Help with stuck AK muzzle detent plunger.

[KoopaKGB]

Howdy INGO,
I picked up a second hand AK. A century arms, AKMS underfolder, supposedly built on a Polish parts kit. The only thing Polish I can identify is the lower handguard wood swell grip. Its in great condition with one notable issue...The muzzle detent plunger is stuck pressed in. The owner gave it to me like that. He has no idea when it happened so I dont know if it just rusted, or if the spring is broke, or if there is even a spring in there from the goofballs at Century who knows?

So I've tried to unstick it with copious amounts of WD-40. Its been sitting for a few days now. Then I've tried tapping on the barrel/front sight post with wood to try and use the vibrations to rattle it free. I also tried taking a small pick at the plunger to wiggle it out or push it to the side but there is no play.

I really dont want to have to take the front sight post off since that exceeds my mechanical competency and I dont want to mess anything up.

Any good idears? heres some pics.

 

[red_zr24x4]

Instead of WD I'd try either Kroil or something like PB blaster, more of a penetrating oil as opposed to a water displacement oil (WD)

 

[vitamink]

if it doesn't move after the penetrating oil, the spring inside may have turned to powder. Get a punch set and drift out the front pin. Then order this, replace it, and drift the pin back in. Success!
23294 AK muzzle detent pin and spring

 

[indykid]

In case you don't know, the front cross pin holds the detent pin in place.

Seeing what looks like rust on the front cross pin, I suggest not only getting the correct punch but invest in a punch holder or visegrips.

I have removed many stuck cross pins and believe me having a punch holder allows you to get a better hit with a hammer or mallet than if you hold the punch with your hand. It also saves your fingers or hand if you miss the punch but are holding it with a tool other than your hand.

Another thing, if you try to knock the cross pin out on a work bench, even a strong work bench might absorb some of the impact from the hammer, so I always knock the pins out by laying the front of the rifle on a piece of 2x4 on a concrete floor. I have a pocket drilled into the wood to allow the pin to fall into and be retained.

After you get the cross pin out, you can spray some penetration oil in that hole to help try to unstick the detent pin.

 

[Clay]

Ive seen a couple of them put in backwards where they won't stick out at all. Pop the front pin out, and see if you can flip it around.

 

[bullet293]

punch out cross pin, center punch the detente, drill with small drill bit, use small easy out to break free. pop out detente and spring, emery cloth hole, oil, reassemble.

 

[KoopaKGB]

Thanks for the good advice everyone! I'll go pick up some penetrating oil and try that out let it sit for a day. Then post back here if it worked itself free or if the spring needs replacing.

If I need to drift out the front sight post pin, does it matter which direction I tap it out? I assume left or right is fine.

 

[Clay]

its a straight pin, so it will go either way.

 

[vitamink]

Straight pins only go one way. Bi pins go both ways.



Try the veal, tip your waitresses.

 

[95wrangler]

Maybe put some heat to it to expand the front sight around the detent, then see if you can pick or vibrate it loose then use WD40 once you have some cracks in the suspect rust holding it in?

 

[KoopaKGB]

I hit it up with some of this Liquid wrench penetrating oil and smacked the muzzle around with a wooden handle. Now I wait a day and I'll try to drift out the front sight pin.

 

[03A3]

Sometimes those will budge if you hold the gun muzzle down on a heavy wooden bench and and hit the rear/bottom of the front sight base with a deadblow hammer or good mallet. You have to really whack it.

 

[KoopaKGB]

So this is where I'm at. Knocked out the front pin. Sprayed some more penetrating oil into the whole thing. Still cant get the plunger to budge. There appears to be no spring inside, so I guess it did turn to powder.

 

[TheRude1]

Straight pins only go one way. Bi pins go both ways.



Try the veal, tip your waitresses.

Bi pins

 

[03A3]

Whack it Koopa.

 

[THard6]

if it doesn't move after the penetrating oil, the spring inside may have turned to powder. Get a punch set and drift out the front pin. Then order this, replace it, and drift the pin back in. Success!
23294 AK muzzle detent pin and spring

i'm not your boss or anything, but i'd quit wasting the time with all the other crap and just do as vitaminK says. it's cheap andd should fix it..

 

[BlueEagle]

i'm not your boss or anything, but i'd quit wasting the time with all the other crap and just do as vitaminK says. it's cheap andd should fix it..

I think the problem now is that according to the pictures, the pin has been drifted out but the detent is still stuck. He'll have to find a way to remove that before he can put new pieces in.

 

[indykid]

I hate to say this, but I had one rifle that had a detent pin jammed into the hole. I had to remove the complete front sight base. I then found the thinnest punch I could get, and drilled a hole in the back of the sight to get at the back of the pin to drive it out.

After getting it out I drowned it in rust remover, cleaned it out with a drill bit by hand (not chucked up but literally by hand) to basically ream the hole out, and then used some epoxy to cover the hole, and used a dab of paint to hide the epoxy.

Hope you don't have that worst case, but that is how I got out a stuck pin.

 

[vitamink]

you should be able to get a dental pick in the hole and press against the recess of the detent (the recessed section that the pin slid through to hold the detent in place) to get it to poke out enough to grab with some pliers. If not, order the parts i listed earlier, grab a tiny cup and fill it with penetrating oil, invert your gun, and soak the entire sight in it until your parts arrive.

Thard6, i'll be quoting you in my sig line now...Thanks.

 

[TheRude1]

Maybe some heat ?