Caring for an MG2E

[kqrxbn]

I have recently purchased an MG2E and shot a few hundred rounds through it. Now, I'm the kind of person who sees a car as a black box and want it to move from point A to B; if anything rattles, I call the workshop. However, the MG being a bit of an investment I want to treat it well and it is not feasible to outsource cleaning anyway. I'm not a gun person, so have no experience caring for them. (The only other pistol I've shot a significant number of shots with is an air pistol, which I've not really done anything with.)

The manual does unfortunately not provide a "pistol care for dummies" section, which I'm sorely missing.

As a general rule, am I right to assume that all metal surfaces should be clean and dry, except for those that slide/move against each other (they should be lubricated)? I've disassembled it once, just removing the barrel and the blue top thingy. There seems to be a terrible number of things that move, slide, push and nudge each other hither and thither. I noticed a somewhat gritty feeling when racking the slide (if that is the correct term) and identified that the top of the bullet insert lever (I think it is part 2060) was dry. I put the smallest drop of the included oil on it and it feels smoother after that. However, I immediately felt I'm not sure what I'm doing and putting oil in random spots is perhaps not the solution to anything.

If relevant, this is a somewhat recent model, EVO 10xxE.

Any insight from MG owners most welcome!

[Gwhite]

For your first .22, an MG2 is a very ambitious start... They are fantastic pistols IF the factory had a good day.

You are on the right track. Things that slide/rotate need lubrication, and they need to be kept moderately clean. The MG2 cycles so fast that it leaves a lot of partially burned and unburned powder residue behind. The manual says you need to clean it every 1000 rounds. I've never let mine go more than 300 to 400.

The oil the pistol came with is fine, as are most good quality gun oils. I like Shooters Choice FP-10. I mostly use that to put a LIGHT film on the outside of the barrel where the slide moves around it, and I always put a drop or two on each of the recoil springs. It's also good to keep the pins of pivoting bits lightly oiled. You don't want to get too carried away, or the oil with attract fouling. I put a small drop where it can wick in towards the pin, and then wipe off any excess. Especially with the electronic trigger, I would NEVER use an aerosol gun oil/cleaner. It's too easy to get oil into the electronics. I don't know about the MG2E's system, but I've seen a Morini free pistol badly messed up that way.

I prefer to use grease on the higher pressure sliding surfaces. I like "Slide Glide Lite" because it tends to stay put. I put a SMALL film of grease on: the curved face of the hammer, the front & rear of the bullet insert lever where the slide rubs, the top and bottom of the rear of the slide, the rear of the carrier, and the backs of the two front "ears" of the carrier. These are all places where the slide rubs against things as it cycles. Once you've fired it a bit, you will begin to see shiny spots where things are rubbing.

The one other place I like to use grease is where the two spring loaded balls on the sides of the carrier rub against the inside of the frame. If you rock the front of the carrier up with the pistol apart, the balls will be stuck in the mating holes in the frame. A bit of grease in the holes should help reduce wear on the frame.

Good luck with your new pistol!

[kqrxbn]

Thanks, Gwhite, for an extensive walkthrough! So basically oil of normal viscosity on things that move in any way, but grease on higher-pressure sliding surfaces. Check! Sounds reasonable. Some people I've spoken to seem to swear by extremely thin oils, but I'm not sure I can tell them apart at this point.

I have heard that there are variations in how successful the assembly of the pistols is. I am counting on the company wanting to make a product that doesn't suck so hoping that some of the earlier problems have been fixed and that the consumer protection laws in my relevant jurisdiction will protect me to some extent if I have some problems. I'm likely to be shooting a few thousand rounds per month, so thinking I'll find out about any problems within the warranty period. Of course, I'm also hoping I won't have a problem.

So far my experience is relatively good. Quite different handling and mechanism compared to all other pistols I've ever shot, and at my first competition I had to abort because of not managing to get a stuck cartridge out of it in time. Still figuring out which brands of ammunition work in it. Eley seems to be a no, SK (especially the slippery Pistol Match) sometimes slide upwards before the little thingy has time to come down from above to help it into the barrel (breech?) but I think I just need to be more confident in racking the slide: it happens only when a human loads the pistol, not when it reloads. Norma Tac-22 has worked excellently so far, both mechanically in the pistol and over at the target. Which is great, because it's relatively inexpensive.

As for shooting, it feels really good. Very nice soft recoil straight back. Basically from the first shot the sights just fall back into the aiming area by themselves. Using the factory grip for now, which is a bit different but I'll give it a go for a few months. Had to adjust the angle a little bit to get the front sight naturally centred for me. Trigger is also quite different. That there is no actual trigger point but just an even resistance all the way, through and beyond the release, is better than I thought it would be.

Have only had the chance to shoot it twice, so really looking forward to the next time. Dry-firing every day though, and the electronic trigger adds a bit of convenience to that process.

[Gwhite]

Feeding jams can occur if you try to be gentle with it, or tilt the pistol too much. Pull the slide back all the way, and then let it fly while holding the pistol level the way it would be when firing.

