Range Report 2-21-16 Monarch ammo .308 and 9mm

[RobertJ]

You don't "mortar" an AK if the gas tube is locked up.

The easiest remedy is the one that scares people- that's put the stock on the ground with the barrel facing up but AWAY from your body and kick the charging handle down. Or for the faint of heart, pull the magazine (which always doubles as a hammer) and smack the charging handle with the back of the magazine. If you have a tree or piece of hard cover, including your enemy's head handy, you can slam the charging handle into that also to free it up. Much as if you would rack your slide on your pistol on your belt, the holster, the back of your shoe, etc. if necessary (one handed or one hand out of the fight, rolling on the ground, etc.)

The charging handle is a HOOK after all, keep that in mind for CQB work :)


Don't believe the hype. Most of that kind of crap is written by guys that think "shooting a lot" equals a case a year. Some of these failures your not going to see for thousands of rounds.

If your in the FAL circles this method is commonly referred to as "The Pogo" as in a pogo stick. Sometimes happens when gas settings are off/wrong, or other malfunctions. Works just as well in the AK, and M14 rifles as well.

[protus]

Off to try and break my laminated wood stock.......... ;p

[Lowdown3]

Would some time in a DEEP FREEZE work? My wife gonna love me....

[RobertJ]

Would some time in a DEEP FREEZE work? My wife gonna love me....

get some liquid nitrogen... -321 F, heck with that 10 degree crap. We can freeze it right up for you and see what happens. Keep the wife on the happy side this way. Plus you can always tout you had your AK barrel cryoed:cool: Just dont drop it untill it thaws a bit.

[protus]

Deep freezer should go into sub zero temps. Most fridges Will run -10-10f .
Toss one with 550 in that little ditch...drag it around ..get it mucky...then freeze.......

[Rmplstlskn]

You southern folks must never see much winter weather condensation when going from cold (outside) to warm (indoors)? I can attest that anything metal or glass begins to form water mist than droplets.... on EVERY surface, seen or unseen. I have heard of many cellphones fried this way... I had to take my battery out a few times when I left it in my truck for a few hours and it immediately began to water up...

So that same water would form on all exposed metal surfaces, even the places you can't see, like in a gas piston area or in a receiver where trigger parts hide...

Anyways, the scenario was not as drastic as you all are making fun of... It can be made fun of, but for those in cold climates, it is a valid scenario to test, one I had not previously thought of. So his little spritzing with a squirt bottle and letting it sit outside for 15 minutes or so, to me, is an ingenious attempt at re-creating a scenario I have never even considered, but now will keep in mind if such a sequence of events require me to come in from the cold, then after 1/2 hour inside, go back outside with my weapon. I personally learned something and was awakened to a weak link via ignorance...

Rmpl

[Lowdown3]

Based on my experience with corrosive ammo and not cleaning, I know the situation is real, it's the same situation you get when you shoot an AK a lot and walk away from it for a few months down here. The humidity acts on the powder residue or whatever the hell, in the same manner as him putting water in the gas tube then freezing it. So yes I have no doubt it's POSSIBLE.

What I did NOT agree with was the "mortaring" the stock, that's stupid plain and simple. With our original Polytechs, we beat the stocks against trees, slammed into stuff, etc. so while I feel like a FACTORY STOCK from a decent factory (i.e, probably not Century) would most likely "take" the "Mortaring", it's a completely unnecessary way to free up the end of the charging handle. Seems akin to trying to "tap rack" a locked up revolver.....

Buttstock end on ground, left hand on front sight, barrel facing away from you and kick charging handle down (mag out obviously), aka the "pogo stick" method as RobertJ called it. Or remove magazine and smack charging handle with short side of magazine ALWAYS frees the charging handle.

ONE TIME (at band camp... lol), my young nephews shot one of my Polys and put the damn thing together wrong- the receiver cover UNDER the little lip near the rear sight. I didn't even know you could do that. But they did and the gun functioned for several hundred rounds that day. After every course of fire I would tell others there- "something is wrong with this gun." Even though it seemed to be functioning fine, I just "felt" it for lack of a better explanation.

A couple hundred rounds into it, I'm shooting a course in some trenches (that some jerknut set on fire I might add..... DUDE!!). A little while into it and the Polytech charging handle locks back. Left hand reaches under, right pivots gun to side (old de'bil gravity and all) and I go to clear the jam. Bolt carrier won't move. Beat my hand against it a couple times, fire is going at my feet, "stress course" type things going on around me. Small pine tree next to where I'm at. I slam charging handle against pine tree. Just leaves a huge gash in pine tree.... Try other remedies and have to throw in towel.

Upon breaking down the rifle, HALF the trigger is sheared off and chunk of metal is locking everything up. Pull out piece of metal, continue shooting with half trigger. Upon breaking down, I realize knuckehead 1 and knuckelhead 2 have put the damn thing together in FUBAR fashion. Evidently the cover being under forced carrier down, carrier at some point sheared off half trigger under pressure or something. Put together correctly it shot fine but others there (some no doubt reading this...) convinced me to please replace the trigger so I did.

That would be the only time I was unable to free up a stuck charging handle.

I forget which AR malfunction drill they teach "mortaring" for, but it seems to me like it's not even applicable here.

[Rmplstlskn]

I forget which AR malfunction drill they teach "mortaring" for, but it seems to me like it's not even applicable here.

I think he just wasn't thinking, he reacted to his training muscle memory and flawed logic... He mortared an AK. For an AR, that is the only option; use inertia and impact. On an AR, it is effective, but I have rarely had to do this... Like count one hand amount of times.

Either way, it was disappointing to see that Zhukov stock fail like that. I own one for my AK-74 Tantal because I hate the ergonomics of the wire folding stock but wanted to keep its folding portability (truck gun in a tennis racket case). It has a great feel and cheek weld. It is weakness I now know I will have to be aware of.

Rmpl

[RobertJ]

Either way, it was disappointing to see that Zhukov stock fail like that. I own one for my AK-74 Tantal because I hate the ergonomics of the wire folding stock but wanted to keep its folding portability (truck gun in a tennis racket case). It has a great feel and cheek weld. It is weakness I now know I will have to be aware of.

Rmpl

There are numerous videos on youtube of the magpul side folder "Zhukov" stock failing. Rob Ski has a couple on his channel, one where he drives over it and another butt stroking a target on a tree or post. All failed at the hinge. I believe it was HossUSMC that had a failure as well. I purchased one thinking they were "cool" and better??? then my East German side folder wire stock. guess I should have went with the fixed stock instead. I feel ya Rmpl
Wish I would have known before I purchased, I also did this with the travis Haley weapon mounted light. They are failing at classes at an alarming rate. The plastic body cant take the abuse and are cracking and spitting their guts out.Test them real world people, before it fails when it counts.

[Lowdown3]

I put one of those US Palm BG grips on my Arsenal years ago so I could keep an extra CR123 for my DBAL on board.

The grip was constantly coming loose, and it took an allen head wrench- a special one. Then one day it just snapped off.

Many stock AK pistol grips have the standard straight screwdriver screw. You ALWAYS have that tool with the rifle- it's on the back of the magazine.

[protus]

Reason 546 why protus doesn't tactical out his shtf go to rifle......