I got a PSAK-103 a while back for my wife with the intention of ultimately suppressing it.
When I first got the rifle home from my FFL, I noticed some issues when I tried to install a Magpul Zhukov–the stock would not install properly and, on closer inspection by both me and a local AK builder, we determined that the receiver stamping may have been defective. I sent the rifle to PSA for repair TWICE for this issue, but they sent it back to me without making any repairs. In event event, at that point I figured I’d just live with it and went a different direction with the stock.
A few months later, my wife used the rifle for an AK class. The rifle starting having light primer strikes about mid-morning (after a couple-hundred rounds of Wolf and Barnaul). Frustrating. We ultimately put the rifle in the safe and shot it only a few times since, with the light primer strikes being a totally annoying issue . We have other AKs, and I just indefinitely postponed dealing with PSA over this rifle since I was so let down with the first issue after holding for customer service, packing and shipping the rifle, etc.
Anyway, I recently got my ATF paperwork approved for the suppressor that I wanted to put on this rifle, so I pulled it out the safe to get that rigged up. When I got the bore checked for concentricity, turns out there is a problem–the bore alignment rod angled up out of the muzzle, dragging on the upper baffles of my can.
I was surprised, as I thought the FN barrel would be good to go.
Has anyone else had concentricity issues with their FN barrels? Is barrel concentricty something that is covered under warranty?
I did buy this weapon in the middle of the 2020/21 craziness, so I’m hoping I’m not sitting on a lemon resulting from QC slippage issues. Not sure what my best option is at this stage. Many thanks.
Our alignment rod is straight. Indeed, it is relatively new. To be sure, we spun the rod in the barrel and inserted it in several other AKs that do not have alignment issues. That said, I’m certain the rod is straight.
Having the bolt in our out of battery does not make a difference.
The can is an OSS 7.62 with one of their proprietary muzzle devices–no issues with this on any other AK that we’ve previously suppressed. If we rotate the muzzle device (i.e., loosen it 90 or 180 degrees), the rod still angles up out of the barrel, contacting whichever baffles are oriented upward. It actually touches the muzzle device (ever so slightly).
It’s good to know you haven’t heard of issues with FN barrels. At this stage, if mine isn’t a rare defect, I’m wondering if my barrel has a concentric bore and threads that are not concentric. Does FN do the M24 threads on the PSAK-103 barrels, or it that something PSA installs?
To my knowledge FN does all the machining on their barrels. I asked about the bolt because i have seen that skew a rod. Also, i have seen new rods that are not straight. Out of curiosity, what brand rod is it? I check my rods on a granite slab that has been checked for level with a laser.
The rod is made by Accuracy Solutions, and it is straight.
And, since this is for our 103, the threads are not machined on the barrel per se. Instead, they are part of the front sight assembly installed on the barrel. Just not sure if this is a PSA or FN thing, and I wonder whether they check if those threads are concentric to the barrel after install.
I went back to the original PSA 103 muzzle brake and inserted the alignment rod, and I’m 99% that this test is also betraying an issue with the overall concentricity (but I’m not 100% sure, since the PSA brake is looser on the threads than the OSS and has a rather large inner diameter compared to the 7.62 rod). Again, not sure if the concentricity issue is the bore or the threads.
At this point, with all the issues I’ve had with the rifle, I think I’ll end up calling PSA this week. Just not sure if this is something I can reasonably expect them to fix.