GunWiki Q&A: September 2008

Articles Modified or Added in Response to These Questions

Answers In Progress

• what is the difference between a ak 47 magazine and a saiga magazine?: One of these days, I need to take pictures of the two next to each other. But functionally, the difference is that a Saiga magazine is a bit narrower, and has a feed ramp for the bullets built into the mag. In the AK-47 (and in just about every mag-fed rifle in existence), the feed ramp is built into the rifle. Relocating the feed ramp into the magazine was a means of appeasing ATF by making it harder to adapt a Saiga to accomodate AK magazines.
• how long is an ar-15 buffer spring: Very good question. There are different buffer springs - carbine length and rifle length to name two.
• how sensitive are bullet primers: Excellent question.
• hard soft primer ammunition energy: Another excellent question.
• rust in barrel affect accuracy: Rust will always negatively impact accuracy, and your gun's lifespan. However, copper fouling doesn't always do so. Some rifles with bad pitting shoot better when copper is "filling in" the pits along the barrel.
• how to tell what grain a bullet is without the box: The "right answer" is to pull it from the casing and weigh the bullet. However, if this isn't an option and you have a bullet of a known weight from the same distributor, you could try weighing it and then subtracting the known quantity. This won't be very precise at all, but you should be able to at least get within a +-20gr range of the right number.
• ak-47 can't remove stock: This is always fun. I shall think a bit on how I do this.
• what did magnum research modify to make the 44 desert eagle california compliant?: At minimum, the DE44CA (the CA variant) has had a spring loaded firing pin added. I'm not sure about other alterations.
• what is the active ingredient in brake cleaner: Good question - no idea.
• ar 15 jig: Probably referring to the tooling used to create AR receivers from 80% blanks. I should research this.
• gunsmith stripped screw remover: This is an interesting subject. From preliminary research, it seems that two common approaches are either left-handed drill bits (which loosen the screw, and may extract it) coupled with left-handed taps (if the drill bit doesn't pull out the screw, the tap will) or a bead of JB Weld on a piece of scrap metal (glue it to the stripped screw, then turn it off that way).
• how to chronograph shotgun loads: Good question, given that the spread would greatly endanger all but the largest chronographs.
• press reloading 20mm ammo: Now THIS is an interesting question. I would assume it'd be something like the old World War 2 era 50 BMG in-line progressive reloaders.
• hand held reloading press: I need to take some pictures of the Lee hand press.
• step by step guide to remove barrel from upper receiver: This would be neat.

Brief Answers

• baby eagle high capacity mags: The Baby Eagle takes CZ-75 magazines. So, just get CZ-75 mags of the appropriate caliber.
• boresnake for 50 bmg: Because the boresnake is diameter specific, not caliber specific, the 50cal rifle boresnake will work just as well for 50 BMG as it does for any other 50cal bore.
• i need parts for a roto-zip: Try contacting the roto-zip company directly.
• fs2000 magazine hard to remove ?: Yes, this is because of a rubber collar inside of the rifle, which provides a seal around your magazine. A lot of folks recommend removing this collar, as it serves little purpose unless you plan on dropping your rifle into dirt or water on a regular basis.
• saiga with ak gas system: Yes, all Saigas do have AK gas systems.
• can saiga 12 have telescoping stock and pistol grip in ca: Not both, no.
• is the vz 52 rifle california legal?: In its basic configuration, yes. If it's been modified, it must remain SB23 compliant.
• is it illegal to attach two rifle magazines together: Nope, not even in California. Of course, if you're talking about actually welding the magazine tubes together so that the capacity of the resultant magazine is over 10, that wouldn't be legal in California or any other 10-round state.
• side charging ar 15 upper: Although the V-22 22LR upper has a side-mounted charging handle, and there are apparently a couple of actual AR uppers configured this way, most likely you have seen a picture (or movie) featuring an AR-180. It looks very much like an AR-15, but happens to have a side-mounted charging handle.
• ar 15 thing that goes under hand guard: Perhaps you're thinking of a forward pistol grip, a flare launcher, or a bipod? Searching with these terms will probably get you what you want.
• how to remove ar handguards -tool: It's definitely possible to do this without a tool, but you may require two people. Set the butt of the rifle on the ground, and grab the spring-loaded ring just behind the handguards, and push down on it hard. Then have someone else pull the two halves of the handguard assembly away while you're holding it down. It is technically possible to leave off a shoe and pull off the halves with your foot, but this is reserved for the particularly nimble.
• any limits on private party handgun transfers in ca ?: Other than having to go through a dealer for your private party transfer and being unable to transfer assault weapons, no. There are no "once a month" limits on PPT'ed handguns, and they are not subject to the drop test.