ACE Side Folder Stock

[CB3 0]

I had my local gun store install an ACE side folding stock on my S-12. It folds left. I have the same unit on an AK 7.62, and it works perfectly.

 

However, on the S-12, firing three or four quick rounds will cause the stock to unlock, wobble and even start to fold. Not good.

 

I wrote the company and they suggested I shoot the gun differently--do not pull down on the gun while firing. I have not tried this "fix", but it seems to be going in the wrong direction to me. I would think a critical weapon component like this would be designed/machined not to unlock except when the operator wanted it to fold.

 

The contact area between the locking portion of the stock and the mounting block only engages about 1/2 the potential mating surface. Properly machined so the stock would slide all the way down into the mounting block contact area would provide more friction and IMO less chance of unintentional unlocking. My AK stock is machined similarly, so it is apparently not a factory mistake.

 

Have any of you experienced this with an ACE folder on an S-12 or any other gun?

 

Those of you with ACE side folders, do you see that the contact area between the two parts is less than what it could be?

 

Any other suggestions for a fix besides learning to shoot differently and very carefully?

 

I have a photo of the folding stock contact area at home that I'll upload later.

 

CB3

[nalioth 405]

This is the first complaint I've ever seen on an Ace stock.

 

I suggest you modify your firing technique.

 

If that doesnt work, perhaps reversing the folding mechanism so that the stock folds to the right.

 

If none of these suggestions do it, Ace makes a folding mechanism with a pushbutton lockwork, as opposed to the friction lockwork I assume you have now.

Edited November 17, 2008 by nalioth

[Gunfixr 76]

When the friction folding mechanism is set up to fold to the left, you must push up on the bottom of the stock to fold it, which of course is the same as pushing down on the gun. When firing, as the gun recoils back and up at the muzzle, the rotational force from front to back is essentially causing the rear end of the receiver to go down, unlocking the stock.

There is only one positive fix, and one other likely fix. The sure way to fix it is to set the mechanism to fold to the right instead. The other possible solution is to machine the rear of the receiver to 2-4 degrees, making the stock cant down slightly when opened, changing the rotational force at the rear end to more of a rotational force at the buttplate.

 

Or you could just get the pushbutton folding mechanism.

 

As for the contact area, this is done on purpose. As the surfaces wear during use, they will continue to pull tight, whereas if the two mating surfaces were close to bottoming out, a small amount of wear would bottom them out, and the stock would wobble side to side. All stocks using this locking method are made like this, check out a PARA FAL sometime.

[jsp 1]

That's strange. Never had a problem with mine. My setup also folds to the left. I put 3" slugs thru it (rapid fire) and it never once folded on me or my friends.

[cobravenom39 17]

Hey guys,

This is more of an FYI for people contemplating cutting off their tang.

Cut the tang off my Saiga 7.62 in the hopes of using an ACE sidefolder setup which I heard was rock solid.

 

I bought the Ace A500PB with the pushbutton. Almost $100 from Midway. As soon as I got it, I thought it was a tiny bit sloppy, but thought it a compromise since it was a folder.

 

The design looked flawed and had an adjustment screw that corrected the slop.

Well, over time it appears that the hardened set screw has warn it's way ..056" of the way deep into the other side of the folder. I keep adjusting it, but now the stock is 20 degrees off when the stock is in the shouldered position. I'm disappointed, but knowing that it's a US gun part, the manufacturer will stand by it.

 

So I email Ace last Wednesday. I include a model number and Tim's secretary emails me back the following day asking me some qualifying questions about the folder. I answer her questions within minutes of receiving the email, but don't get a response until the next day. Once again I get an email from Tiffany stating that the model is defective and they have a newer version. She doesn't tell me if they will replace it or anything else. That response was Thursday. I emailed her back immediately asking if they would replace it and no email as of yet.

 

 

 

First couple of posters were right, Tim (boss) was out of town. Man, I'm really impatient .

 

Kind of disappointed in the part and even more disappointed that is has been 3 business days of correspondence and I don't know if they cover it or not. I almost feel like returning it to Midway, even though I bought it a year ago. I might want to have the tang re-welded back on. I don't want to deal with this crap anymore.

 

I want to vent to you guys and set up some info on the web for other guys before they cut off their tang to put on one of the few options out there for a sidefolder.

 

I'll keep you posted if they rectify the situation.

 

**************** UPDATE ***************************

Email from Tiffany to me:

"Thank you for your prompt reply. Unfortunately with it being a year and a half since you purchased the folding stock mechanism we will not be able pay for the shipping to us or the shipping back to you. In most cases if it has been over 30 days since you purchased the product we will not exchange it, unless it is a warranty issue. The mailing address you will need to send the FSM-PB to is:"

 

I think that this is absolute garbage. This piece of crap was $100 bucks and now I have to spend $15 to get a new one, that'll probably be a piece of crap after a year, too.

I'm going to send it back to Midway for credit on my account. Unbelievable.

[netpackrat 566]

I had my local gun store install an ACE side folding stock on my S-12. It folds left. I have the same unit on an AK 7.62, and it works perfectly.

 

However, on the S-12, firing three or four quick rounds will cause the stock to unlock, wobble and even start to fold. Not good.....

 

Have any of you experienced this with an ACE folder on an S-12 or any other gun?

 

I've experienced that with the standard ACE hinge on my S-12, but not on any other gun. Mine didn't actually start to fold, but it did start to unlock, and the amount of wobbliness was very disconcerting. I put that hinge on my S-308 and have not had that issue with it on that rifle, so as far as I can tell, it's something unique to the shotgun. It was most prevalent with 3" magnum shells.

 

I bought a push-button hinge mechanism from CSS and put it on the S-12. That solves the unlocking problem, but it worked loose after the first time I shot it, since there is no camming in the mechanism to actively hold it tight. It was a pain in the neck, but I was finally able to get the set screws adjusted so the stock would not wobble while extended. There is still a tiny amount of play present, but it's only the minimum necessary to allow the lock to engage and be disengaged smoothly. I've only fired it on a couple of occasions since making the adjustments, but hopefully it will not loosen up again over time. If it stays the way it is now, I'll be pretty happy with it.

 

Reading cobravenom39's reply makes me glad that the ACE pushbutton unit was listed as out of stock everywhere I looked, and I had to buy the CSS unit. The CSS has two set screws instead of one, and they are plastic tipped so as not to dig into the adjacent part of the hinge. The loosening after firing I experienced was caused by the plastic portion of the set screws crushing, which negates any previous adjustment. Part of the process of my second attempt at adjustment, which has been successful so far, involved pre-crushing the set screws as much as possible. Hopefully they can only crush so far, and I won't have to keep tightening them.

Edited October 18, 2011 by Netpackrat

[corbin 621]

I'm in the same boat as IslandBoy. I've never had an issue with mine yet. Weird.