The M92 PAP pistol is brought in neutered with a muzzle cap and no detent spring. With some careful Dremel work, some cold blue solution and a bit of patience, it is really easy to restore the pistol back to it’s original threaded muzzle state
SAFETY STEP – MAKE SURE THE WEAPON IS UNLOADED. NEVER ASSUME THAT IT IS – VERIFY IT IS UNLOADED BEFORE YOU BEGIN WORK.
1. Look at the muzzle of the PAP M92 and you will see a big spot weld that is holding the muzzle cover on. Thankfully it is both small and superficial so it can be cut through.
2. Now the first step is to secure the pistol so it can’t move around. I used a wood jawed woodworking vice but you can use whatever you have handy. If you use a regular vise, be sure to put something over the jaws to protect your M92 from getting all scratched up.
3. I use my Dremel tool all the time. These days I am using one of their cordless jobs with two Lithium batteries and I like the EZ Lock bits that make replacing cutting wheels and other tasks a breeze. Be sure to practice with your Dremel before doing this. Please don’t go buy a Dremel and try and do this fresh out of the box. The secret is to make light cuts and not rush. Let the weight of the tool do the work and carefully guide it and keep it in position.
4. Now, I came in from the front and at a slight angle to protect the front sight & gas block combo. The cap will twist off clock-wise as it is reverse threaded. Cut a bit and test, cut a bit and test over and over. If you have a strap wrench or a pipe wrench, that can help with the removal. Again, remember that this is reverse threaded just like other AKs. It will loosen by turning clockwise.
5. Hidden under that large ugly cap is the big 26 x 1.5mm LH (reverse threaded) muzzle just waiting to have your favorite brake or fake can installed but it would be real cool to get the detent pin working again – wouldn’t it?
5. Use a small sanding drum and smooth the block where the weld was and then use the cold bluing solution you like to color the steel while it is fresh and oil free. I like Brownell’s Oxpho Blue and apply it with a Q-Tip per their instructions.
7. I really like the Bulgarian 4 piece Krink brakes and CNC Warrior has great version they have made for the M92. I pretty much knew I had to go with this brake! It does a great job reducing muzzle flash and is real high quality. Now that the detent pin was installed, I just threaded it on until it was where I wanted it and the detent pin engaged fully.
So that’s all it took! I hope this helps you with your project.
Stay tuned for more blog posts about the M92.
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Years ago, I bought a barreled M92 kit from AK-Builder.com and assembled it. I then installed a Stormwerkz rail and a Primary Arms M4-style red dot and the dust cover being attached to the rear sight block really got annoying fast. After some careful examination, I figured out a quick release pin with a ball bearing detent to hold it in place would really make things easier. It worked great and I have been selling the pins like crazy for almost two years. I made a mistake though – I didn’t take step by step photos about how to do the installation and people keep asking for a how-to guide. Thus, I recently bought a Yugo M92 PAP pistol imported by Century Arms from my good friend Scott Igert, who owns Modern Antique Firearms in Benton Harbor, MI, so that I could do some step by step how-to instructions with a lot of photos for folks.
The work will be done with a Dremel tool with a cut off wheel, a few small punches, hammer and a rubber gunsmith block.
SAFETY STEP – MAKE SURE THE WEAPON IS UNLOADED. NEVER ASSUME THAT IT IS – VERIFY IT IS UNLOADED BEFORE YOU BEGIN WORK.
1. Look at the hinge pin/rivet. On the side opposite the charging handle, you will see a big rivet head. On the right side, you will see an odd looking head it is actually the rivet just slightly peened over into a concave washer. It is that side that we will grind the peened over portion off with our Dremel. By the way, it is really a pin but it has one end peened over like a rivet. A rivet would swell into the hole and lock everything up – a pin does not.
2. If you don’t use a Dremel tool, take a few minutes and do some practice cutting with a cut off wheel. It has a tendency to scoot around and you need to get a feel for it so you can control it. Please, please, please – do not take your Dremel out of the box and try to do this for the very first time. I like the cordless Dremel as I can work anywhere and lately I have become very fond of the EZ Lock bits. Of course you can use whatever tool you are comfortable with but this step by step explanation should make the work required more clear (I hope).
