Lage Manufacturing has been making conversion uppers for MAC-pattern machine pistols for a long time. They have a bunch of 9mm uppers in a variety of styles, some using magazines in the grip and some using forward-mounted Suomi drums. Well, a couple years ago Lage added a 5.56mm conversion to their lineup. This is an upper which is not regulated, and attaches to a registered full-auto MAC (or RPD, SWD, etc) lower assembly. It uses an AR-style bolt and gas system, standard AR magazines, and fires from an open bolt in fully automatic (the Lage uppers do not fit semiauto lowers, and they do not make a semiauto version).
Lage began with an AR-type recoil mechanism, using an AR spring and buffer in the buttstock of the conversion. This allowed a lot of user customization, but required drilling a hole in the back of the MAC frame to allow a rod from the bolt carrier to push on the buffer assembly. This was unpopular with many customers, and so Lage developed a second pattern, with a completely self-contained recoil mechanism. This IRM (Internal Recoil Mechanism) allows the use of folding stocks and doesn’t require any modification of the MAC frame, but it is a bit more complicated to assemble and disassemble.
Lage currently offers both recoil mechanisms, and has versions of the Max11 to fit both M11/9 and M11A1 machine guns. The M10 version is coming soon.
Can’t wait for the video of you shooting this đŸ™‚
Neat. Eagerly await the range video. Even better would be the bipod gun at a BUG match, but I doubt those targets are up for 5.56.
What a shame Bill Holmes is no longer with us. This gun is just begging for a home workshop do it yourself book
In the US, at least, any MG work outside approved commercial designs is a scary grey area.
“(…)Conversion From Machine Pistol to LMG”
This is feat of engineering which I never excepted to see.
Is this start of treating of converting for getting maximal size discrepancy between input and output? Should I prepare myself to encounter conversion of Trejo machine pistol (.22 rim-fire) into 14,5×114 mm machine gun?
Looking forward to the range test
I have the M 11 9mm with the original supressor (serialed to the gun), and with lots of watermelons it’s really fun. I operated wtih 2/75th Co. C many years ago which is where I saw my first MAC. Not that the US ever really adopted the thing, it was more of a test.I agree wtih you that in general they are pretty worthless, but for a kick down the door “room broom” they’re not bad, and after that you can use it as the door stop. Great video!
Yes, very clever. Good video. BTW given the type of hinge on the wall behind you, it looks as if you filmed this in a garage ? Even if you did, it’s all good.
SMG lower + MG upper = functional LMG,
what a funny and brilliant design!