VZ58 'modern' muzzle brake question

canucklehead

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Hey guys,

Been meaning to ask this for a while...

I have one of the 'modern' muzzle brakes for my VZ (not the retarded cone), and the problem is that it can't get 'tight' enough for the pin to line up with the groove in the brake. It needs to turn about one pin-width more, but obviously it can't.

If I back it off one turn, it's too loose, and I'd be seriously concerned about bullets striking the brake on the way out.

So... what's the best method to make it fit? I don't have access to a mill or lathe. (Dremel tool, yes, lathe, no!)

- Grind off a bit of the back of the brake so that it can tighten further?
- Or use a washer type device to 'shim' it so it can be 'tight' when backed off one turn?

I'm sure someone else has run into this problem, so I will defer to the pros!

Thanks!
 
I would have to say that tapping the brake an extra 1/8th of a turn at a time and then testing it for snug fit would be what I would do.

Just my 2 cents, I know there are more people on this board with a lot better gun smithing ability then myself however. :)
 
I'm confused... 'tapping the brake'... what do you mean?

There is NO way to get it tighter than it is without removing material. The flat part on the back of the brake is contacting the flat part of the muzzle attachment point. Tapping (as in 'threading') the brake more won't do anything.
 
I misunderstood your first post.:redface:

I thought that the brake was just not screwing on enough and that there was a space between the barrel hence the tapping idea. Rereading your post I understand it is tight against the barrel and that is preventing it from threading further.
 
Canuckle I had the same problem as you with fitting the same muzzle-brake. All I did was use a large flat file and some elbow grease to remove enough material from the bottom and it fits like a glove. Took all of about five to ten minutes, being careful to only remove a bit of material, check fit, remove a bit more repeat. I used this method after reading about it somewhere here on CGN.
B.T.W. remember to REMOVE and clean that muzzle-brake after each firing of corrosive ammo...trust me ;)

Good Luck,
Mad Mikey.
 
VanIsle said:
Looks like you should have got one of those "retarded cone" ones like I did... works fiiine and dandy, sucker.

Haha... I DID have one of those... ordered it when I bought the VZ. When it arrived, I nearly gagged. What self-respecting gun nut would ever be seen with one of those on his range queen?

I gave it away. :D

Mad Mikey - sounds like a plan! I will give that a try tonight. Did you re-blue the bare metal? Paint?
 
Well, I guess it's 'file time' as I've got the same unit to fit to my 58 and 858!
Is there a need to reblue the brake after the 'adjustment'?
 
...I never did re-blue mine as only the bottom of the brake was bare metal [filed] and not visible once installed on the rifle. Even though the brake is a blued part, the first time i took it shooting with milsurp ammo it began rusting from range to home... :eek: this batch of ammo floating around at present is unbelievably filthy . The corrosion was from the ports on the muzzle brake... not the bare metal where I filed as no gas or residue seemed to reach it there. Painting may be an option I look into in the future, if there is a paint that is resistant to the scourge of this crap ammo.

Cheers,
Mad Mikey.
 
I had to file mine to get it to fit also.

I parkerized it after the adjustment, and it looks much nicer than the bluing, and the parkerizing resists rusting better due to oil trapped in the crystals.
 
Well, 5 minutes with the file and it was done!

I was suprised that I only needed to take off a few thousandths of an inch to make it fit.

Either way, it's tight, and fits perfect!!! Thanks for the tips guys.

I'm thinking about gunkoting the brake, in light of all the rusting comments. Has anyone here ever gunkoted the whole gun? The paint is starting to get a bit ratched on mine.

Would refinishing the gun hurt resale value? Not planning on selling it, but most like the whole milsurp look.
 
I approached this problem a little different. I took a small amount of high temp silicone applied it to the threads and set the brake where it needed to be and I was done. It worked great. I found the gun would group much better without the break loose on the barrel.
 
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