Finally Shot Matchguns MG-2 - Wow!

[Mark Briggs]

I'm posting this quick note here just to say that I finally got to shoot the Matchguns MG-2 last night. My first impressions were, to say the least, positive. Although I've shot Sport Pistol very little in the past, I was able to break my previous personal best by a healthy margin last night (at least 10%).

In years gone by I had shot a fair amount of standard pistol and had worked hard to get my scores up to a certain level. Then I stopped shooting standard pistol for about 10 years. Lo and behold I tried standard pistol last night with the MG-2 and shot as well as or better than I had a decade ago!

Needless to say, I'm impressed with this pistol. The recoil impulse is straight back and the pistol hardly moves, making the "5 shots in 10-seconds" portion of standard pistol substantially easier to shoot than with my S&W 41. The two-stage trigger takes some getting used to and needs work to get it tuned to my preference, but it is a huge help in the precision stage. Sights are wonderful, with the rear sight being adjustable for elevation, windage, notch width and depth. The sight markings are a little difficult to interpret, but after a few tries they're quite useable. Grip is typical of Morini design and fits me almost perfectly.

I was somewhat surprised to find the fasteners holding the top rail of the pistol to the main receiver shot loose. I guess the real surprise was discovering this after the first shot in a duelling stage of Sport Pistol. I could see the screw sticking out of its recess, so after that series a few seconds with the hex key got things torqued up again.

Magazine functionality is, well, perfect by my measure. It takes only a small amount of concentration to ensure each casing rim is hooked under the retaining lever - I didn't manage to dump even one round on the floor! The mag slides in and out of the pistol so smoothly that it makes me wonder why more guns don't use a tubular mag. One thing that is certain is that the action demands the operator uses it with authority. Any tentative gestures in moving the bolt will result in a failure to properly feed a round into the chamber. If you pull the bolt all the way back and let it slam home under spring pressure it never fails to feed.

So, there you have some initial impressions of the MG-2. Everybody who shot it last night finished with a grin on their face, so I have to assume they also liked the way it shoots.

As always, your mileage may vary... ;-)

[Pardini Fan]

I saw and got to handle one this weekend. It is a very beautifully crafted gun, and it felt good too. It's certainly of unconventional design, but I consider that a good thing. From its construction it seems like it will be very easy to maintain.

[deleted1]

As long as they (sic) fixed the magazine catches on the "newer" models---the gun is great---nothing shoots quite like the MG2. Just don't get a jam of any kind and it's barrel removal time---the mechanism is a beast---take it from my personal experience as a former MG2 owner. I loved the gun but frankly, wouldn't own another.

[Guest]

But thats the fun of owning such a gun prouduced by Cesare , one is differnt from the next because everytime he is always making improvements from this time unto the next

[Mark Briggs]

My magazines work very well so I guess I got a good one. I've also tweaked the trigger a fair bit and now have it adjusted closer to my liking. The next trip to the range will likely point out any small modifications left to be made.

One of the interesting things about shooting this pistol is that you don't feel the action working (not the clunk-thump-clank that I'm used to with the S&W41). Folks who were watching me shooting commented on how little the pistol moves when it fires. This certainly seems to be the case as shot recover was quite impressive to my untrained eye. I'm looking forward to shooting this pistol some more!

[Alex]

Dear Mark,

I too love my MG2. I've had mine a few months and have found that it will function fawlessly with up to 1000 rds through it and then it should be cleaned (failure to go to battery). I'm cleaning (soaking in bore solvent) as we speak (for the fifth time).
The magazine problem is a thing of the past as they have been modified.
If your MG2 is like mine only the two front screws loosen after first putting it back together. After I've retightened them they stay put until I take them out. Also I've never had the longer screws at the rear loosen so although I was initially concerned about sight settings all is well now.
Mine shoots so well that I might shoot FP with it at the FP / SP Sectionals this winter.
Mine shoots particularly well with Aguila SV(out to 25 yds - haven't shot it at longer distances yet).

Hold center,

Alex

[staalekrapyl]

I Just wonder how many of You guy's who own a MG2.
Seems to be a few happy guy's around.
Also wondering how many shots You have run through your guns.
I just got mine, and report will come soon.
Any tips or tricks to do it better?
10.9
staalekrapyl

[Mark II]

The MG have already earned its reputation. One that will stick to the gun forever, I think. This gun is another of those notorious malfunctioners. Like all other Morini /MG rim fire and centerfire automatics.

That tubular magazine is causing everlasting problems.

The WOW-factor of the MG 2 just refers to its astounishing number of jams.

[Mark Briggs]

Mine's had a couple of bricks put through it and its had a couple of interesting malfunctions, but nothing more than I'd expect with a S&W41 or the venerable Ruger MKII. Operator training is definitely required as one can't "slow motion" the breach bolt when loading a round. Just pull it back and let spring pressure close it and there are no problems. I figure the pistol is doing pretty well when one considers it's been shot by at least 10 different shooters.

I guess one of the best testaments to its functioning is that I handed it to a novice shooter who blazed through 100+ rounds of assorted ammo. He wasn't even being careful not to mix different brands of ammo in the magazine. He had no malfunctions. Period.

[deleted1]

The MG have already earned its reputation. One that will stick to the gun forever, I think. This gun is another of those notorious malfunctioners.
The WOW-factor of the MG 2 just refers to its astounishing number of jams.

Amen, Amen, Amen

[Paul K]

Real problem is, it doesn't jam, it breaks. You can get it functioning flawlessly, and then, after another 2000 shots, the upper lever breaks - againg. Beside that, it's way more reliable than the 102E, no comparison there.

