Warning: Muzzle brake/flash hider for the MAK-90..not as easy as they sell it...

[saturno_v]

I was looking for a flash hider/Muzzle break for my MAK-90 which doesn't have a threaded barrel.

I bought an AK-74 Muzzle break/flash hider with the cross rolling pin style at a gun show and they sold it to me as a "30 seconds installation"...just pull out the forward pin in the front sight assembly, put this in and push in the rolling pin.


Even on the internet they sell the same piece this way...no gunsmith required.

Not that easy actually folks....the opening of the muzzle brake had to be machined to fit the front sight assembly, the notches where you insert the rolling pin on the muzzle brake assembly needed to be filed to align with the front sight assembly pin hole and the entire muzzle brake did need to be shimmed on the barrel to align properly.....on top of that, the supplied rolling pin had to be filed a bit to fit in the hole...eventually we had to use an entirely different pin (narrower)


So be careful...it is not a gunsmith free operation...actually not even my gunsmith could do it since he did not have a machining tool....if you are in my same situation (owning a MAK 90 and wanting to install a muzzle brake) do not fall for it or be prepared to some frustration...make sure that when they sell you the piece you can physically verify how easy is to fit that in before buying it....that muzzle brake with the cross rolling pin does not fit a MAK 90 without modification...whoever tells you otherwise is lying or is incompetent.


Regards

 

[bullturkey]

the one i got from tapco was a 60sec fit.

 

[wally]

The location of the FSB and the end of the muzzle on the MAK90 was not tightly controlled even by AK standards. I had a heck of a time driving out the original pin, after that was smooth sailing.

--wally.

 

[barnetmill]

The right way is to thread the barrel which is what I did with my mak. Most maks had the threads ground off. The diameter of the barrel varied after the grindig and on some there is not enough to there for the standard ak thread size. Then you have to go to a different american thread which I do not remember what it is. But threading is really the only way to go. I put loctite on since the spring load pin retainer for the original flashhidder is gone. I paid about $20 for an M16 looking flashhidder that will also accept a bayonet. I borrowed the die from a fellow club member and give him a 10 rd stipper clip of chinese steel core Ak ammo. Now I have to figure out how to restore my ability to mount a bayonet since the lug is also gone. By the way I changed out enough parts to be legal.

 

[saturno_v]

the one i got from tapco was a 60sec fit.

The one from Tapco is for threaded barrel, as I said in my post, my barrel is not threaded....it is an original MAK-90 barrel....however I'm thinking about getting a WASR-10 if prices keep going down (I hope up to the point where they were a little bit more than a year ago, below $400)

I love the MAK but I'm a bit tired of having a some sort of "castrated" AK, child of idiotic political game.

 

[dfariswheel]

Tapco also sells the "pin-on" type brake.

These fit "most" AK's with no fitting, but some rifles have differences that require some work to fit them.
The manufacture of the brakes made a good effort to come up with a "one size fits most" brake, and did, but some rifles are different.

As example, I first fitted one of the Tapco pin-on brakes to the Bulgarian SLR-96 I had, and had to file off the flat on the bottom of the sight support to get the brake to fit over.
Nothing is 100% fitting on all AK rifles.

 

[nalioth]

Those aren't muzzle brakes, they're close range anti-personnel devices.

 

[jojo200517]

I had problems putting my flash hider on my AK as well. The main thing is someone tack welded the thread nut at the bottom to be compliant with previous AWB. Well that was solved with the dremel but I still couldn't manage to turn it off. It wasn't until I studied the new flash hider closely that I discovered the reverse threads. Was a definite DOH! moment.