S12 charging handle

[crappie josh 0]

what all do u have to do to move your charging handle from the right to the left? and is this a good idea and have any of y'all done this and is it practical does it help a faster reload of the weapon and how about an extended charging handle? and hey Pauly do u weld these extended charging handle on and how are they installed to the just get welded on or do the get drilled and then welded? wasthinking about this but not all sure work is required?

 

thanks CJ

[Heath_h49008 442]

All I did was trim the dust cover to clear, and TIG welded an AK piston I cut down onto the flat spot on the left side. Works great for me. I left it a bit long because you will be slapping it with the heel of your left hand, and not hooking a finger on it as you would a right hand side handle.

 

The pics are in my gallery.

Edited April 2, 2011 by Heath_h49008

[Paulyski 2,227]

what all do u have to do to move your charging handle from the right to the left? and is this a good idea and have any of y'all done this and is it practical does it help a faster reload of the weapon and how about an extended charging handle? and hey Pauly do u weld these extended charging handle on and how are they installed to the just get welded on or do the get drilled and then welded? wasthinking about this but not all sure work is required?

 

thanks CJ

I weld them.

 

I push dual handles more than relocations because when you relocate the safety handle has nothing to hit to keep the carrier from coming back WHEN (not if, but when) you pull the charging handle with the safety on.

 

This isn't dangerous, but just annoying.

When I install an AK handle on the left side I extend it slightly before attaching so it's better ergonomics & matches the length of the right side for symmetry.

If you don't extend it & don't remove the rail, you could tear the nail off of your index finger if you grabbed it wrong while in a hurry.

I also enlarge the base for a better surface to mount to.

I don't drill, that's useless if a person can weld well.

When I weld, it becomes 1 piece. My weld is stronger than the surrounding metal.

 

However, I'm mostly a fan of Vertical charging handles.

With a vertical charging handle, you can charge the weapon from the top with your left hand, there's no gap in the dustcover that can let debris in & you can also charge with your right hand if you run optics attached to the side optics rail.

 

Here's a couple I've done for some members here;

 

 

With a left side charging handle, your side optic rail becomes useless being as the charging handle will hit any optic mount mounted to it, so you may as well remove it.

 

 

It's all about a personal preference & what you're using it for though.

[timy 1,185]

 

I weld them.

 

I push dual handles more than relocations because when you relocate the safety handle has nothing to hit to keep the carrier from coming back WHEN (not if, but when) you pull the charging handle with the safety on.

 

This isn't dangerous, but just annoying.

When I install an AK handle on the left side I extend it slightly before attaching so it's better ergonomics & matches the length of the right side for symmetry.

If you don't extend it & don't remove the rail, you could tear the nail off of your index finger if you grabbed it wrong while in a hurry.

I also enlarge the base for a better surface to mount to.

I don't drill, that's useless if a person can weld well.

When I weld, it becomes 1 piece. My weld is stronger than the surrounding metal.

 

However, I'm mostly a fan of Vertical charging handles.

With a vertical charging handle, you can charge the weapon from the top with your left hand, there's no gap in the dustcover that can let debris in & you can also charge with your right hand if you run optics attached to the side optics rail.

 

Here's a couple I've done for some members here;

 

 

With a left side charging handle, your side optic rail becomes useless being as the charging handle will hit any optic mount mounted to it, so you may as well remove it.

 

 

It's all about a personal preference & what you're using it for though.

 

Very well explained along with the pros and cons of different options. I do wish you would quit showing your polished bolts though. I'm too lazy/inept to do my own and too cheap (so far) to have you do it. Do you think I could come close to the same look with a can of silver Krylon?

[Paulyski 2,227]

 

I weld them.

 

I push dual handles more than relocations because when you relocate the safety handle has nothing to hit to keep the carrier from coming back WHEN (not if, but when) you pull the charging handle with the safety on.

 

This isn't dangerous, but just annoying.

When I install an AK handle on the left side I extend it slightly before attaching so it's better ergonomics & matches the length of the right side for symmetry.

If you don't extend it & don't remove the rail, you could tear the nail off of your index finger if you grabbed it wrong while in a hurry.

I also enlarge the base for a better surface to mount to.

I don't drill, that's useless if a person can weld well.

When I weld, it becomes 1 piece. My weld is stronger than the surrounding metal.

 

However, I'm mostly a fan of Vertical charging handles.

With a vertical charging handle, you can charge the weapon from the top with your left hand, there's no gap in the dustcover that can let debris in & you can also charge with your right hand if you run optics attached to the side optics rail.

 

Here's a couple I've done for some members here;

 

 

With a left side charging handle, your side optic rail becomes useless being as the charging handle will hit any optic mount mounted to it, so you may as well remove it.

 

 

It's all about a personal preference & what you're using it for though.

 

Very well explained along with the pros and cons of different options. I do wish you would quit showing your polished bolts though. I'm too lazy/inept to do my own and too cheap (so far) to have you do it. Do you think I could come close to the same look with a can of silver Krylon?

Silver Krylon would make it look kind of like my matte steel finish, but would quickly wear & look like crap.

[mrmallek 53]

Just to clarify - Pauly's work is so much more than appearance. While this stuff looks incredible - his process in profiling and slicking up the BCG is unmatched, I don't think anyone is too cheap to afford this service, I think you simply don't acknowledge the value.

 

I shaped my bolt carrier enough myself to load on aclosed bolt and know enough local welders to add a vertical CH. I sent mine to Pauly and am now sending it back to utilize more of his expertise. And I am as cheap as they come.

