MKE Archives

Zenith Firearms was founded in Afton, Virginia by Hanri and Kutlay Kaya. Hanri is the CEO and was originally from South Africa, Hanri met her husband Kutlay in the US. Her background wasn’t initially in firearms, but in international trade, which proved crucial to Zenith’s success.

Kutlay Kaya: An engineer from Turkey, Kutlay brought his knowledge of Turkish manufacturing and his connections in Turkey to the business.

Here’s a breakdown of their history:

Zenith Quest International (ZQI) Ammunition was founded in 2010 – Zenith Firearms Inc (ZFI) was not their first business venture. The couple had been importing other products from Turkey and were approached by Walmart to import ammunition during the 2012 ammo shortage from MKEK (Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu – “Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation”), a Turkish government-owned defense company that became the joint stock company MKE in 2021. That’s why you might recall seeing “ZQI” ammunition at Walmart back in the day.
In 2014, they structured their entities such that Zenith Quest Corporation (ZQC) was the holding company for both ZQI and ZFI. ZNT is Zenith Global that operates in Turkey.

The MKE Partnership (2014-2017):

MKE (Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation): This Turkish state-owned arms manufacturer has a long history, dating back to the Ottoman Empire. They’re known for producing a wide range of military equipment, including licensed copies of Heckler & Koch firearms like the G3 rifle and the MP5 submachine gun. The key here is that they were licensed and had the tooling, plans, etc. MKE was trained by HK back in the day to make these weapons so they had, and continue to have, deep knowledge about the designs. I own an MKE AP5-P, which is an HK MP5K clone, and it is very nicely done for example.
Zenith’s Role: Zenith Firearms became the exclusive importer of MKE’s MP5 clones for the US civilian market. They offered several variants, including pistols, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), and full-sized rifles.
Why it Worked: This partnership was initially successful because:
- High Quality: MKE’s MP5s were known for their quality and faithfulness to the original HK design. Again, they were a licensed manufacturer.
- Affordability: They were significantly cheaper than genuine HK MP5s, which were often prohibitively expensive for many buyers.
- Strong Demand: There was a large, untapped market of enthusiasts and shooters who wanted an MP5 but couldn’t afford an HK.

Zenith’s Pivot to US Manufacturing (2017-Present):

Reasons for the Change: Several factors likely contributed to Zenith’s decision to manufacture in the US:
- Relationship Rift: Due to a variety of factors, MKE and Zenith grew apart. Repeated promises of firearms shipping were missed, monies owed were not paid and finally there was a suit by MKE alleging trade secret theft that they lost. MKE wound up moving to Century Firearms to import their firearms.
- Increased Control: Domestic production gave Zenith greater control over quality, production timelines, and product development.
- “Buy American” Sentiment: Appealing to customers who prefer American-made products. In the HK-community this can actually be a con as well as some die hard HK advocates argue that only HK can make an HK-type weapon.
- Potential Trade Issues: Relying on imports can be risky due to changing trade policies and international relations. There were, and continue to be, issues between the US and Turkey when it comes to trade.
The ZF-5: Zenith’s American-made MP5. They invested in tooling and machinery to produce these firearms in-house. They even made some improvements to the design, such as using a proprietary heat-treated barrel steel.
Expanding Product Line: Zenith has also introduced other roller-delayed firearms, like the Z-5RS, inspired by the HK53.

Summary

Zenith Fireams has a relatively short but lively history with entrepreneurship, politics and a drive to succeed on the parts of the founders. I’ve ordered direct from them a number of times and have found them great to deal with as a consumer. If you are looking for a roller locked firearm, take a look at what they have to offer.

I hope you find this interesting.

For More Information

Zenith Firearms Website:
- “A Brief History of the MP5”: https://zenithfirearms.com/brief-history-mp5/
- “History Archives”: https://zenithfirearms.com/category/history/page/2/
- This provides information on their company history, their focus on the MP5 platform, and their transition to US manufacturing.
Spotter Up:
- “Zenith Firearms: Recent Business Model Shift”: https://spotterup.com/zenith-firearms-big-shift/
- This article discusses Zenith’s shift from importing to domestic production.
Guns.com:
- “Gun Review: Bringing back the classics with the Zenith Z-5P (VIDEO)”: https://www.guns.com/news/review/gun-review-bringing-back-the-classics-with-the-zenith-z-5p-video
- This review mentions Zenith’s partnership with MKE and their focus on providing affordable MP5 clones.
Crozet Gazette:
- “Zenith Firearms: Passion Fuels the Purpose”: https://www.crozetgazette.com/2020/09/04/zenith-firearms-passion-fuels-the-purpose/
- This article provides background on the founders, Hanri and Kutlay Kaya, and their early business ventures before entering the firearms industry.
- The Firearm Blog has a post about Zenith’s split with MKE: https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2020/12/03/zenith-firearms-cuts-ties-with-mke-new-product-launch-in-2021/
- The following is the judge’s ruling in the case: https://casetext.com/case/makina-ve-kimya-endustrisis-as-v-kaya

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Do you have an old HK grip, or any other plastic item, you want to rejuvenate? Or maybe you bought one of the contract grips, washed it and now it’s a dull grey and all of the scratches stand out and you want to make it look better? It’s easier than you might think.

