Meanwhile back in Finland...

**AK-Gunner** · 13-10-2019, 11:28

Sometimes a gift you are given comes with a challenge.

An American friend arrived bearing gifts: a nice rifle length KeyMod handguard made by a mystery manufacturer obviously not known to the mankind (I've used up my normally strong Google Fu, asked from the original owner at the Axelson Tactical with no joy) with just a few things missing, the screws (that's an easy fix) and the barrel nut (well, here lies the challenge).

There was a logo with a human skull (how original), but nothing else indicating the origin of the piece of kit. The handguard itself is nice and smooth, the rail on the top and the KeyMod holes are in spec and the finish nice and even. Pro piece of kit, not a cheap Chinese airsoft knock-off, that's obvious. Then again, can you really tell the difference these days...

The Internets failed to help, none of my peers had seen the logo nor anybody else I asked about it. And I sort of let go of the dilemma.

Until a revelation hit me: I do have a couple of old carbine length free float handguards I've retired from the use, and they do have their own model specific versions of barrel nuts. Just maybe one of them does the job? And that's exactly what happened, a cheap Chinese YHM knock- off had a nut just large enough to be tight enough for the tension crews to hold the handguard rigidly together even if the handguard is smooth from the inside and the original tube is a screw-on version.

I don't even need to drill and tap holes for the two screws originally meant to keep the thingy together, the fit is now perfect and solid.

The secondhand barrel-bolt combo I bought last year (and as I earlier told you, I thought I had misplaced the parts) is in OK condition, the grouping will probably hold together for a couple of thousand rounds, but the rifle gassed barrel has been cut to about 17 inches. That would be OK, but the previous owner had thought "maybe I should drill the gas port hole a bit larger" which wouldn't have been actually needed, and the smallest drill bit he obviously had in hand just happened to be was a 3,5 mm one. A huge hole on a small caliber barrel, over a half of the caliber: this is absurd and the lack of knowing is obvious. There will be some barrel erosion in the future between the muzzle and the hole for sure and the amount of gas using this configuration would be mind-boggling.

I could've had it drilled, tapped, screwed in a filler piece and had a smaller gas hole drilled, but that would up the cost of a cheap barrel to unbearable figures, so for the first time ever, I bought an adjustable gas port. Didn't cost arms and legs and now the rifle cycles nice and smooth.

Since I like the idea of having back-up iron sights if possible, I installed a barrel mounted Bushmaster flip-up sight I had floating around and an A.R.M.S. equally flip-uppable and equally around-floating rear sight. I seem to have lot's of pieces of kit floating around these days... The front sight is installed backwards since the handguard is too large for the sight to fit on top of it. Looks kind of cool like this, me thinks.

The combination of a modern KeyMod handguard and a vintage A2 birdcage flash hider pleases my aesthetic perception and the old thingy does it's job pretty well.

I think the rifle turned out to be quite a nicely balanced fighting tool. Gotta get me a couple of magnifiers from somewhere though...

**BBT** · 13-10-2019, 11:47

Nice and clean looking

**AK-Gunner** · 13-10-2019, 12:03

Thank you Sir

This is my first take on Holosun sights and I'll report back when I've got some data on the subject. Like "did it fail under my brutality".

**griffin** · 13-10-2019, 12:05

Looks like a good setup. Enjoy the torture testing.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

**BBT** · 13-10-2019, 17:40

Originally Posted by AK-Gunner

Thank you Sir

This is my first take on Holosun sights and I'll report back when I've got some data on the subject. Like "did it fail under my brutality".

Please do let us know, I see the Primary arms and holusun optics get some fairly good reviews on the net, and they are cheaper than aimpoint etc

**AK-Gunner** · 13-10-2019, 18:22

I will enjoy for sure, shooting and kak like that

And will give a full report, I know there are lots of people interested in the performance and durability of this sight, since you get 4-5 of these with the price of one Aimpoint T-2 in here...

I really do like movies that get it right with weapons, was it the use of them or their terminal effect on the points of impact and one of my all time favourites in this respect is the movie Heat by Michael Mann. Remember the shootout on the streets after the bank robbery? Phenomenal show of force multiplying tactics of fire and movement. But what about it?

Laws change and the Finnish gun laws did change both for the worse and for the better, one of the good things is the minimum length of a rifle which used to be 840 mm, is now 600 mm and the minimum barrel length which used to be 400 mm is now 300 mm. Now this opens up some new avenues for a gun aficionado who likes to tinker with the apparati of his interest, and boy do I like tinkering. My next nostalgia project is a self loading only replica of the Colt Model 733 Commando used by the characters of Val Kilmer and Robert DeNiro.

I'm using my Colt Match Target from the 1990's as the base gun, already converted into a carbine, but now I'm in the process getting the 16" barrel shortened to 12" (the Mod. 733 has 11,5" but its close enough and Finnish legal), just thought I'd get rid of a hindrance associated with these civvy Colts: the M16 bolt carrier/auto sear block. Don't care about the auto sear, but I'd like to be able to use a heavier bolt carrier for the sake of reliability.

Say what you say people, but Dremel tool is a solution (Just like alcohol is. Literally).

While I'm waiting for the shortened barrel, I was tinkering with another project. I thought it might be a good idea to combine a Galil dust cover with my Type-56 and see what happens. After some tinkering this is how it looks like now:

I know, the front sight is way too tall, but I'll have to come up with a solution to the problem somehow... And after taking this shot I reinstalled the riser to the Aimpoint T-2.

**tobie** · 14-10-2019, 11:05

Originally Posted by AK-Gunner

In parallel with everything else, this week I managed to sort out some complicated incongruities with running my business and the life itself. The easy way would be working nine to five for a multinational corporation earning steady diet of money, a company car and way bigger mortgage I've got now.

I like the way it is much better.

Now for the treat for this evening, 10 years old Bowmore doing absolutely nothing of significance. The .38 Special in the picture is there just for the heck of it. Cheers!

Ohhh!!! Is that a Model 14 Target Masterpiece??? I would love to get my hands on one of those

Here in SA they are really scarce.

**AK-Gunner** · 14-10-2019, 21:16

Oh yes it is, Model 14-3 from 1975, the era when the S&W quality was still at its high point. A wonderful shooter and easy to the eye.

**Kaptein L** · 14-10-2019, 22:04

Good day Ak-Gunner

How would a Galil dust cover work with the Type 56 original front sight?

I wonder if any one in South Africa tried a R4/5 dust cover with a Type 56 and if it will work?

Would like to hear if it was done.

**AK-Gunner** · 15-10-2019, 06:47

The Galil rear sight is about 4 mm (if my memory serves me correctly) higher than the original, so the AK type front sight should have to be cut and some material added. Not a simple task for a home tinkerer.