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Posted: 3/12/2016 2:56:16 PM EDT
| I recently picked up a WASR-10 that had a hand guard on it that the previous owner installed and cut off the front sling mount from the lower hand guard retainer. I am looking to put it back in the original configuration and looking for ideas on re-attaching the front sling loop. Should I *attempt* to weld a retainer back on knowing the steel is thin where the loop was ground off or is there another way to attach the front of the sling? |
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Quoted:
I recently picked up a WASR-10 that had a hand guard on it that the previous owner installed and cut off the front sling mount from the lower hand guard retainer. I am looking to put it back in the original configuration and looking for ideas on re-attaching the front sling loop. Should I *attempt* to weld a retainer back on knowing the steel is thin where the loop was ground off or is there another way to attach the front of the sling? At this point you may just want to use the Magpul MOE handguard. The one that extends slightly past the handguard retainer. It's item # MAG619 You could try welding the loop back on. Otherwise, remove the FSB and GB and install a new retainer. Personally, I'd go with the Magpul handguard. |
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Depending on how it was cut, you could probably mend it with some 5/32" steel round stock, bent into the appropriate shape, then welded back onto the retainer. Clean up the welds, and temper the loop if you feel that it's necessary - though the act of bending the stock into this shape will probably adequately work harden it.
This is easier than pressing off the FSB/GB, unless you already have the proper tools to do it.. |
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unless im reading this wrong, why not just buy the standard, original type parts ? It's not the part, it's re-manufacturing the rifle to install it. Once you screw up the hand guard retainer (which has the sling loop) you are really up the creek. About all you can do is come up with an alternate way. I would rather do almost anything to avoid removing the gas block and sight base. It's major surgery. |
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It's not the part, it's re-manufacturing the rifle to install it. Once you screw up the hand guard retainer (which has the sling loop) you are really up the creek. About all you can do is come up with an alternate way. I would rather do almost anything to avoid removing the gas block and sight base. It's major surgery. Quoted:
Quoted:
unless im reading this wrong, why not just buy the standard, original type parts ? It's not the part, it's re-manufacturing the rifle to install it. Once you screw up the hand guard retainer (which has the sling loop) you are really up the creek. About all you can do is come up with an alternate way. I would rather do almost anything to avoid removing the gas block and sight base. It's major surgery. That's exactly what I want to avoid. The previous owner ground the retainer down pretty far and the steel is somewhat thin on a couple spots. It looks like a blind person took a die grinder to it. My goal is to keep it as traditional looking as possible. I thought about the Magpul route but by the time you buy the handguard ($35), M-Lok QD sling attachment ($19), and QD sling swivel ($15); I may as well buy the 2 piece retainer for $55 and be done with it. I know this will be a common question asked in the future with all the handguards that require either the sling loop or the whole retainer to be cut. |
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That's exactly what I want to avoid. The previous owner ground the retainer down pretty far and the steel is somewhat thin on a couple spots. It looks like a blind person took a die grinder to it. My goal is to keep it as traditional looking as possible. I thought about the Magpul route but by the time you buy the handguard ($35), M-Lok QD sling attachment ($19), and QD sling swivel ($15); I may as well buy the 2 piece retainer for $55 and be done with it. I know this will be a common question asked in the future with all the handguards that require either the sling loop or the whole retainer to be cut. Quoted:
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unless im reading this wrong, why not just buy the standard, original type parts ? It's not the part, it's re-manufacturing the rifle to install it. Once you screw up the hand guard retainer (which has the sling loop) you are really up the creek. About all you can do is come up with an alternate way. I would rather do almost anything to avoid removing the gas block and sight base. It's major surgery. That's exactly what I want to avoid. The previous owner ground the retainer down pretty far and the steel is somewhat thin on a couple spots. It looks like a blind person took a die grinder to it. My goal is to keep it as traditional looking as possible. I thought about the Magpul route but by the time you buy the handguard ($35), M-Lok QD sling attachment ($19), and QD sling swivel ($15); I may as well buy the 2 piece retainer for $55 and be done with it. I know this will be a common question asked in the future with all the handguards that require either the sling loop or the whole retainer to be cut. I have a Zhukov handguard on a saiga but it didn't have a handguard retainer to begin with. I just can't imagine cutting the retainer off for just this reason. In your case in thinking the two piece retainer is your best bet. Another thing you could do for a two point sling is the Proctor Minimalist way of the gun sling. It has become my new fav sling on AR15s due to it being very light weight and very quiet. I got tired of hearing the clickity clack of my magpul slings when creeping through the woods. I prefer Russian surplus slings on my AKs, but will be trying a proctor along on the aforementioned saiga. |