 

Anyone can build an AK - few can tune 'em.

 

 

[spenceman 5]

unless you've already got a welder handy and can get the job done well for free, I recommend sending it off and paying the extra money for the polish and re-profile. I sent mine off to Cobra's Custom and couldn't be happier. Just go with someone from the forum, because if they're active here it's they haven't been run off for bad service (i.e. you know you'll get great service and results).

[Paulyski 2,227]

unless you've already got a welder handy and can get the job done well for free

The WELL part is the most important there.

If not done by someone who knows their steels & how to properly fuse each, can produce x-ray quality welds, knows their metallurgy & how to displace excess heat as to not weaken the carrier it's self, you may end up with a bit of a headache after a VCH hits you in the head when you go to the high powered rounds from a 12 gauge.

 

This is one time I'd discourage people from going to a muffler shop & having someone use the generic wire of whatever type they run in shop. The force builds up & wears on joints over time.

It's also inadvisable to do it as an amateur.

Some bet their lives on firearms.

I use multiple processes & only a select filler steel specifically formulated for fusion on the carrier's & other steels I personally weld to them on a daily basis to ensure perfect, clean fusion & x-ray quality welds.

 

I must.

When I send them out in my IceRack full carrier polish, there's nothing to hide any defects.

And with IceRack's luster, an ugly weld is unshipable.

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

Yes...there are other vendors here who also offer this service... and have for a long time. R&R Targets is one for instance. Cobra's Custom also does a fine job, if I may say so myself. Ours are tig welded in place by a professional welder with 30 + yrs experience. All work is fully warranted and free from any defects, "bondo", or any other crappy workmanship. We take custom orders and can do your charging handle however you want, as long as it's feasible and safe to do that way. Just PM me with your requests. As time goes by, you will see more and more different versions offered. I will keep updating my thread in our business section to add more styles as they come along. Using an AK piston for an upturned Galil style handle, has been done by folks for a long time, and we also offer this as an option....along with the Tromix handles,and other custom requests. We aim to please, and have nothing but great feedback so far from our customers.

 

Here are a few pics showing what our product looks like....

 

You can get the standard "Black Cobra" handle.

 

 

 

 

 

Or how about Cobrachrome?

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

I do wish you would quit showing your polished bolts though. I'm too lazy/inept to do my own and too cheap (so far) to have you do it. Do you think I could come close to the same look with a can of silver Krylon?

 

You can't just spray Krylon on them to make them look "chrome".

Something you can do however, and something we will be offering just as soon as the stuff gets here for it, is powder coating. We'll bead blast and powder coat parts that are sent to us, and I'll even be coating some of my own guns this way. It's an extremely durable coating, when applied correctly, and will stand up to lots of abuse. We have had the equipment to do this for about a year now, but have been too busy with other projects to start doing anything with it. I've recently been learning to use it though, and soon will be offering powder coating as a service here. We'll be doing bolt carriers, and lots of other parts. Just ask, and I'll let you know if we can do it, and what colors are available. Powder coating DOES come in chrome BTW... and a huge variety of other colors...as well as reflective "anodized" looking colors.

 

To answer your question another way though...there IS another solution if you want a good bolt carrier coating that comes right out of a rattle can....

Dinzag turned me on to it a year or two ago...I tried it and it worked great. Duplicolor Hi Temp Ceramic Engine Enamel...yes it comes in lots of colors, including DE-1650 Cast Coat Aluminum. It is a very durable coating that can be air dried or baked on. I coated a couple of my bolt carriers with it over a year ago and they have held up great, and I like the look personally...

Here are a couple of pics of the one I did for my 5.45 Saiga....

 

 

 

 

[admbleg 35]

what all do u have to do to move your charging handle from the right to the left? and is this a good idea and have any of y'all done this and is it practical does it help a faster reload of the weapon and how about an extended charging handle? and hey Pauly do u weld these extended charging handle on and how are they installed to the just get welded on or do the get drilled and then welded? wasthinking about this but not all sure work is required?

 

thanks CJ

 

Hi CJ.

 

I believe others addressed the cutting of the dust cover. You will get a slight wobble but nothing to great.

 

All my charging handles were welded on with a 110 wire fed welder.

 

I have the charging handle on my S-12 on the left side as well as keeping the orginal on the right. I used a HK charging handle for the left. Which allowed me to keep the orginal incase the left failed, or if one of my lefty friends was shooting.

 

I have about 300 rounds with the left handle and it hasn't failed yet.

 

The big advantage was when I was doing my low brass testing. I would get a FTE which allowed me to pull with my left hand and angle the port towards the ground for the round to fall out made clearing the S-12 quicker.

As far as reload speeds due to the mags with a closed bolt takes alittle longer. Now if I had one of those mag well adapters that would be alot quicker.

 

The only disadvantage I have found so far is that you cannot use the rail side mount for optics.

 

I also have a left side charging handle on my Saiga 223. I angled the orginal gas piston up so if I do a high grip on the mag my thumb won't get hit by the handle.

 

This pic is when I was fabing things up.

 

Extended charging handle

I have this on my Draco.

 

My reload times are about a second slower compared to my M4. Drill is from the low ready position, shot timer engage 4" circle from 5 yards with one round, combat reload, fire one round. I think my time is slower with the AK due to the AK mags and weapon system, other than that I am happy with the time.

 

The extended handle allows for a reach over the top quick charge. With less movement from target to re-engage. Of course you can practice with your reloads to get quicker, which is what I reccomend.

 

Good luck on your choices and mods.