OK, OK, enough with the jokes. What's the difference between these two? I can venture some guesses but only guesses.
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OK, OK, enough with the jokes. What's the difference between these two? I can venture some guesses but only guesses.
Did I see some advertising, about the long stroke being less likely to cause carrier tilt/buffer tube 'erosion?' NOT saying it's true, but I thought I saw some aftermarket piston company tout their wares thusly...
Short Stroke: The piston travels less than the length of the cartridge.
Long Stroke: The piston travels more than the length of the cartridge.
Rule of Thumb: If the piston is attached to the operating rod or mechanism, it is a long stroke; if the piston is separate, it is a short stroke.
The definitions I was given are very similar to what KL Davis posted, but with this caveat:
Short Stroke- The piston travels a shorter distance than the length of the cartridge under power.
Long Stroke- The piston travels a distance longer than the length of the cartridge under power.
The AK is technically a short stroke piston, since the weapon vents gas and power to the stroke of the piston early in the extraction process.
Dang it. I should have looked first. You can find anything on that Wikipedia. Thanks all for the help.
Wow, I had always thought the AK was a LONG STROKE piston system.... ?
Does anyone know if there has ever been a long stroke gas piston AR, or "AR Variant", with the bolt/carrier attached to the op rod/piston?
Please I am not trying to be a smart a$$ can you tell me why my link to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas-operated_reloading
was sorely lacking of details compared to your definition I was just trying to give him a reference that I thought was relevant to his question.
I didnt write it the references to that page are at the bottom of the page.
Please I don't understand why you would say its sorely lacking in detail.:confused:
I thought the details where not great but they were just fine for his question.
Thomas-
I in no way meant to imply that you were to blame for the Wikipedia reference. Wikipedia is written by whoever chooses to take the time to do so. As such, it is not a solid reference since it is not reviewed by any authority.
Wikipedia constantly contradicts itself, which is rarely considered a good thing when it comes to references.
Now, to be clear, I am simply working from what I have been taught, and it has changed through the years.
Initially I was taught that long stroke versus short stroke was a simple matter of having the piston attached to the bolt carrier or not.
We were later told that the words "stroke" and "travel" are not synominous when it comes to piston operation. "Stroke" is when the piston is being pushed. "Travel" is simply how far the piston moves.
As such, according to the original definitions, the AK-74 has a long stroke gas piston, while under the second set of definitions it becomes a short stroke. I have absolutely no emotional attachment to any definition, and if either one is right I really couldn't be less bothered. While definitions are good for determining what a word means for brevity's sake, it really makes no difference in use, and far too much more effort is put into arguing about inconsequential things on the internet.
I would really like to have a firearms designer come in and settle the issue, prefereably with a reference of some kind.