Pin on muzzle brakes.

[WinchesterAA]

Well, in my undying quest to figure out the ultimately quickest, simplest, cheapest way to securely and effectively put a muzzle brake on my AK, I read into this..

"AK-47 RIFLE MUZZLE BRAKE WEIGHT:4.55 OZ LENGTH: 3.3" LONG COLOR: BLACK This muzzle brake comes with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. The brake reduces recoil up to 50- 70% and reduces muzzle climb up to 60-90%. made for AK 7.62x39 caliber. The brake pins on to barrel and locks in place using the retaining pin. The brake reduces muzzle climb by directing gas upward through 2 gas ports. The recoil is diminished by four 45° gas ports which direct gas at a 45° angle away from the weapon and a contoured flat at the end of the brake directs gas sideways. The two gas streams cancel each other and absorb the force of recoil. This is one of the highest quality AK brake on the market today at a great price."

Pin on muzzle brake.. Am I correct in thinking that these do not #1 need threads on my barrel, #2 need an adapter, and #3 need any kinda welding and whatnot? I don't mind welding/silver soldering stuff, but it's probably gunna cost a bunch of $ to get a smith to thread my barrel, it'd cost about 80-100$ to buy the tools to do it myself, and a new barrel is what I was thinking about right now as I need a drill press anyway and a new barrel wouldn't hurt anything.

Also, if "correct" is the answer to #1 2 and preferably 3, is it a secure mounting system, and is it even worth having to begin with?

 

[Azrael256]

Depends. Which AK? The Romanian SAR-1s (at least) have a differen't barrel OD and require the fitting of a threaded adapter. That is, last time I checked. If somebody knows different, please enlighten me.

And unless I miss my mark completely, that's an AK-74 style muzzlebrake. They're neato-spiffy.

 

[WinchesterAA]

yeah, it's a 74 style brake for 7.62x39mm.

I have a WASR-10. AFAICT my barrel diameter is normal, just lacking in threads.

 

[blackhawk2000]

If you have a WASR you probably have a nut welded to the end of the barrel. The weld is easy to dremel off. It may or may not be threaded under the nut. Once you break through the weld, and the nut starts to wiggle, push the little pin in that is built into the sight in. Then unscrew the nut off. The threads should be left handed, meaning you would need to rotate it in the normal tightening direction. Then thread the new device on, in the normal loosening direction. When you get to the pin, just push it in until the brake is tight enough, and with the ports facing the right way.

 

[WinchesterAA]

Well.. I'm not sure if I have a nut or not.

I'll take a pic and let you decide, but there's very little thickness between bore and outer rim of barrel.



In that pic you can make out the threads under the FSB, and the muzzle diameter is smaller than the thread diameter on the part of the barrel where the FSB is..

atleast I think that's what those are there for.



sorry for crappy pics, my camera doesn't seem to be able to take clear shots.

 

[blackhawk2000]

No doesn't look like there is a nut. The spring loaded pin also looks MIA. That hole right above the barrel is where the pin goes.

 

[WinchesterAA]

I figured as much =)

ANywho, so pin on 74 style brake, solid platform? will it work with my rifle as is?

 

[WinchesterAA]

Well, it's only 18$ so I'm try it out and give a review.

 

[blackhawk2000]

You probably need that detent pin to keep it from rotating loose. Barrel also needs to be threaded. Unless you wanted to weld it on. Then it would probably still need to be threaded first.

 

[dfariswheel]

The pin-on AK muzzle brakes have a bad habit of sailing down range, so when you install it, pitch the roll pin and use a piece of drill rod or even the shank of a drill.

When driving the existing sight pin out, make sure to do a good job of bracing the front sight assembly so you don't knock the sight loose or out of alignment.

If the pin is very difficult to move, make up a "starter" pin punch by cutting a standard punch off to about a 1/2" working length. This prevents the punch from bending or flexing, and directs all the force to the pin.

 

[WinchesterAA]

dfaris, am I correct in assuming that I am to punch out the front pin on the FSB?

(marked in this pic)



That's what I gather from the pics of the brake that I looked at, which would lead me to believe that's a somewhat stable platform that doesn't require threading or welding. I'll weld if I need to though, that wouldn't be a problem.

 

[blackhawk2000]

Post a link to this brake.

 

[WinchesterAA]

http://www.combathunting.com/AK-AK_47_PIN_ON_MUZZLE_BRAKE_3_3_LONG.html

 

[blackhawk2000]

OK, I was thinking they mounted like the slant brakes. That might work.

 

[WinchesterAA]

I dunno, I figure it'd atleast give me something to examine to figure out just exactly how muzzle brakes work in the first place if it ends up flopping, but wouldn't hurt to try anyway.

 

[WinchesterAA]

update - Muzzle brake came in the mail today.. I dunno what copes was smoking but that thing was not designed for an AK.. It had a little groove where I thought it might fit over the bayo lug/cleaning rod lug thing, but nope..

so I buzzed a section out of it with a dremel and tapped it on with a hammer.

VERY snug fit and everything lined up after that, so I thought I'd try tapping out the pin in the FSB.. Nope, that thing did NOT want to budge. I tried drilling it out with 3 different drill bits and all that did was burn up my drill bits.

It does fit extremely tightly on the FSB and I shined a light through the barrel and saw no obstruction, but I'm kinda weary of shooting it without something holding it on, so I guess I'm just gunna get my barrel threaded and buy a normal brake. Kinda dissapointing, but it was an interesting experience anyway.

 

[dfariswheel]

These front sight base pins are installed TIGHT.
They have to be, because the pins are the only thing keeping the base from rotating or moving.
For that reason, the pins are installed as tightly as possible and can be very difficult to get out.

The "secret" of removing tight pins is to get the barrel and base in a well-braced, no-move, no-bounce setup, and to use a "Starter punch".

To brace the barrel and base, use wood blocks and a buddy to help hold it in place.
If it's allowed to move or bounce AT ALL, the pin will not want to move since the force of the blows will be dissipated.
Also, when everything moves around the pins tend to get deformed or "upset" and this only locks them tighter in place.

Another aid is to use a starter punch. This is just a standard punch that's cut off to about a 1/2" working length.
The shorter length of the punch end makes the punch stiffer, and it flexes and bends less easily.

The well-braced setup and the starter punch direct all the force of the blows to the pin, and get it moving without the deformation.

You may also have to use a heavier hammer on these really tight pins.

The "usual" standard is, pins are driven OUT from the left side, and driven IN from the right, so make sure you're pushing in the right direction.

The most "elegant" solution is to have the barrel threaded, but if you set things up right, you CAN drive the pin out.

 

[WinchesterAA]

I'm pretty sure I'm gunna go with threading.. My little modification to the brake they sent me seems good on paper, but I don't think I'd ever "really" trust it.

 

[.45&TKD]

How much should it cost to have an AK (SAR1) barrel threaded for a Slant Cut Muzzle Brake?

I've been wanting to get/put one on my SAR1.

For that matter, who sells a good US made Slant Cut Muzzle Brake?

 

[WinchesterAA]

I've checked two places. One said 100$ and 3 week wait, other one said 45$ and 4-7 day wait.

Gunna go with the cheaper guy as I checked a few of the rifles he threaded and they looked mighty nice.