3. If you are still learning, put a couple of pieces of tape with a slit over the pin’s head that is peened into the washer. With some tape in place, if your hand slips you will be less likely to mar your finish. Folks, the secret tip is to do very light cuts. Let the weight of the tool or even less do the work. Do NOT push down hard or you will snap the bit. I also rest my hands on any surface that I can to have more control. You’ll notice I have a rubber gunsmith block to support the pistol – you could use a piece of pine, a hockey puck, or another non-marring surface. You want the weapon to be stable when you work on it and you will need to lightly tape the hinge pin/rivet free once the head is ground off. I used pieces of wood for years and years before bought the block – the key is to have the support and use something that will not scratch up your finish.
4. You are just removing enough metal get get rid of a small lip on the rivet. The next two photos show you the slightly concave look I put in the rivet and you can barely see the shaft. I then used a small pin punch and a tap from a small hammer to get the pin moving. It will take very little force to get it to move. If it doesn’t readily move, then you may need to grind it a bit more. The only thing holding that rivet shaft in place is the peened edge – it is not swollen in the hole.
5. This is a photo of the removed rivet and the hinge rivet/pin starting to slide backwards. I then used a small punch pin to push it out. The fourth photo shows the original pin and washer so you can see the end result.
6. At this point, the dust cover hole is clear but do not try to push the new pin in. The cover cams shut and it will be needlessly difficult to push the pin in. For comparison, our pin is shown next to the original. The pin with a groove in it is something you do not want to lose! The angled portion is face up towards the dust cover and the round end goes towards the gas tube. When the dust cover closes, the pin slides forward and holds the gas tube is locked in place. It’s very simple and does the job just fine. This locking pin is held in the rear block by the dust cover pin so every time you remove the pin, it can come out. Just keep track of it each time you clean your M85 / M92 as you will need it.
7. Now, to install our quick takedown pin, install the dust cover, lift it up and align the holes. At this point, there is no pressure and our pin will slide easily into the hole. When the dust cover is closed, the resulting pressures lock everything in place. That is why it works so well with hinge mounted picatinny rails. My favorite these days is the hinge mounted frail from CNC Warrior by way and we’ll right up an installation guide for that as well.
So that’s it! Again, the key is to use light pressure when grinding the peened over portion of the original hinge pin/rivet away. Then, install the new pin with the dust cover open so it can readily slide in.
If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.
In doing this M92, I wanted to use tools that many guys already have or can get without spending a fortune. I could have used my mill or drill press but I wanted you to see that some simple hand tools are all you need. The follow are what I used and certainly you can use other tools that work for you.
Dremel Tool with cutoff wheel, abrasive wheel and sanding drum
If you do much gun work, you’ll find a rotary tool to be a huge time saver when used properly. I have an ancient corded Dremel tool made for Sears plus an 18volt cordless that I use all the time. You will need some thin cut off wheels for metal, a small abrasive wheel (if you want or do it all with the sanding drum) and a sanding drum. Because I use my Dremel a lot, I buy the discounted multibit packs when I find them.
Here are the tools at Amazon:
One thing I would recommend against is buying cheap no-name import bits – they often fall apart or dull real fast. For the last few years, I have been buying Dremel brand bits off Amazon. Everything you’ll need is in the below accessory pack:
The one thing I will say here is to practice before you try to actually work on your new pistol. I can’t stress this enough – please practice first!!A Dremel can scoot around and chew things up if your hands aren’t supported and you don’t know the “feel” of how to cut things. So please be sure to do some testing and practice before you go near your pistol. I’ve been using a Dremel for almost 30 years (literally) and I still get surprised from time to time but I know what to do to minimize bad things from resulting due to my experience.
Hand Drill
You just need a plain jane hand drill. It could be corded or cordless. Slower is better to avoid heat build up. You will need to drill a 3/8″ hole for the arm brace and a #21 hole for the picatinny rail screws. All the work I did was done with my Ryobi 1/2″ 18volt hand drill that I bought from Home Depot and have gotten a ton of use from over the years.
Tap Handle
If you do not have one already, go get a tap handle from your local hardware store. You will need it to get a good square grip on the #10 tap if you install the CNC Warrior picatinny rail. Some guys try to go cheap and use a small wrench but the problem is that you will have a very hard time starting the threading squarely. Spend a few bucks and get a tap handle.
Good Vise
It really pays to have a good vise. There are so many options out there but make sure it is secure and that if it has steel jaws, that they are padded with leather, wood, plastic or something else that is relatively soft to protect the finish. It could be a tool vise or even one of the rifle cleaning and maintenance vises such as Tipton’s. Just make sure that whatever you use is firmly holding the rifle and can’t slide as you drill. You could drill it into your work bench or use some clamps on the corners.