Clearing jams can be tricky. Start by holding the grip horizontal (right or left, doesn't matter), with the barrel tilted down a bit. Then release the magazine. That should allow the round in the carrier to slide out gracefully. If you release the magazine in a normal firing orientation, the round in the carrier can fall down into the trigger area, and can be difficult to extract.

In theory, the factory test fires them with SK of some flavor. I've heard they use Standard Plus, and/or Pistol match.

[kqrxbn]

Thanks for the tips! It does require a bit more elaborate handling than others, indeed. The feeding problems I've had is on the way back: I pull the slide back to slowly, causing the cartridge to flip up. I'll try to be more confident; I'm guessing the firing will launch the slide backwards significantly more forcefully than I'll ever pull it, so don't need to be so gentle.

The little card in the manual has a very neat group, and I'm not going to shoot like that very often. I do note that it did shoot well with SK Standard Plus though; I bought a few of them and they worked well. Will try Pistol Match again, with a bit more slide confidence.

[lwy.todd.lu]

You are braver than me. You got the electronic version, I only got the mechanic version for my very first gun. Lol

[kqrxbn]

You are braver than me. You got the electronic version, I only got the mechanic version for my very first gun. Lol

Perhaps I can be described as naïve, but not brave. I am assuming the product they sell works. If I can't believe that, I would not buy anything from that manufacturer. We shall see how it works out for me and my naïveté …

[lwy.todd.lu]

You are braver than me. You got the electronic version, I only got the mechanic version for my very first gun. Lol

Perhaps I can be described as naïve, but not brave. I am assuming the product they sell works. If I can't believe that, I would not buy anything from that manufacturer. We shall see how it works out for me and my naïveté …

Ha~ yeah I’m also believe in this gun despite it’s been behaving a little bit feeding jams. But like GWhite said, don’t be too gentle when you pull the slide. Be tough be man, it works better lol.

About cleaning this gun, I think we’ve already had the best instruction on the world from master GWhite.

Re ammo, I’m using SK PISTOL MATCH and RWS PISTOL MATCH. Tried LAPUA seemed fine, but they are more expensive.

[kqrxbn]

Had two problems today: firstly, on the very first load, the insertion somehow failed and the whole cartridge just fell out on the bench. Bullet a little bit scratched but I fed it back in and all went well. Secondly, I somehow managed to get the hammer to fall down such that I could not move the slide backwards. I fixed it by manually folding it back (after removing the barrel etc). Maybe I did something in the wrong order with safety, slide, loading … ?! I've noticed it is like a complex IT system: do something in an unexpected order and it gets into an impossible state and needs a reboot. Love it.

Today tested 50 of each of Geco (.22lr Rifle) and CCI (Standard velocity). Seems like it prefers cheaper ammo! I brought a bunch of SK Pistol Match too, but never shot any. I know it works, and right now I just want to go through some varieties so I know what works. When I'm beginning to become a bit more accustomed to the pistol I'll go back and test the working varieties again (for consistency that time; this time it's just to make sure it feeds and shoots).

[Gwhite]

You may need to adjust the speed at which you cycle the slide for the first round. I've had the "toss the 1st round out" problem maybe twice in about 25,000 rounds fired. The factory has played around a LOT with the carrier & bullet insert lever design, and if it happens a lot, one or both of those may need replacing.

The dry fire/safety will prevent the hammer from cocking if it is activated with the hammer down/forward. That may be what you encountered. Unlike most pistols, you cannot pull the slide fully back to cock the hammer if there is a loaded round in the chamber. Here is a video that explains how to deal with a round in the chamber:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgK72uW0y7g

[kqrxbn]

Gwhite, I'm currently working on getting a good slide routine going and the problem has only happened once. Today I shot both Norma and some Eley Match, neither of which presented any problems. I'm wondering if my initial problems were just initial; it seems much less finicky now after a few hundred shots. Or maybe it is just me getting used to it. Next time I'll try SK Pistol Match again and see if a more confident slide manoeuvre will avoid the problem with them sliding upwards.

Have checked the video. I have used that lever a couple of times when I have managed to get it into that state. Typically happens after I've been dry-firing for a bit and then forget to switch it to fire… the lever really doesn't move back but seems to work exactly as in the video. Shifts things just enough so that I can shake the cartridge out. I guess the other variant had some other issues; it seems much more convenient to be able to spit out the cartridge, so there must have been some drawback.

I'm now at around 500 rounds and have had significantly fewer problems the last few times. Can't quite get used to the grip yet. Feels very elongated and thin (compared to a Rink grip which is rather round and chubby), and I feel that there are some ridges that really try to burrow into the hand. I will give it some time to see if we can become friends and/or may look at maybe filling some parts in and sanding some sharp edges down. My hits seem to land pretty well horizontally (within the 10 ring) but there is a bit of lateral movement (sometimes out into the 8 ring, both left and right). My feeling is that there is something missing to control that sideways movement and if I grip harder the ridges just hurt.

It is not too dirty at this point, but I will clean it within another 500 and see where it gets dirty and how.

[Gwhite]

It sounds like a little breaking in has helped with the occasional quirks.

