks for that, quite encouraging

I've always liked building things and ive always wanted a pfc gun, but the mp40's seem to cost about £300 built! so to see one of these at a fraction of that price interested me alot.

How many parts are we talking about? i was expecting there to be quite alot and loads of little springs etc lol i dont suppose anyone has a scan of the instructions so i could see what i'd be letting myself in for?

Thanks again Mark, much appreciated.

*** Originally posted by mark ***

Well, unfortunately, my scanner is broken at this moment..It appears that the kit has approximately 79 parts including the magazine. So, not too bad I would say.

I don't think that the kit is too hard to assemble I would highly recomend buying one.

*** Originally posted by claymore ***

Kickback and myseklf will be putting one together as soon as we can get time off at the same time i will let you know how it goes, problems, hints etc.
These kits always need a lot of playing around with to get them working i think

*** Originally posted by mark ***

claymore wrote:

Kickback and myseklf will be putting one together as soon as we can get time off at the same time i will let you know how it goes, problems, hints etc.
These kits always need a lot of playing around with to get them working i think

I would think that the most tuning that these MP's need is in the chamber/barrel insert area. The barrel insert is interesting as it is a stamped steel barrel block that you have to install it determines the depth of the chamber as well as the detonators length. I would say due to the pressure that is required to push this insert into the barrel and get the depth right is the worst part of the kit.

All in all, I like the Marushin MP40 but, I don't like the all ABS chamber/bolt as they both wear out too fast for my taste. If I could at this time i would produce more stainless steel chambers for the Marushin MP's but, my spare time has been limited lately due to work constraints. (i'm at work now )


I'm jealous! I wish that there was someone near by that shared this hobby! Ah well, I can still talk to you guys!

*** Originally posted by doc ***

The ABS MP40 kit is a doddle, it really is , and like has been suggested here the main tricky bit is the steel plate that has to be inserted into the barrel.
This is designed so not only is it the piece that holds the detonator pin/chamber in place but also acts as the obstruction piece so you dont have a hollow barrel.
The hard part with fitting this piece is that the closest edge has two tiny lugs that have to locate in reccesses inside the ABS barrel, if you dont get this piece lined up 100% from the start it will not be possible to push it in enough to allow the Det pin/chamber to sit back enough. (when pressed in its hard to get out again)
The result is the chamber sits too far forward and rounds won`t feed right.
I`d suggest you screw on the muzzle nut, place the barrel with the muzzle resting on a bit of wood, gently slide this central steel plate in the correct position......check it .....then tap in gently using a small piece of wood .
The other thing to pay attention to is the sear to trigger link bar, from memory this has a particular forward end and its marked (and shown in the manual)
The last thing that springs to mind is that the feed lips on some of the new magazines in kits are a bit poo and these may need looking at (what modelguns calls "tuning") before you get very consistant fire.

DOC

*** Originally posted by mark ***

Doc wrote:

feed lips on some of the new magazines in kits are a bit poo

Ha the quote of the week!

Thanks for the information Doc! The Marushin MP40 is a fun albeit plastic, modelgun that has its quirks and problems. They, are by far the most detailed MP40 replica/modelguns that are available today.

*** Originally posted by claymore ***

cheers Doc these are definatly the bits of info that are vital but not obvious when putting these things together and make a huge difference when putting the models together, i only relised about the barrel bar being more than just a way to block the barrel about a month ago. As far as the mags go well real mags fit great, well i think they do as i have a mag which i believe is a real one and it fits perfect and the feed lip problem goes away with the real mag and on that subject just tried a real thompson mag on the hudson M1A1 and it does not fit the giude rails into the mag housing are too wide, drat.

*** Originally posted by richard jones ***

I have some Vig mags which a lot of people apparently use with their MGC68 mp40s but no way on earth will they fit in my Marushin abs mp40

*** Originally posted by cerwyn ***

I've a Marushin ABS MP40 that I bought as a second hand complete working gun. It was my first modelgun and it is superb. I've bought several modelguns since, and I have to say that as basic a model as it is, it's one of, if not THE best one I have for reliable shooting.

Genuine MP40 mags are supposed to fit straight in, one dealer over here sells them as an optional extra so they should fit.
I wouldn't know personally as I've only got Marushin mags to play with!

I'm not quite sure how much "Tuning" is required other than the obvious cleaning up of parts to ensure correct fit. DOC mentioned the feed lips need a good looking at, the other modification done to them is to drill 4 holes in the base of the detonator chamber to allow smoke (and a few sparks if your lucky) out of the barrel. I wouldn't be surprised if that makes the gun a bit louder too.