[Mark II]

Mark Briggs. Are you really comparing the MG2 to Ruger Mark IIs og S&W 41s? That is like comparing a sportscar to trucks. It is not fair.
The MG2 is supposed to be the outmost of a .22 auto match pistol for the ISSF Standard PIstol course. (The Ruger Mk 2 is a tin can plinker).
But the MG2 misses its target. It is not reliable. German shooters have already turned against it.
The gun is released to the market without prolonged actual field testing. Like all other autos constructed by Cesare and his team. They are simply leaving the testing of the pistols to the customer. The worst case was the ill fated ( and only for a brief period manufactured) CM 32.

And as another post informs: major parts succomb from premature breakage! It is a shame. The guns are apparentlly not fieldtested thoroughly. Just remember The Alamo ( umph, well then, the Morini 102E).

[SZK]

Folks,

Feedback on any product is useful. In fact, I just purchased an MG2 (I take delivery Nov 29) based on feedback from TargetTalk over the past few months. I was well aware that some of you (Bob Riegl) had significant jams, but I also learned that those were the early versions of the pistol. So I researched and found that Matchguns identified the problem in the tubular magazines and fixed it. Since then, feedback on the MG2 has been excellent, except for the recent posts to this string.
I spoke to Don Nygord, and chose to purchase the pistol.

So here's the question. For those of you still providing negative feedback on the MG2, is this based on recent versions of the pistol (let's say last 6 months or so)? If it is, that's useful. If your feedback is based only on your initial experiences from the early batches, then I think you'll find that's already been well documented. Repeating that feedback over and over again only confuses the issue. More useful is to see the trends over time.

[Paul K]

I live in Switzerland, only about 400k from Cesare's factory. We try to get the latest evo versions right from him all the time, but as I can assure you, there will always be another, newer version - Morini live. And the upper lever still breaks, despite the modifications. So don't be surprised. ..

[Inquisitor.]

Feedback? Well. Reports of the many problems related to the magazines and broken part indicate strongly that the factory skipped the field testing. Or "torturetesting". They simply handle the fieldtesting task over to the customer.
And feedback they deserve: Do test the prototypes over many thousands of rounds before release to the market. Premature breakage of parts and nonfunctional magazines will show up then. I just cannot digest the polecy of skipping the field testing.

No, ZSK. The problems are still there. If you are still satisfyed with the reliability of your MG-2 after say 10.000 rounds (thats less than a year of training for a dedicated marksman) I think I will be willing to eat my old tennis shoes. Witnessed.

Back to the now famous (collector piece?) Morini CM 32. According to my knowledge ALL of the few guns that were ever produced and sold had their firing pins broken in less than 1000 rounds. Some in less than 200 rounds. And probably all of the magazines suffered from brekage of the upper rear wall.
This would have shown up if practically ANY testing had been undertaken by the factory.
Well, Morini and MG is not exactly the same, but the genious constructor is. His ideas are probably good. It is the product testing that fails.

After a couple years more of feeedback and improvements the MG-2 could eventually prove to be a good performer. Let us just wait.

[SZK]

This helps to clarify where you're coming from, and puts some context on the feedback.

I'm actually a smallbore/air rifle shooter primarily, so the MG2 is sort of a "fun" thing for me. I probably won't put more than 100-200 rounds per month on it. But I'll let you all know how it goes.

And as a FWB rifle shooter, it's easy for me to imagine the AW93 is a jewel of a gun.

[JeffB]

Thought I'd add my limited experience with the MG-2. I have owned one for about 1 year now, and have put about 13,000 rounds through it. That little top level referred to broke at about 10,000 rounds. Replaced the recoil springs at the same time. Initially I had problems with jamming. It was in part related to a tight bore. I found the gun liked Eley and SK ammo best. Part of the jamming was related to the tubular mag system. When the bullet enters the rocker "chamber" it didn't always seat low enough. If it was just a little too high, the hammer can graze the bullet and not fire the round in the chamber. The round following often doesn't seat well due to the nick. It the round is very high then you either can't load the first round or the bullet will jam in the mechanism. I found that I could solve this problem with a little grease along the barrel end of the extractor. It is basically a friction problem. I haven't had a jam since I started doing this. Occasionally, I forget to do this when I am cleaning. Then I just put a dollop of grease on the top of the first round for the first 2 or 3 magazines at the start of shooting.

I could have easily given up on the gun; it does have its issues. However, there are so many things I like about it. It's trigger is superb. Initially, I didn't like it as much as the LP1 I have, but sear is right in front of you when you take the top off and can be improved with care. The grips and sights are good, and the recoil is minimal.

Just my experience. Your mileage may vary.

[Alex]

Tried to post this earlier and had trouble.
I have an MG2 with about 4000 rds through it and have had almost no(can count on one hand)problems with it other than ammo related.
Now you guys have got me going with this "upper lever" thing. I can't find "it" on my parts list.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hold center,

Alex

[Guest]

Part 2060 - "Bullet insert lever"

[Alex]

Thanks for the info Guest.
When I first got the gun, I actually thought about removing that little "lever" and polishing it but I figured I'd try to put a case of ammo through it before I'd lose any parts. Anyone have any words of wisdom or horror stories they're willing to share? I'd be eternally grateful, especially since I may have to replace it.

To JeffB.

Why did you change the recoil springs? If they noticeably weaken over time I might send one to David Tubbs at Speedlock and see if he has some of his "CS" springs that closely match the originals.

Hold center,

Alex