MAC 5 Initial Impressions and Testing

Opened up the Mac 5 today and gave it its first cleaning, tolerance check, and testing. Below are my findings.

Welds look good throughout, without any glaring issues. Everything locked up nicely with little to zero play between parts. The only thing I saw that was “loose” was the charging handle. Not sure if these are supposed to be rock solid or not, but mine has a very slight wiggle.

Bolt space measured in at .016

Small ammo test batch included (Unsuppressed):

80 rounds of Winchester 115 Service flat nose - 60 rounds of Federal American Eagle 147 flat nose - 40 rounds of Norma 108 FMJ

Had ZERO issues with feeding and cycling. Ejection was consistent through all rounds and mags. The casings I did check showed no signs of deformation to the casing, and all primer strikes were consistent.

Although I haven’t tried any other magazines, as this is my first mp5/clone, the included MAC mags worked flawlessly. Solid lock up with a firm spring and follower feel. If these are “bad” mags, I’d love to experience the real deal.

I currently have an APF can that will find its home on the end of this, with Midwest Industry top rail and hand guard, and Jmac brace on the way. Can’t wait to throw more rounds down range with this thing. I was pleasantly surprised with its performance, and it exceeded my expectations for a sub $1000 clone.

More testing -

Alex Pro Firearms AP9 $150 9mm can. My “F it, what’s the worst that can happen” impulse buy.

American Eagle 147 “1000fps tested out of a 4” barrel”

Shot 120 rounds of American Eagle 147 flat nose last night. Same exact results as unsuppressed just with the obvious blowback to the face. Cycled everything flawlessly. No excessive wear to the casing, fairly accurate (factory irons, which I suck with), and extremely quiet. Magazines immediately got dirty but continued like nothing changed. I’ll have some subs coming shortly to continue my testing. Again, very pleased with the performance of this budget setup.