My first MG was an original Texas MAC in .45 ACP, bad welds, Garand style safety, and all. I shot it from 2012 until 2019, then the welds in the rear of the receiver started cracking. I sent it to Sam for a rebuild, so scratch that one off the list of original condition Texas guns. I eventually got a second Texas marked MAC, but it is a SWD completed gun. It had the .45 grip/magwell, but was listed on the form 4 as a 9mm. I figure it probably started out as a .45, but at some point to was transferred as a 9mm and the paperwork stayed that way. Like all the Texas receivers it is marked "Cal 9mm, .45 A. C. P." I had Sam convert it to an Uzi grip because the form 4 said 9mm, and my plan was to shoot it in 9mm most of the time anyway. The Uzi mags are just so much better than any of the other options, especially if one is "stuck" with the .45 ACP magwell. I sold my original Texas MAC. I decided I didn't need two M10s, and I really wanted a Stemple-BRP in Suomi configuration. I am not sorry I sold that M10 to fund the BRP.
The SWD guns have an extra digit at the end of the serial number that is a slightly different font. That was true with my original Texas gun as compared to the SWD, and holds true in pictures I have seen. I suppose it might not be universal. An original Powder Springs MAC is probably more collectable, but the SWD guns are just as good shooters as any of the originals. Mine has also had no problem fitting multiple Lage uppers. I just got my VERSA-10 in .45. Hopefully I will get it to the range this week.
The SWD rebuilt Texas guns are nicely done.. as are the SWD rebuilt powder springs guns as well.
I like the finish SWD used. It was black. They used a “pre-black” solution in their parkerizing process, it is a dip that is applied prior to the phosphate to give their parkerized guns that black finish vs the usual gray. It makes the SWD guns fairly easy to identify. The SWD M10 guns were also built with what could be considered the most “state of the art” components for their era. They used what I call their “slab side” machined bolt on most of their M10 builds, it is slightly heavier than the old cast design, uses the same extractor, but is made from machined steel and resembles a flat sided block. It has a tendency to be a little oversized and sometimes sticks and struggles in the older upper receivers, but seems to work fine in the SWD Cobray marked uppers that they used on their rebuilt M10s. They did mostly Texas guns, but also did a few powder springs guns like this and of course the Jersey Arms Works Guns.
Many of the SWD rebuild M10s also had a different buttstock assembly, that they first used on the Jersey Arms M10 commando rebuilds and as a result, it was called the “commando” style stock. It was basically the same thing as the old “alternate” buttstock that was sold by MAC and RPB in the earlier years, a flat fixed butt that didn’t fold. The difference with the SWD version is that they were using salvaged alternate stock bodies that they had already stamped out for the Cobray terminator slam fire shotgun, so it had curved flares on the sides that previously accommodated the round struts on the terminator stock.. the legs/struts were also a bit on the short side with some of the commando stocks.
These were most common on the Jersey rebuilds but have also been seen on Texas guns.
The SWD texas rebuilds are rare in .45acp. All of the advertising I have from SWD for the Texas guns is specifically for “M10/9”, no mention of .45, but examples do exist. It seems the majority were built up with 9mm M10/9 magwells, something the original Texas guns never had, as they were all assembled with .45 magwells and marked with both calibers. The original Texas guns were advertised as “convertibles” and Texas MAC sold the magwell sleeve and upper to convert over to 9mm.
Wayne built them up with 9mm magwells and I believe this is predominantly because he was making the most profit off his zytel 9mm mags. He installed the SWD slab side 9mm bolt in all of those guns and that bolt was specifically built as a single feed bolt for use with the zytel magazines. The zytels have 2 notches on the spine, one for the M11 and the other for the M10, they are a dual purpose magazine and they were very cheap to manufacture. Most of the texas SWD guns came in 9mm and came with a zytel magazine, and would not function properly with double feed mags.
Some ads from SWD for the Texas and Jersey guns. Jersey gun is shown with the Alternate “commando” style stock.
Mind you, the guns shown in the stock photos weren’t always correct in these catalogs, as is the case here.. where a .45 magwell is shown on the “Texas M10/9” that they advertised, but these guns came equipped with a 9mm magazine well only.
The first ad here is from an early 90s MAC (mountain accessories company) catalog. Wayne would hoarde hundreds of machine guns and trickle them out from time to time when he needed some extra capital.
This second and is from the late 80s when SWD first started selling the Texas and Jersey guns.
