Folks,
A few weeks ago I received a muzzle brake as a gift from a regular Irregular (boy could I go some double entendre places with THAT). Grateful for the gift (and I still am), I put it on Hannah's M-44 so see how it worked. I didn't get to the range until today. It looks like this:
As you can see, the piece holding the brake onto the barrel clamps behind the front sight with two allen head screws.
In the test, insofar as recoil, the brake worked GREAT at attentuating recoil and muzzle flip. At least it did until the twenty-third round, when it blew off the end of the barrel.
Now once, way back when I was running converted M-1 carbines to the marijuanos in the late 70s (after I left Communism, before I rededicated my life to Christ), I was firing a carbine with a WWII vintage "flash hider." The thumbscrew loosened up and the "flash hider" (which is an exaggeration at the least) drooped down into the path of the next out-going 110 grain slug. It blew off the end of the barrel, taking the front sight with it (which I never saw again). When I recovered the "flash hider," it was permanently bent downward about 15 degrees like some Snoopy nose. I kept it for a while to remind me of the folly of inattention to detail when dealing with firearms, but eventually I threw it away as so much junk, which indeed it was.
Thus while I was testing the M-44 muzzle brake, I was paying particular attention to the allen head screws, inspecting them every so often. Here's the deal.
THEY DID NOT LOOSEN, they simply sheared off from the pressure of the gas impinging on the internal restriction of the front end of the brake, without, I might add, leaving a mark on the back of the front sight of the Mosin (a tribute to Russian metallurgy).
Ooops. Why is it every time I go to the range on a Sunday, I still manage to have a religious experience?
Now, all is not lost. I'm going to take the two pieces of the brake (one recovered in front of the bench and one behind -- both unharmed and unmarked) over to a certain firearms manufacturer, designer and gunsmith in Heard County GA and see if he can come up with a more secure means of holding the brake onto the M-44.
More later when we have arrived at a fix.
Mike "You know me, I'm the soul of caution" Vanderboegh
III
18 comments:
A religious experience on the range. Hmmm. Probably beats having a gun experience in church. Those usually result in several people dead instead of a couple of people shaken.
Praise the Lord.
Eric
III
Glad everyone and everything is OK!
I wonder if a design like the socket bayonet used on 91/30 rifles might work? Just a thought from someone who probably doesn't know much.
Best of luck!
Jeff
III
As I crawl sheepishly into the corner!:-)
I have one of those handy little rifles of Russian mfr. and was considering a muzzle brake to reduce recoil, as that little number kicks like a mule! I must say, you have a way with words with that "a religious experience" comment. That's a very quaint way of saying you almost blew your head off. In any case, after shooting that rifle at the range for a couple hours after having forgotten to put the "Past" recoil pad in the range kit, I will seriously investigate recoil reduction for that rifle.
Amazingly, for a rifle made in 1943 Russia, it shoots pretty damned true. I have a long eye relief scope mounted in front of the ejector port (my eyes not being what they used to be) for targets way out there, so really didn't want to have to quit before I was satisfied with the day's shooting. Ended up having to stuff my wadded up T-shirt into the shoulder sweetspot to finish the exercise; but, it was worth it. Got pie pan sized groups at 500 yards, and still in the black at 700 yards. That little number really shoots well.
Picked up one of the longer barrel models just a day ago for really cheap, but have to drill and tap the receiver for scope mount, so it'll be a bit before I can test it at the range. If you don't have one of these, in either carbine, or full length rifles, then I truly recommend you get a couple. I say "a couple" because they're extremely inexpensive, the long barrel job at only $125.00, and the ammo is dirt cheap as well.
I'm just about there, in prep.
Communism? I had no idea. Glad to hear of the full turn to Light. Have you ever written on your experiences, and how you came to be saved? That's a testimony I would love to read. I'm glad you're "alive".
My camera was about 10-15 feet away from the target down range. It would move with every shoot using Bulgarian heavy ball. The 7.62x54r mm packs a wallop depending on load. I have a couple of M44's. I like them, but yeah they need nothing adding to their works. They are as intended out of the box. There are some that those breaks are meant for (I think Finnish, THINK), but overall not worth the time.