Cerwyn

*** Originally posted by mark ***

The sad part of the Marushin MP40 is the ABS chamber as it wears out in the feed ramp area and the detonator tends to "sink" in the chamber as the plastic around it deforms due to constant pressure. Every mis-fed or jambed cartridge that makes contact with the detonator forces the detonator back into the somewhat soft ABS chamber piece. Which over-time, will make the detonator sit in way too far in the chamber to work correctly.

*** Originally posted by claymore ***

Mark there is a guy on ebay saying he can fix marushin bolts for $30 any idea what he does to them and does it make them longer lasting

*** Originally posted by mark ***

claymore wrote:

Mark, there is a guy on ebay saying he can fix marushin bolts for $30 any idea what he does to them and does it make them longer lasting

Wow, I haven't seen that yet. I wonder what he does to "fix" them..Maybe a steel insert? I am not at all sure what I would do to fix one myself other than replacing one.

*** Originally posted by doc ***

The trouble is that if he makes an insert then the bolt is still only going to be as strong as the joint between the new bit and the remaining bolt .
A compete new bolt would be better...either that or a replacement ABS one thats under $10

DOC

*** Originally posted by cerwyn ***

claymore wrote:

Mark there is a guy on ebay saying he can fix marushin bolts for $30 any idea what he does to them and does it make them longer lasting

Hiya Claymore

I've plenty of time on my hands at the moment, if you'd like I could e-mail this guy and get some information about it?
Could you give me a link to him on e-Bay please?

gavin wrote:

sorry to hijack the thread but are the m16 easy to put together do they break as easy

Hiya Gavin,

A mate of mine built an M16 and an XM177 from kits without much difficulty. He'd never assembled modelguns before, but he does have good knowledge of real weapons and is generally pretty good at making things. He's a good metal and glassfibre fabricator so he's good with his hands. That probably helps.
The main thing he mentioned really was ensuring everything was clean and flash or burr free, and to make sure the correct length springs, plungers and screws etc were used. It's easy to mix them up.
Once assembled, tuning the things to work properly is the biggest task!
The XM177 he put together works fine in semi auto, but plays up a bit in Auto but that's a common problem everybody seems to go through.

Cerwyn

*** Originally posted by cerwyn ***

Here's a copy of the e-Bay listing for the MP40 ABS Bolt repair...

I am offering a Service to Repair your Broken MP-40 Marushin Plastic Bolt / These Bolts tend to wear out so they can not push the PFC Cartridge out of the Mag . This Repair Is for That Area of the Bolt ONLY ! . Shown in the picture with the arrow the front section of the bolt wears out along the tip and will not push the Cartridge out of the Mag. " NOTE " That if your bolt is broken or worn in another area " I CAN NOT REPAIR IT " I make no Guarantee As to How Long this Repair will last or offer any Warranty of any kind . I have fired 100 rounds after a repair and had no problems with the bolt after I repaired it . Customer is Responsible for Paying Shipping of the Blot In both Directions And Insurance Cost / Plus $ 30.00 Fee for Repair Due Only If bolt Can Be Repaired . You will need to Remove the Bolt and Send it to me " NOT THE COMPLETE GUN" If I can not Repair the Bolt I will send it Back to you and you will pay ONLY Shipping Costs . " Also Please Note That If I Damage The Bolt Durning Repair I will not be Held Responsible For Damages " As the bolt is already Damaged and not Usable . The Bolt will be returned to you at No Cost for the Attempted Failed Repair , and You will pay for Shipping Only ! If You Have an MP-40 Marushin PFC Model That is broken and you would like to sell it please let me know / So Dont Throw out that Expensive Mp-40 Marushin or Have to Buy another one . Payment For Repair will Be By MONY ORDER ONLY ! " This is not a Repair for the MGC68 MP-40 or newer model with the Dicast Bolt ! although i'm working on a repair for that style bolt too . AND SPECIAL NOTE " This is not in any way a modification of the bolt to work in a real firearm. The bolt is made of plastic and can only be used in the Marushin Mp-40 Cap Firing Gun.

I'll mail him to ask for more details of exactly what he does although by the sound of it DOC probably has the best idea with a new bolt for $10...

Cerwyn

*** Originally posted by madmike ***

Well, the problems will be much the same with the M16 kit as it is technically the same firing mechanism as the XM177. As modelguns there is only a different outward appearance between the full size rifle and the short carbine.