Zenith Z5 Rifle - Should I buy one?

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Originally Posted by MadAngler1

I agree with your assessment of their extended SEF lever. It looks exactly the same as the one my Zenith has.

I went ahead and ordered a FBI lower, a completely US made ambi trigger pack and the ambi ESSL level system. I went over all the parts with the HK Parts people, and they claim it should be compatible. If it doesn’t run, I can send it back. I’ll check it out and try it this weekend.

I feel like a total HK dork/nerd buying all these parts and playing with them :p

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I have the US made ambi pack from HKParts. Seems like $400 is a high price to pay for the ability to select Fire/Safe on presentation, but it is what it is. The pack works on both my Zeniths and I don't see why it wouldn't work for you. The stock SEF trigger was better with respect to smoothness and feel.

The HKParts US flat trigger helps and is relatively cheap. Its a little more involved than an AR trigger swap but have a few beers and it will all fall together! :cool:

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/786/4...fb7fa7b9_c.jpg

I hit the range again, and the new HK FBI lower with the US made HK Parts trigger pack (4 US parts) worked just fine. My only issue was the front push pin. I think the Zenith's bushing is out of spec slightly relative to the HK trigger group's holes. I wonder what Zenith will say considering they advertise they are selling "in spec" guns.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MadAngler1

I hit the range again, and the new HK FBI lower with the US made HK Parts trigger pack (4 US parts) worked just fine. My only issue was the front push pin. I think the Zenith's bushing is out of spec slightly relative to the HK trigger group's holes. I wonder what Zenith will say considering they advertise they are selling "in spec" guns.

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Known issue with the zenith guns. I took a drill but the sized of the inside of the bushing and put the lower back on. Then using a drill on low speed let it open up the lowers front hole just a tiny bit. That let me install the front pin. Worked well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MadAngler1

I hit the range again, and the new HK FBI lower with the US made HK Parts trigger pack (4 US parts) worked just fine. My only issue was the front push pin. I think the Zenith's bushing is out of spec slightly relative to the HK trigger group's holes. I wonder what Zenith will say considering they advertise they are selling "in spec" guns.

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I opened up the metal front of the FBI lower and it worked great

https://i.imgur.com/of4RSkq.jpg

I’m not as brave as you two. I sent the gun back to Zenith to make sure the FBI and SEF lowers work. I also had them cut a 1/3 of the circumference of the front sight hood to make using a red dot easier. I’ll post a range report when I return.

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Originally Posted by 100

Ok guys when out and bought 400 rds of 124gr 9mm blazer brass like i was advised. I had 6 failure to feed on three differnt mags mke magazines that came with the gun. I also had 1 failure to extract. Magazines still do not lock in place with an empty or loaded 28rds. Thank god i read the reviews before i submitted my form 1. I will be calling copper customs to get a exchange. Will keep you guys posted.

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Yeah that's definitely not right- send it back, mine's got well over 5000 rounds through it and aside from a bad mag has had zero issues.

https://i.imgur.com/vZS4tzh.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 100

Ok guys when out and bought 400 rds of 124gr 9mm blazer brass like i was advised. I had 6 failure to feed on three differnt mags mke magazines that came with the gun. I also had 1 failure to extract. Magazines still do not lock in place with an empty or loaded 28rds. Thank god i read the reviews before i submitted my form 1. I will be calling copper customs to get a exchange. Will keep you guys posted.

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I agree on sending it in for warranty repair. I wouldn't expect Copper Customs to do an exchange. In fact, I wouldn't involve them at all unless Zenith is unresponsive. If Zenith can't repair it, then they will exchange it.

Not that it really matters since you'll be sending it back for repair, but I am curious what kind of failures to feed you are having. Are the cartridges getting stuck as they exit the magazine? Or, are they getting stuck as they attempt to enter the chamber? Also, if you have access to any of the NATO spec 9mm like Winchester NATO 124gr FMJ, I'd give that a try. It would be interesting to see if higher pressure ammo makes a difference. It shouldn't be necessary, but it might reveal some additional information. More importantly, it would help eliminate the favorite excuse of most warranty departments, as they love to blame the ammo. Also, if you can include a video of the gun malfunctioning, that would be a good idea. I sent numerous guns back for warranty service that were returned with the warranty department claiming that they couldn't duplicate the problem. When I started sending video, that problem was eliminated. Please keep in mind that I'm talking about firearms warranty departments in general, not Zenith as I have no experience with them.

I got my Z5 rifle back from Zenith Friday. The lowers change out just fine now. I also had them cut off 1/3 of the circumference of the front sight hood and refinish it. Looks nice. Total turn around time was two weeks (including ups ground). They covered the lower/pin issue for free. I paid $80 for the custom work. I give them an A+ for customer service.

Well, my Zenith is running well, but my new problem is, that when I mount either Zenith’s Picatinny rail or a Spuhr picatinny rail, the rail does not like up level with the iron sights. This is a huge bummer. I’ll call Zenith again to see what they say.