Clean the grip

I recently boought a bunch of the the surplus HK33 “contract grips” that were made by SME Arms and Ordnance manufacturer, Malaysia under license from HK and most of them really needed cleaning – everything from cosmoline to brown masking tape with numbers were on them.

The first thing is to really clean the grip. I use a Vevor 30L ultrasonic cleaner [click here for a review I did on mine] with Simple Green HD and water in it but you can use any warm-to-hot soapy water and something to scrub with to clean it up. Use compressed air to blow it dry real quick before any exposed steel surfaces rust.

These HK33 grips are a mess. Most are beaten up to some extent. Many were covered in cosmoline – that grip on the top that is shiny is coated in it. Some even had old dry masking tape wrapped around the actual hand-grip portion.

For cleaning, I use an ultrasonic cleaner. I have a 30 Liter Vevor and it’s great. Vevor offer all kinds of sizes – if you are interested, click here for a blog post I did about mine. You can calso click here to see the current listings on Amazon.

If you aren’t interested in ultrasonic cleaners, you can also have very good luck with hot soapy water. I used to recommend brake cleaner but that has really lost its cleaning power as various regulations have really reduced its strength.

This is a 30 liter Vevor ultrasonic cleaner filled with Simple Green Pro HD heated to 158F (70C). It gets rid of pretty much everything in 15 minutes including most if not all of the paint in the lettering.

Dealing with scratches and small nicks

Major repairs can be a challenge. Filling them with black epoxy or black super glue creates visible repairs. Black super glue to close a clean crack works surprisingly well. Starbond makes a black super glue that is superb at closing cracks plus bonding clean surfaces together in general – click here to see it at Amazon

For minor scrapes and scratches, the best approach I have found is to use 0000 (sometimes called “quadruple ought” or super fine) steel wool and vigorously rub down surfaces to get rid of scratches and any plastic sticking up from getting nicked. The benefit I have found with it vs. sandpaper is that it doesn’t destroy the surface finish as easily.

This is an actual HK German SEF grip converted for use on an MP5K. I used 0000 steel wool to knock over any sticking out plastic and reduce minor scratches. I find careful use of steel wool helps me improve the surface some without destroying the pebbled finish on the plastic.

Restoring the black color

Black plastic fades as the surface layer loses its oil/moisturizers. The trick to try and replace those lost chemicals and bring the color back.

Black plastic that has been ultrasonically cleaned is greyish and you can see all of the scratches. If you don’t know it’s coming you can have a “what just happened” moment.

The treatment I use is made by Car Guys and is called “Plastic Restorer”. Again, make sure the grip is clean and then rub this stuff in. I use nitrile gloves and work it in. You want a thin film there. I let the stuff sit overnight and buff it off with a shop towel the next day. It does a nice job and will last for sometime. I’m not exactly sure how long – I’ve been using it for almost six months and nothing has faded yet.

On this HK SEF grip, it’s been cleaned and I used steel wool to knock down any rough spots. Next up is applying Car Guys Plastic Restorer.

The actual cream that comes out is an odd blue grey color. I wear nitrile gloves, put the cream in my glove and then apply enough to leave a film.

It does need to have a light film – not super thick but something like this.
It has to sit to work, I try to let it sit overnight if I can. They say at least 10 minutes but I find the longer the better. You then wipe it down and remove any residue on the surface,

This is the same grip. It sat overnight and then I wiped it down the following day.

These are four of the grey ashen grips shows above after following this process.

Summary

I did not know why black colored platics fade with time. Now I do and the Car Guys Plastic Restorer works on more colors than just black. Click here for it on Amazon – there’s a reason there are over 31,000 reviews and a score of 4.4. It’s that good. So, whether it’s plastic on firearms, cars or something else, this stuff might really help you bring the color back.

One perk is that it does seal and provide UV protection after it is applied. I’ve been using it for six months and nothing has faded yet but then again, no finish lasts forever so I would bet that some day I will need to touch things up.

Note: This stuff isn’t for headlights and it doesn’t fix physically damaged plastic when there is a thick crust of oxidation or scratches. It’s meant to bring the color back is all.

I hope this helps you out.