Why not just TIG it to the barrel?
Is this a product of the Glorious People's Revolutionary Muzzle Accessory Plant #4354?
Them Chinese dudes are known for soft/improperly heat treated fasteners. You might just need some stronger screws. And some JB Weld (I loves me some JB when I can't use duct tape, heh).
I once put a cheap after market brake on an SKS YEARS ago. Blew the darn thing off. Had a cease fire to find it. Two lessons here,
Go to another rifle model
Leave it the way the almighty intended.
Just mounted one of these on an M91/30. (I had an M44; the muzzle brake was way too loose for the M44 barrel.) The M91/30 muzzle was a bit large, and has to be sanded down to fit. Then I heated the muzzle brake to "too hot to handle" and hammered it on the last 3/8 inch or so. Fabbed shims for the clamp to complete the project.
No problems so far.
They have a one year warranty, though this is not the issue.
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Info:
FITS M44 Only Will Not Fit M91/30
http://www.combathunting.com/MOSIN_NAGANT-Mosin_Nagant_Rifle_Muzzle_Brake_4_Long.html
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(NCStar)
I went and checked our logs for 2009 & 2010. We log in every single item we get for Warranty.
We got a total of 4 each #AM44 for Warranty for the year 2009.
No #AM44 in for Warranty for 2010 thus far.
Considering the #s sold in 2009 and 2010, the return rate for this Item # is very very low.
These are the TOTAL #s received from our Dealers and Customers.
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I don’t have the factory specifications for the Allen head bolts.
I pulled one #AM44 muzzle brake from our shelves and measured the bolt.
Allen Head Bolt: Overall length: ~12mm
Threaded section length: ~7.5mm
Allen key size = 3mm
Diameter of Allen head = 5.5mm
Unfortunately I cannot find our thread pitch gauge, I cannot determine the thread pitch of the bolt at this moment.
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I Went the other way, and took a chop saw to the stock, and added a grind on shotgun pad.
My m38 still kicks, but that is some of the fun, for the real day I'll grab a M1 or AR over the Nagant family, let face it, it's not exactly state of the art, good to pass out to people to stupid to plan ahead and get a real rifle.
I had one blow off, too. According to the guys who run the rifle range, it happens pretty much continuously.
I will not make any friends saying this but.
Thread the barrel and screw on the brake. The red Loctite might hold the screws in place better. Or even silver soldering the thing on.
Welding? Only if the person doing really knows what they are doing!
Muzzle brakes take a lot of stress. The holding piece of that brake looks awfully thin. The screws look iffy as well.
What is the flash like with that brake?
Thread pitch info below. I can't find the Allen head bolts in case hardened around here, nor is there any place that redoes them, at least in this large metropolis!:-)
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"I picked up a screw pitch gauge during lunch."
The thread pitch looks to be: 0.70 Metric
"I will not make any friends saying this but. Thread the barrel and screw on the brake."
Or like my friend's.
http://s4.postimage.org/1Ky29i-67e2d028faf7da906a101ade86b264ee.jpg
Side mount brackets:
http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/mounts/other-mosin-mauser.html
http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/rifle-accessories/side-rails.html
give you full use of the irons while getting the scope a lot closer to ya than mounting it way up front.
Brake that holds on to the front sight base and doesn't fly off:
http://www.combathunting.com/MOSIN_NAGANT-Mosin_Nagant_Rifle_Muzzle_Brake_4_23_Long.html
WV: idedli
"Brake that holds on to the front sight base and doesn't fly off:"
http://www.combathunting.com/MOSIN_NAGANT-Mosin_Nagant_Rifle_Muzzle_Brake_4_23_Long.html
Same site as the one in question came from, but it also clamps onto the barrel as does the other. The space at the top allows the front sight to protrude in the same manner. It looks as though it is mainly a difference in the clamping mechanism.
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