AK muzzle brake blown away

[igor]

So I got my Saiga from the 'smith, barrel nicely threaded and new muzzle brake in place and mag modification (feed ramp and mag release tuning) done.

I got to my range and fired a string . Just getting used to it, getting the feel... nice. One can notice I need to go back to forearm-mag support, the rifling counter-motion is to be seen. I loaded 10 in each mag as now was the time to also verify, which ones work and which don't. I numbered my eight Sako waffles and got two lemons to work further on.

Well, I changed another mag after 20 rounds and started firing . As you can see, after the first shot the fore-end of the compensator... is no more. I noticed it first after the whole string and found a mark in the snow some 20 meters away. One could say that the comp still worked to an extent without an actual pressure chamber ! I only started to wonder a bit as the perceived muzzle flash started changing... and around 4 pm at this time of year it is perceivable, as you can see !

A prompt SMS went to the 'smith and he sent me a genuine East German AK-74 muzzle brake he'd re-blued. I got it today, after one business day. Next to it in the pic you'll see what was left of the one I got first...

The 'smith said that the stuff he sent over last time to be parkerized, including this comp, had obviously wound up underneath something really heavy in the oven. A CZ 75 frame was ruined and so on. Maybe that did something to the structure of his comp, to me it seemed very ruggedly built. But I have to say, the East German one I got now does have a much nicer finish.

edit: video coded with DivX.

 

[WonderNine]

Um....how was the muzzle break attached dood?

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Wonder---my thoughts exactly.

 

[gun-fucious]

he's in Finland, so i would bet threaded muzzles are A-OK

 

[Nero Steptoe]

I believe his first sentence said that his barrel was nicely threaded.

 

[Master Blaster]

Would those sako mags work in a standard saiga with no feed ramp???

Do they make them in .308? 7.62x51.

 

[igor]

Threaded it is, cost a bit because the barrel had to be separated from the receiver so it could be fit on the lathe. I'll see if the tax return fairy might get me a BR suppressor for the holidays...

Master, the mags wouldn't work and the ramp was part of the job: the other was filing the mag release to fit. Saiga mags will still fit, though loosely: I sold both I had for 30€ apiece...

The feed ramp is definitely no contest winner (see attached pic) but it works: it's just a ridge of welded material dremeled to form.

.308 Valmet Petra were never army issue... sorry, those mags are only commercially "available".

Tomorrow I'll get to the range again and see how this brake will fly ... I'll also measure some groups with Russian (Tula works) and Norinco ammo. The 'smith loosened the gas tube so there might be some improvement to observe.

edit: typpo

 

[Jim K]

Parkerized in an oven? I think someone is having someone on.

Jim

 

[igor]

Parkerized: dang, I guess I got to look this one up in a dictionary... I'm mixing up the different coatings here.

Anyhow, the range trip today was a major bother. The new brake has slightly smaller holes than the Saiga original would have and, sure enough, the bullet gets a little contact exiting. POI 1 ½ meters high... back to the gunsmith with the whole package.

 

[Redlg155]

I'm thinking perhaps a bad threading job.

One brake completely broken. The second of different manufacture also has bullet contact....hmmm.

Perhaps your smith somehow threaded it so that the brake sits at a slight angle in relation to the bore?

Good Shooting
Red

 

[igor]

Yes, Redlg155, that sounds like a possibility... if that's what happened, what the heck can be done? Cut the barrel shorter the barrel and redo? We have limits as to how short a "rifle" can be... Go for a new barrel? He could do that and I'd get a tighter barrel... we'll see next week.

All this hassle but I'm sure the end result will be OK. This 'smith is sensitive about his good reputation here and I've only heard good things about his work. I've also heard of a couple cock-ups he was very careful to see through completely to the customer's satisfaction. Time for him to really prove himself...