Snakum

I have to add to the WASR love fest ... In addition to ARs, I have owned a heavy/match barrelled MAK90, plain WASRs and SARs, Saigas of various calibers, and a Madhi. I bought a pair of WASRs in '07, both 10/63s from Cugir with proper trunion marks and matching part numbers. Trying various ammo, grinding some length off my top covers and using loose gas tubes, and removing the cleaning rods, both shot well within 2" for three when scoped. One of them shoots Brown Bear HP under 2" for as long as I care to pull the trigger as long as I don't let it get too hot. And neither one has ever h

do all you want to the factory trigger but it will still be crap. just my 2 cents. I didn't find the stock trigger all that bad, really. Just a long and odd pull, but certainly workable in a pinch. Hell, I have met guys who actually changed a stock Glock trigger to the 8 lb. NY kit because they preferred it. Different strokes. Here's my latest iteration ... 18" barrel, PWS FSC30 brake, K-var NATO length stock and rubber pad, Tac Ops stock pack, Nikon Monarch 3-10 mildot scope, blah blah blah ... Shot two sub 1" groups Monday morning but only for three rounds, then they opened

Finally got to do some load development today with the 155gr Amax and had two loads under 1 MOA for 3 shots, and under 2 MOA for 5. Way better than before. The barrel trim and brake really made a difference. With some more time to fine tune the load I have no doubt it would likely shoot close to 1 MOA for 5 or 6 rounds. But less than 2 MOA for 10 is all I need, and I think I'm there.

I'm digging the PWS FSC30 on mine. Made a tremendous difference in recoil and muzzle rise, and shooting in the early evening the amount of flash suppression is noticeable, too. I good compromise if you're leaning more towards the brake. $94 plus installation.

Nice groups. I took another 2" off mine to 18" and added the PWS brake, but I haven't loaded up the 155 Amaxes and 150gr SMKs yet. Maybe Sunday. Hope this will put me at 2 MOA consistently.

I wrapped a few layers of 100 mile an hour tape over the upper lip of the ejection port on the receiver cover. No more dents. But when I was using Federal cases I reloaded a bunch of dented brass. No problems at all.

$75 for threading, installing, timing a PWS brake. Shoots beautifully, too. My new favorite rifle.

When I got a couple of quotes for the basic conversion on my 308 in February they all ran around the $300 mark, including parts (G2, SAW grip, NATO stock, etc.). And I have seen prices from some of the larger AK builders even higher. So I guess overall prices have risen a bit. On the brake costs ... my 308 is at the smith now having a PWS FSC30 installed, but he's not turning the barrel and repinning the sight (I like the clean look and I won't really need the irons for competition). Just turning down the end of the muzzle, threading, and timing the brake. I'll let ya'll know how much

It would be nice to have the question answered. People always recommend 7.62x39 because of the barrier penetration, but can you still have that AND good terminal performance in flesh? I like 7N6 for its good balance of penetration and wounding effects, whereas something like the Hornady 5.45 would only be good if you knew you didn't have to shoot _through_ something solid before hitting the BG. I bring up the quality control because I have experienced and read about problems with Russian commercial ammo, but have neither seen nor heard anything similar about 7N6. In my experien

That's interesting. I don't know the burn rates of Varget and 4895, but my best five and ten shot groups came with 42.0gr 4895. Seems to be a sweet spot right around that charge wt with some powders. Like yours, mine also likes lighter bullets. As soon as it's back from the smith (two more inches off the barrel and PW brake installed) I'll be testing Sierra 135gr Match Kings. Seems the lighter I go the better it shoots.

I have a 1" recoil pad and I still get a pretty decent whack. In fact, I was surprised how much recoil the S308 had compared to all my other 30 cal weapons, considering it is a semi-auto. I can run thru 30 - 40 of my heavier/hotter handloads and catch myself touching off the trigger with a bit of a flinch. So I'm definitely putting a brake on it, a PWS FC30, after the comp in March. Just don't have time now.

Pics?

I ordered a hundred Sierra 150gr Match Kings instead of the 135s. I'm hoping they'll work ok after the cut and crown next week. My S308 seems to prefer lighter bullets at moderate velocities, and in all the testing I've done Brown Bear FMJs still out-shoot anything else. But I can't use them in competition due to bimetal bullet. Hoping the 150s work well.

A traditional muzzle brake is used solely to reduce recoil and/or muzzle flip, lessening the whack to the shoulder and allowing a quicker follow up shot. However, depending on your weapon and barrel profile, hanging a hunk of weight out there on the end can dampen the oscillation that occurs when the round leaves the barrel. I found that the AK-74 type brake actually improved mechanical/benched accuracy on my AKs by a tiny, but noticeable amount. And greatly improved speed and accuracy of follow-up shots. But every platform, and even every barrel, can be different enough that you'd put one

I can let you know about 135gr Sierra Match Kings soon. I'm dropping down another 20gr to see if I can get more consistency past 200 yards. I went from 168s to 155gr Amaxes and MKs and the 155s are decent under 300 in my rig, but fall apart after that, farther apart than they should reasonably be expected to: 2 MOA at 200 ... 4 - 5 MOA at 300. That won't cut it on the course. Another Hail Mary pass for loading and with a barrel cut to 20" and 11 degree crown.