I specifically used one of my woodworking vises that is permanently attached to my work bench for this project. It is like the following and you must add wood to make the actual jaws hence the screw holes in the side plates of the vise:
Roll Pin Punches
You could use any punch set but I like pin punches as they have a dimple in the face that goes into the roll spring to help center and drive it. Note, I have watched guys skip using a punch and just tap in the roll pin with a small hammer directly. The roll pin punches help but are not mandatory.
Hammer
I’ll skip the photo 🙂 You just need something to tap the pin punch with.
Cutting Oil
In a pinch you can use regular oil but I like to use Tap Magic for lubricating drill buts and also taps. This helps them run cooler and last longer
Cold Blue Solution and QTips
My favorite cold blue is Oxpho Blue liquid from Brownell’s. There are a lot of other brands out there and guys have told me they like the cold blue solution from Birchwood Casey as well.
Deburring tool or Sandpaper
The last tool I would recommend is a deburring tool. It is very handy for clearing drilled holes of burs. I used it after I drilled the rear of the receiver for example.
The next posts will be about doing the actual work – I promise 🙂
To be imported, the M92 has a muzzle nut, or muzzle cap, installed over the threads with a single big weld. It’s obvious where the weld is and guess what? It can be easily removed and if you look close that will also then clear the detent spring hole as well.
There are a few brake options out there for the M92. Bear in mind that like many Yugo rifles, the designers made the size and thread of the M92’s muzzle unique. It is left-hand 26mm wide with a 1.5mm pitch thread – definitely an oddball. At any rate, CNC Warrior makes a four piece Bulgarian style brake that really cuts down on muzzle flash that I have been drooling over for a while plus they make a number of other brakes, adapters and fake cans that can fit that thread.
The following are more detailed photos for you. By pulling the small locking wire down, the end cap can be unscrewed and the brake disassembled into its four parts – the body, cap, cone and spring.
They also sell a detent pin kit so you can have the original method to retain the brake as well and it can be installed in literally less than five minutes because the PAP comes with all the holes drilled:
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A M92 is screaming for an optic of some type. My preference is a red dot and I run a Primary Arms M4 clone on my first rifle and will use a Vortex Sparc on this new rifle.
As some of you may know, I have a Stormwerkz rail on my first M92 that I custom built and it has served me well. The only draw back with the design is that you install the button head screws from inside the dustcover. Because of this, you will notice the bolt carrier does hit screws. I have shot a ton of ammo – well over a thousand rounds – from this rifle and the bolt carrier shows no harm but you do see the scuffed screws.
When I heard that CNC Warrior had a mount, I had to take a closer look and sure enough, they had a different approach. Their screws go through the rail and screw into the thick steel portion of the dust cover that runs to the hinge.
I talked to Denny, the owner of CNC Warrior, about my plans and he recently switched over to a four hole model that will give a person more options when installing the rail to work around the very hard spot welds — basically you just need two screws so with four holes, you pick the two you like that enable you to miss the welds.
If you look closely at the next photo, you will notice small circular indents in the steel – those are the spot welds that are harder than the surrounding steel and can be an absolute bear to drill through. Thus, with CNC Warrior’s new four hole rail, you can slide it back and forth until you get two holes that clear these welds.
Please note that Denny sent me one of each – the old two hole rail and the new four hole rail – so I could show you folks the difference and he did not have time to have it finished so it is bare metal in the photos. I used Molyresin to finish it flat black but that is not something you will need to worry about. Going forward, when you order his mount you’ll get the four hole rail section already finished black.
Included with the picatinny rail is their installation kit and instructions that makes installing it a breeze. In a future blog post I’ll show you just how easy installation is and how you can do it with a hand drill and some cutting oil.
If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.
One of the parts I knew I wanted was the folding arm brace from CNC Warrior. This essentially gives you additional support to either fire the pistol with one hand or to even shoulder the weapon comfortably if so desired.
Now the ATF has reviewed and approved the arm brace as not being a shoulder stock. Each arm brace that CNC Warrior ships includes a copy of the ATF letter that says it is not a stock and that attaching it will not make a pistol a SBR.
This stock is a joint design effort between Chris Bonesteel, of Bonesteel Arms and CNC Warrior and is very nicely made. It has a very strong hinge mechanism and is a breeze to install.
When I took the assembly out of the box I immediately noticed how well made it was. I recalled a talk I had several years back with Chris where he worried about some folders being weak and this design reflects that both he and Denny at CNC Warrior wanted to make a strong one. The attention to detail and fitment are very apparent. Hands down, this is my favorite set up that I have seen for the M92.
