So, I have a lot of time to kill. Just finished F.E.A.R.3. Great game. If I'm not playing games I'm cruising some of my favorite forums. http://www.ak47.net/index.html or http://www.calguns.net/ or http://www.weaponeer.net/ or http://forum.saiga-12.com/ are some of my favorites. I have a project in the works that should interest y'all. When I move it beyond the planning stage I'll start posting about it. The idea is called the guerrilla sniper rifle. It's an accurized AK. Not working I obviously don't have a lot of money to work with. So, it's work that can be done to a rifle to make it more accurate without a machine shop or a bunch of cash for a pile of parts. Rework, refit, and tighten things selectively to improve accuracy without compromising the inherent reliability of the AK platform.
It's something I've wanted to do for a long time. Long before the tv show Sons of Guns took a 7.62x51 Saiga rifle and did their "AK Sniper". The barrel they used... That barrel cost enough to buy a couple extra AK's. The donor rifle is a Saiga 7.62x39 with a 20" barrel (520mm). The ComBloc sniper platforms SVD, PSL, M76 all have long thin barrels. They can achieve pretty good accuracy, but they have design issues that prevent the greatest accuracy. They also fire much larger cartridges. 7.62x54r, 8mm Mauser, 9.3x64 and even the 7.62x51 NATO round. With High quality 7.62x39 commercial ammo I hope to see sub MOA out to at least 300 meters. With surplus ammo accuracy should be very close to MOA. My thought is that the 20" Russian barrel should be able to manage that... When you add the other changes I have planned.
The hardest part is going to be getting the cash to get a decent scope and mount. Cope's has a PSL 4x24 surplus for $110. I'd love to get my hands on a PSOP, but.... $$$$$$! That's also contrary to the plan of not throwing a pile of cash or new/fancy parts. If I can't achieve the accuracy I want with the original barrel I'll get a Green Mountain RPK barrel and use surplus RPK gas block and front sight block. That and get/fab a Galil style gas tube(eliminating the rear sight block) should all be available under $200. I have heard a lot of good stuff about the Green Mountain barrels, and they are a real steal for the quality. New chrome-moly barrel for just over $100. No, not chrome lined, but that'll be better for accuracy anyway. You want to talk about a steal? AK 7.62x39 barrel blank, listed on their website for $33!!!!! I don't have a lathe to turn my own, otherwise I'd probably start with a new, heavy barrel. I told ya, great value.
The one thing I am having trouble with is making up my mind about how to change the gas system. The simple solution is to take the stock gas piston and cut it off to make a strike face just off the nose of the bolt carrier. Then make a floating tappet to fill the space between the gas block and the bolt carrier where it comes thru the rear sight block. This would be the easiest. Hardest part would be to tighten up the fit of the gas tube to the rear sight block. That would allow the gas tube to be shortened so that it doesn't contact the gas block. The reason to eliminate contact between the tube and gas block is that the gas tube will heat faster than the barrel and push the barrel around as it heats/cools. This will, of course, change the point of impact, and, damage accuracy.
Another idea is to make a hybrid gas system. Run a small tube (think the gas tube of an AR15/M16) from the gas block to just ahead of the bolt carrier. Then the gas piston will be replaced by a cylinder (think AR180B) that will allow the new gas tube to go in the end of the gas cylinder. Gas impulse runs from the barrel, thru the gas block, thru the new smaller gas tube, out the end of the tube and into the cylinder. This will then push the cylinder, and cycle the bolt carrier. It would operate like the AR piston systems. The benefit of the small tube system is that as it heats and cools it won't be heavy enough to push the barrel around. It will also cool much faster than a larger tube. And heat is the enemy. Better cooling=better accuracy. Who'd a thunk it? Now the only problem with this design is getting the gas cylinder(which is attached to the bolt carrier, remember?) to re-align with the gas tube. That's why I think a gas cylinder/tappet would be a better choice. Small tube going into a gas cylinder which is also a floating tappet, which would then strike the end of the bolt carrier, cycling the action. With a spring loaded, floating tappet, the gas tube would never have to leave the gas cylinder. Just think a piston system like an AR... just a lot shorter. Either of these add complexity... which might affect reliability.
So decisions, decisions. I think the ideal for accuracy would be the floating gas cylinder-tappet. That would be the hardest to fab... Make a strike face to screw into the end of the bolt carrier. Get a piece of stainless steel round stock. Drill maybe 3" into the end of the round bar. Turn the outside with my drill press. Maybe some cooling fins on the cylinder end. Have to drill a few ports about 1/2"(10 to 12mm) from the inside end. Also have to have a spring face. Then a bushing pressed into a new gas tube for the tappet to ride in. Probably hard to imagine. When I get started there will be plenty of pics.
One other thing to do is to make a gas regulator. AKs are over gassed. Less gas, less recoil. Less recoil, more accuracy. So use surplus parts? M76, maybe FN-FAL? Or just make one. That's kinda where I'm leaning. Make something to press into the original gas block....
Alright. Nuff about that. Here's a little diversion...
In my netwide travels today I found this
http://forum.phun.org/showthread.php?t=529357
Bunch of cool horror stuff
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