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I have a Zhukov handguard on a saiga but it didn't have a handguard retainer to begin with. I just can't imagine cutting the retainer off for just this reason. In your case in thinking the two piece retainer is your best bet. Another thing you could do for a two point sling is the Proctor Minimalist way of the gun sling. It has become my new fav sling on AR15s due to it being very light weight and very quiet. I got tired of hearing the clickity clack of my magpul slings when creeping through the woods. I prefer Russian surplus slings on my AKs, but will be trying a proctor along on the aforementioned saiga. Quoted:
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unless im reading this wrong, why not just buy the standard, original type parts ? It's not the part, it's re-manufacturing the rifle to install it. Once you screw up the hand guard retainer (which has the sling loop) you are really up the creek. About all you can do is come up with an alternate way. I would rather do almost anything to avoid removing the gas block and sight base. It's major surgery. That's exactly what I want to avoid. The previous owner ground the retainer down pretty far and the steel is somewhat thin on a couple spots. It looks like a blind person took a die grinder to it. My goal is to keep it as traditional looking as possible. I thought about the Magpul route but by the time you buy the handguard ($35), M-Lok QD sling attachment ($19), and QD sling swivel ($15); I may as well buy the 2 piece retainer for $55 and be done with it. I know this will be a common question asked in the future with all the handguards that require either the sling loop or the whole retainer to be cut. I have a Zhukov handguard on a saiga but it didn't have a handguard retainer to begin with. I just can't imagine cutting the retainer off for just this reason. In your case in thinking the two piece retainer is your best bet. Another thing you could do for a two point sling is the Proctor Minimalist way of the gun sling. It has become my new fav sling on AR15s due to it being very light weight and very quiet. I got tired of hearing the clickity clack of my magpul slings when creeping through the woods. I prefer Russian surplus slings on my AKs, but will be trying a proctor along on the aforementioned saiga. The Magpul MS1 has become my personal favorite for a two point sling. I've been using the BFG slings for years until I recently tried the MS1. AK slings are just too short for me. Getting back on topic, since the OP want's the original appearance, the two piece retainer should work good enough. |
| The hand guard retainer is fairly inexpensive. If you can find somebody to do the work maybe that's your best bet. Somebody who knows what they're doing can make a nice job of it. I took a beautiful FEG SA85M to somebody one to just knock out the first sight base pin so I could put a plunger and spring in the sight base. This guy has made a thousand AKs over the years as he works for a local licensed manufacturer. He put my barrel in a big vise with just a rag to protect it. The pin wouldn't budge. He was slamming it with a hammer and I thought he was going to bend the barrel. It finally got done but I thought they were going to have to carry me out of there. I did end up with a small but nasty gouge on the barrel. That episode plus a few other things eventually made me sell it. BUT; your pins are not the original factory assembly, so it should be somewhat easier to take off the sight base and gas block, remove the old retainer, put the new one on (not backwards!) and replace the gas block and sight base. Mark both of those before moving them to see if you can get them back exactly right. OR, use that as a good excuse to correct some misalignment if you have problems sighting in without the sight post being over against the ear. |
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Quoted:
The hand guard retainer is fairly inexpensive. If you can find somebody to do the work maybe that's your best bet. Somebody who knows what they're doing can make a nice job of it. I took a beautiful FEG SA85M to somebody one to just knock out the first sight base pin so I could put a plunger and spring in the sight base. This guy has made a thousand AKs over the years as he works for a local licensed manufacturer. He put my barrel in a big vise with just a rag to protect it. The pin wouldn't budge. He was slamming it with a hammer and I thought he was going to bend the barrel. It finally got done but I thought they were going to have to carry me out of there. I did end up with a small but nasty gouge on the barrel. That episode plus a few other things eventually made me sell it. BUT; your pins are not the original factory assembly, so it should be somewhat easier to take off the sight base and gas block, remove the old retainer, put the new one on (not backwards!) and replace the gas block and sight base. Mark both of those before moving them to see if you can get them back exactly right. OR, use that as a good excuse to correct some misalignment if you have problems sighting in without the sight post being over against the ear. On a WASR, they generally will be. And Romanians also have a tendency to assemble things tighter than hell, to the point that some things like barrel pins on Romanian AKs have been known to resist 20 ton presses, or cause them to jump off of the floor when the pin finally breaks free. I don't understand the suggestions on a two-piece retainer myself.. That requires the current retainer to be cut off completely, which is definitely not original. Work with a local welder to come up with a solution for affixing a new sling loop to the retainer, or pay an AK smith to press off the barrel components and install a new one - though this is almost half the cost of a new WASR at this point.. |
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