Peshawar
06-01-13, 01:27
Hey All,
Just thought that I'd put my insomnia to some use tonight. I know that several manufacturers are putting out AK's that lack selector notches these days. Saw a couple common Century builds that were this way at the LGS. It can be a tiny bit tricky to make them look and function right, so some builders simply just omit them altogether. My personal opinion is that they're really useful because they allow you to positively index where your safety is, and with a tactile result. Plus, the notches allow the lever to stay put during the cycling of the gun. Without the notches, sometimes a looser selector can work its way upward and either cause a malfunction or prevent you from firing when you want to. So...
Here I've got my receiver that needs the work to be performed.
http://imageshack.us/a/img41/2613/img4523a.jpg
Grab some Dykem or anything that'll do the job (a number of things can work for this) so that you can see where the dimple of the selector will stop. I was being sloppy and slathered too much on. No biggie. ;)
http://imageshack.us/a/img818/2155/img4531d.jpg
Apply the marking fluid, let it dry if necessary, and work the safety back and forth to the selector stop as though you were putting the weapon on safe and then off safe. Do this with the selector you'll be using most, whether it's a stock combloc part or the Krebs / other enhanced safety lever. It should look something like this -
http://imageshack.us/a/img844/3491/img4557pg.jpg
I used to use an expensive milling cutter for this, but just a couple weeks ago saw this box of Dremel-style bits at the local Harbor Freight. I really recommend this set. It's got a lot of useful bits in it, and will give you excellent results with a little practice. It was under twenty bucks. Well worth it.
http://imageshack.us/a/img577/359/img4566w.jpg
Practice on a piece of brass, scrap aluminum, or even wood for a while until you get a feel for how the cutter will do its work. Since there's a bunch of cutters in the set that I have, there are several options for shapes. You could practice on steel, but you might as well do it on something softer to prolong the life of the bit. Depending on preference, you might want to mimic the selector notches from different countries or eras. You can go pretty far with this set approximating a bunch of different types of notches. Experiment and see what you like best. I chose the cutter that would give me a basic Bulgarian style of notch.
http://imageshack.us/a/img89/8913/img4578j.jpg
Now, take a look at your receiver. You might want your notches horizontal, or at a slight angle. I like mine at a slight angle, which is a common style for these. Make sure you get the angle about right before you rev up and start cutting! One way to get a good idea is to put the selector in the "Safe" position, and check the angle at which it's resting. Then, align your cutter so that you know about how you're going to approach it.
http://imageshack.us/a/img89/9333/img4583ld.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img811/9885/img4579l.jpg
You want the notch to have its center over the very spot where the selector lever dimple stops, obviously. Too low, and the dimple won't "lock" into the notch. Too high and you'll go past the notch. Either one of those results will suck, so take your time. Go very slowly. Don't try to rush and cut the notch all in one pass. Test the notch as you go, and make sure the dimple of the selector is coming into proper engagement. You can correct for small measurement errors as you go as long as you don't rush.
Et voila -
http://imageshack.us/a/img571/5285/img4599u.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img35/4862/img4611x.jpg
Once this is blasted and parked, it'll look factory. Hope this helps someone! :)
Just thought that I'd put my insomnia to some use tonight. I know that several manufacturers are putting out AK's that lack selector notches these days. Saw a couple common Century builds that were this way at the LGS. It can be a tiny bit tricky to make them look and function right, so some builders simply just omit them altogether. My personal opinion is that they're really useful because they allow you to positively index where your safety is, and with a tactile result. Plus, the notches allow the lever to stay put during the cycling of the gun. Without the notches, sometimes a looser selector can work its way upward and either cause a malfunction or prevent you from firing when you want to. So...
Here I've got my receiver that needs the work to be performed.
http://imageshack.us/a/img41/2613/img4523a.jpg
Grab some Dykem or anything that'll do the job (a number of things can work for this) so that you can see where the dimple of the selector will stop. I was being sloppy and slathered too much on. No biggie. ;)
http://imageshack.us/a/img818/2155/img4531d.jpg
Apply the marking fluid, let it dry if necessary, and work the safety back and forth to the selector stop as though you were putting the weapon on safe and then off safe. Do this with the selector you'll be using most, whether it's a stock combloc part or the Krebs / other enhanced safety lever. It should look something like this -
http://imageshack.us/a/img844/3491/img4557pg.jpg
I used to use an expensive milling cutter for this, but just a couple weeks ago saw this box of Dremel-style bits at the local Harbor Freight. I really recommend this set. It's got a lot of useful bits in it, and will give you excellent results with a little practice. It was under twenty bucks. Well worth it.
http://imageshack.us/a/img577/359/img4566w.jpg
Practice on a piece of brass, scrap aluminum, or even wood for a while until you get a feel for how the cutter will do its work. Since there's a bunch of cutters in the set that I have, there are several options for shapes. You could practice on steel, but you might as well do it on something softer to prolong the life of the bit. Depending on preference, you might want to mimic the selector notches from different countries or eras. You can go pretty far with this set approximating a bunch of different types of notches. Experiment and see what you like best. I chose the cutter that would give me a basic Bulgarian style of notch.
http://imageshack.us/a/img89/8913/img4578j.jpg
Now, take a look at your receiver. You might want your notches horizontal, or at a slight angle. I like mine at a slight angle, which is a common style for these. Make sure you get the angle about right before you rev up and start cutting! One way to get a good idea is to put the selector in the "Safe" position, and check the angle at which it's resting. Then, align your cutter so that you know about how you're going to approach it.
http://imageshack.us/a/img89/9333/img4583ld.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img811/9885/img4579l.jpg
You want the notch to have its center over the very spot where the selector lever dimple stops, obviously. Too low, and the dimple won't "lock" into the notch. Too high and you'll go past the notch. Either one of those results will suck, so take your time. Go very slowly. Don't try to rush and cut the notch all in one pass. Test the notch as you go, and make sure the dimple of the selector is coming into proper engagement. You can correct for small measurement errors as you go as long as you don't rush.
Et voila -
http://imageshack.us/a/img571/5285/img4599u.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img35/4862/img4611x.jpg
Once this is blasted and parked, it'll look factory. Hope this helps someone! :)