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Posted: 1/9/2004 6:05:33 PM EDT
| I have a DPMS A3/M4 16.5in with the MICULEK comp. I would like to take the brake off in order to change the front sight/gas block. I emailed DPMS they just said cannot be done. I thought I remembered reading here that there were some smiths out there that were able to do this kind of work. I was hoping for some recomendations and was wondering what they would charge. |
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Depends on how it is attached. If it is pinned and welded thenit can be drilled out and removed but probably not reused. If the brake is hi-temp silver soldered then putting enough heat to soften the solder will damage the steel of the barrel. In this case you'd need somebody to cut the barrel behind the brake, recut the crown, then reattach a new brake, making sure that the OAL of the barrel exceeds 16". |
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Is there a way to tell which way it is on there. I can see one the under side of the brake there is a small dimple in the steel and the black coating over the dimple rubbed off with a fingernail. Does thie mean it is likely pinned and welded? Like I said DPMS was no help at all when I emailed them with these questions. Thank you all for your help. I would really like to put on a gas block with a rail so I can have a flip down front sight. I was even considering machining a two piece gas block and just cutting the old one off. |
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If they did a really good job of welding, grinding and finishing the brake then you won't be able to tell, but a spot where the metal isn't completely smooth (i.e. dimpled) is a good sign that it is pinned, as is having a different finish in that spot. If you really don't mind 'messing up' the brake you can often grind the area smooth and see pin by looking for a small round area with a different grain and hardnes than the surrounding metal. Sometimes you can see a little line marking the edge of the pin. |
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I just thought I would post a follow up for those wondering. I got my DPMS muzzle brake off. It was pinned and welded not soldered. They had drilled a 7/64 hole at the 12 o'clock position, just off center to the ejection port side. I drilled this out and once the weld was broken the brake easily came lose. I was able to change my gas block. I put a new pin in the brake and epoxied it into place. if this doesn't hold I'll have a guy i know weld it up again. I still have no idea why DPMS wouldn't tell me how the brake was attached. I love the gun but makes me leary of buying another if they can't answer simple questions. |
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It's not that they CAN'T answer it. It's that they WON'T. And the reason they won't if because it is supposed to be permanent, and they don't want any trouble form the BATF. The gunsmith that put on my comp said that it had different thread size/pitch than a standard AR15 flash hider. Come to find out, after researching the comp,that it's not true, it is standard. So if the AWB sunsets, I can replace it myself. They just don't want us jacking with it so if we get in trouble we don't get them an unwarranted visit form the BATF agent, that's all. I wouldn't hold it against them, they are just trying to cover their butts. |
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