I never liked the factory grip, which is odd, because I love the grips on my Morini pistols. I didn't want to spend lots of time puttying the heck out of the factory grip, and I have Rink grips on my two MG2's. My wife has very small hands, and I had to get a special, less adjustable trigger for her that she can reach OK. I don't think she found the factory grip as objectionable as I do, but I bought her a Rink to try. I forget which she settled on.

[kqrxbn]

Although I am unsure what happens during "breaking in", it does seem to have happened and I am glad for it! I will try to get some good grease soon, to use where the surfaces seem to touch when the slide cycles. I'm guessing I'll start to see those areas getting a bit polished soon, so they are hopefully easy to identify.

I opened it up yesterday and, as you mentioned in your initial post, I can see what I think is a bit of unburnt powder. How often do you disassemble yours completely? I am thinking that a fraction of that will find its way down into the mysterious depths where the magazine hooks in and even further down into the trigger machinery?

Speaking of magazines, I noticed that there was a bit of grease on the "bottom" of them (the part against which the first bullet will push). Guessing it is from the Norma bullets. Rubbed it off as well as I could but the problem of course is that it moves away when you try to rub it… maybe I can just use some regular soap to wash it off and let the magazines dry properly?

Great pistol though. Quirky, but a really nice piece of equipment! Hoping it will only get better.

[Gwhite]

Every once in a while (after several thousand rounds), I do a more though cleaning. I start by using compressed air to blow all of the loose stuff out, and then go over everything I can with dry cotton swabs, followed by swabs with gun oil on them. I find that pointed cotton swabs can get into a lot of places conventional ones won't. I use these for tight spots (they are pricey):

https://mgchemicals.com/products/electr ... ered-swab/

At some point, you will probably need to remove the carrier to really get at all the grime. That is NOT a trivial process. I've been meaning for some time to make a video on how to do it, but I'm flat out with a bunch of other stuff & barely have time to shoot anymore.

[kqrxbn]

Thanks again for sharing your experience, Gwhite! I'll see what I can find similar to those pointed cotton thingies in my part of the world. I think I'm soon due for a regular light cleaning; may get to that this weekend. If I do get to it and I do remember, I'll see if I can take some photos of how it looks now.

Today I shot only SK Pistol Match and I'm of the impression they are cleaner-burning. After shooting Tac-22 I've noticed small flecks of what I suspect is unburnt (or burnt? partially burnt?) powder on the mat I've put on the table. Today, I didn't notice any of that. I pulled the slide confidently today and only had one of those instances of the bullet getting stuck — just as I pulled the slide I thought: "oh no", because I realised as I was doing it that I was being a bit too careful.

[Gwhite]

I took some movies at about 1000 frames per second. The entire action cycle took about 4 frames. In one, you can see unburned and still burning powder falling out of the case AFTER it has left the pistol. That was probably with either Aguila or CCI.

I've examined cases and cleaning patches from about 6 brands of ammo, and I haven't noticed a big different if fouling. I had some ancient PMC that was VERY dirty in another pistol, and I have some Tac-22, but haven't tried it yet in the MG2. It burns very cleanly in my free pistol.

The powder burning can be affected by all sorts of variable. Number one is the burning rate of the powder, but if the brass is softer, it will expand and stay sealed in the chamber longer, allowing more complete combustion.

[kqrxbn]

Wow, it would be extremely interesting to see those videos if you are able to post a link to them! Never thought I would be thinking about a high-speed camera to understand my hobby equipment better... :)

[Gwhite]

I tried to find the best frame to post as a picture here, but didn't find it quickly. I may be able to put up the videos on Youtube. I have 2 showing ejection failures, and two where the case escaped OK. It still happens so fast that I couldn't tell what was going wrong.

Now that I have an MG2 that ejects flawlessly, some day I'd like to set up the camera again and see what it's supposed to look like.

[kqrxbn]

If you do get the chance and time to, let me know! Would be very interesting to see the action in action, so to speak! I will report on how mine looks like inside. The plan is to head off the the shooting range tomorrow morning and after some shooting (which brings me to something like 600–700 rounds since the purchase), I am going to take it apart for some light cleaning. There's a competition in a few days, so that gives me a couple of more sessions on the range but not enough to get it too icky again.

[kqrxbn]

Most surfaces looked pretty clean. Sure, a bit used but I just wiped them off with a rag. The back of the barrel (the breech?) where the bullets go in had a bit of gunk around the opening and the back of the thing that the firing pin sits in, where the hammer strikes, was also a bit dirty. I just wiped it all off and put a couple of drops of the included oil on it, wiping off the excess. Had no problems neither before nor after. I guess at some point soon maybe I should clean the inside of the barrel but here I'm a bit more worried about making mistakes. I am not sure how often it needs to be cleaned and how to go about it. Remember someone saying it's important to pull things through in just one direction, but can't remember which!

I also almost lost one of those little pins that the springs that hold the slide forward sit in. I moved the slide back and forth a few times and suddenly there was a "sproing!" and all four pieces flew away. Fortunately found them. Note to self: either remove the slide or don't move it…