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Posted: 7/11/2008 6:16:06 PM EDT
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I would like to Un-ban a Norinco MAK-90. Providing I stay legal with US parts count, where can I get a suitable Front Sight Base with integral bayonet lug (blued)? Is it just a matter of driving out the pins holding the FSB on, or is the procedure more entailed? |
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Before you go beating out the pins, wait and I may have a better solution for you. I am working on a cheap jig to remove pins. It's very cheap to make and it worked very well on my Maadi to remove the FSB and GB. No beating out pins, no bent punches, no hammers involved. The only tools you'll need are a vice and a 9/16 socket and ratchet. You'll be able to remove the pins with one hand. I want to try it out on one more gun (I am replacing a FSB on a Romy AK-74) and I want to make sure it works well on this one too. If it does, I'll post pics. |
Sounds great.  Otherwise the only other dedicated way is do the pin/punch and then use a press and press off the fsb and gas block. Post your results as id be interested in the results as well. |
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Here you go. This is the first tool to do this that I have made and it works quite well. If I had to do it again though, I think I would make some changes to make it more refined and universally adaptable since I used my AK-74 as the test mule. I used this to remove the FSB pins on a MAK-90 and a Romy AK-74 and the FSB and gas port pins on my Maadi. All of them came out easily, even two that popped loudly when they broke free. In this pic, I have it set up to free the pins. The FSB/barrel part rests against the wall. The screw on the left keeps the sight tower from rotating and provides support. I turned the screw in so you could see it better, but it normally is adjusted so the sight is perpendicular to the screw and is not canted.  In this pic, I have it set up to finish drifting the pins out. I removed the dowel - for clarity - that I used to stabilize the bottom and keep the sight from rotating.  There is another set of threaded holes nearer the bottom at the back for removal of the GB pins. On one side is the bolt with the driving pin (the pins are 2.5mm hardened steel in a 3mm hole drilled into the bolt - it makes them replaceable should they bend or break, which one did). On the other side, I hollowed out a similar bolt and then filed a curve on it to conform to the barrel shape since the pins are near the barrel curve. As the bolt is tightened, the GB pin drifts into the hollowed bolt. BTW, the clamp is a must. There is so much pressure to remove the pins that the C-block actually started spreading when the force was applied to some of the pins. The C-clamp kept it all tight and straight. If I were to change the design, I would do a couple of things: 1. Add a groove on the bottom for the neutered bayo lug. That would have stabilized the bottom of the GB. 2. Found a better drill press since my holes for the removal pins were just a hair off center. 3. Measured everything better to get it all lined up better. 4. Used shims rather than the support bolt you see on the left. While the bolt worked, I was uneasy about it providing support on the one spot. I would have prefered to spread the support across the entire FS. For the original poster...you can install a Chinese made, pin-on bayonet for $55, but if you have the extended sight shroud like my MAK did, you'll have to remove the FSB, cut off the extension, refinish it, and then reinstall it. Otherwise, the bayo will not fit. It sounds complicated but it's not. As soon as I get a chance, I'll post a pic as soon as I can of the three guns I did. By the way, the shroud extension I am talking about is the part of the Chinese sight that extends bach toward the GB. It used to hold the mount for the original bayonet that was ground off. Mine had a hump in it too so removal was mandatory. Let me know if you have any questions. |
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I forgot about this thread, but I am back now. Okay, first the pics of the completed guns... My MAK-90 with the pin-on bayonet.    Next, my AK-74 debanned. That's the old sight above the rifle.   The old sight on the AK-74 would not come off after the pins were out despite use of a BFM device, so I had to notch it and wack it once with a chisel. You can see the horizontal groove I cut in it in this pic.  And finally, my Maadi. I used my jig to remove both the front sight and the gas block on it.   As far as renting the jig, there is no need to pay me for its use, if you pay the shipping both ways, you can use it. I am looking for more material to make the improvements I had mentioned. While the jig worked well, I just think it would work better and be more user friendly with the changes I saw as necessary and with better power tools to make straighter holes etc. |
After I get it back from Glockamolee, I'll PM you or you can give your e-mail address and I'll e-mail you that I have it back. I'm not in it for the money, so there is no charge, by the way. I just ask that you pay for the shipping to and from. CarlosC |
I used a press only for the holes on the sight. Once the drill bit contacted the barrel and it was marked, I took over with a file to notch the barrel with two U-shapes. I had been worried the drill might contact the hard barrel steel and walk on the sight. |
Thanks. Good info on another technique. 
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Could you inform me where you bought that bayonet? I might be interested in one. Thanks.
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You quoted the whole post. Which bayonet are you interested in? |
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