The following are photos of the brace for people who like to see details:
The following photos shows how nice brace marries up to the back of the receiver plus the quick release sling hole but it has not been attached yet.
It comes with the mounting screw you will need and easy to follow instructions:
I highly recommend you buy their installation kit. It comes with the drill bit and mounting jig to make this a breeze:
In a later blog post, I’ll show you just how easy the installation was. I kid you not, if you have a hand drill and their installation kit, you can do this!!
Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.
If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.
So the Century M92 PAP pistol arrived from via my friend and FFL, Scott Igert, of Modern Antique Firearms. The cool thing about this pistol is that it is actually made in the Zastava factory and is imported here. Zastava originally designed the M92 to be a 7.62x39mm short barreled rifle (SBR) based on the proven Kalashnikov design that could pack a lot of firepower in a small package. To do this, they gave it a short barrel and an underfolder stock.
To make it legal for importation, Zastava opted to go the pistol designation route with the ATF and thus did not install the underfolder plus they spot welded a muzzle nut over the large 26×1.5mm threaded muzzle. Because the muzzle nut was spot welded, they didn’t bother installing the detent pin either.
After getting mine out of the box, I have to tell you that I am very impressed by the quality. This is my second Zastava AK – my first was a Yugo M77 – and both are very well made.
This pistol has received a lot of good attention over the last few years because of its reliability and heritage but it also got negative marks for its weight and being unweildy. Really? I always found those comments funny because of course you are trying to hold a stripped down SBR that weighs about 5.7 pounds empty with one hand!
Now the fun part. The whole reason I am writing this blog post is because these pistols are still available at a reasonable price and there is a very active aftermarket including the grips, handguards and dust cover pin that we make. We’ll have a series of blog posts to step you through how to install the various parts we selected including some wicked parts from CNC Warrior.
Time permitting you will see a few blog posts each week that step you through what I bought, tools and installation.
If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.
AK rifles use press-fit barrels wherein the barrel is pressed into either the forged trunnion (if it is a sheet metal receiver) or the receiver and then held in place by the 7mm barrel pin. As part of this, the barrel must be headspaced to the bolt to help ensure the cartridge is properly seated. A challenge that commonly happens is that a builder inserts the barrel using whatever method ranging from a big hammer to a hydraulic press but when they try to use their headspace gauges, they find they have gone too far. Alternatively, folks trying to insert a barrel back in that was already headspaced notice that they overshot the barrel pin groove when looking through the holes across the groove in the barrel. Regardless of how the mistake is identified, the question becomes “what do I do now?”
There is a relatively quick and easy solution – use a long shaft to drive the barrel back out. These tools are generically called “barrel back out tools” and you can make one many ways. They can all be summarized as having a long shaft to reach through the receiver to the chamber end of the barrel and then either a copper or brass fitting to protect the chamber from being damaged by the rod. I have seen everything from guys using socket extensions, to pieces of round steel, to custom purpose built tools.
One time, I pressed in a Yugo M72 barrel too far and had to press it back out so I came up with a quick and easy tool that I kept in my tool box and even sold for a while until I stopped because the profit margin just wasn’t sufficient. With that said though, it’s worth sharing with folks just in case they wind up in a jam.
Here is what you need:
One 1/2″ grade one or two bolt that is about 12″ long (or however long you want to make it)
One 1/2″ grade one or two steel nut
One 1/2″ brass nut
For my first tool, that I still have, I just went to my local Ace Hardware store and bought the parts.
Basically, the long bolt allows you to reach into the receiver to the chamber end of the barrel to apply pressure. I used a really long bolt because a Yugo’s rear trunnion is solid and you have to go down at a long shallow angle to press the barrel back out. With AKMs or other AKs with open rear trunnions, you can simply go straight from the back to the front. Note that you need to clear the ejector without damaging it. I purposefully used a low grade bolt as I did not want it brittle from hardening.
The steel nut needs to be ground down enough so that the combination of it and the brass nut can fit in the area where the bolt normally locks up. You want as much brass as possible to be in front of it and the brass nut should protrude from the bolt. You don’t need a great deal of the brass nut threaded on the bolt as the steel nut is backing it up to provide much needed support. I would grind and test repeatedly until the timing was such that the two nuts matched up just right when I tightened them down.
Use the bolt to hold each nut and sand them down. The steel nut is there to reinforce the brass nut.I don’t have exact dimentions so you can experiment. The steel nut is about half it’s original thickness and the brass is about two thirds. You need enough steel for strength, enough brass to be able to deform yet the assembly must fit in the pocket area inside the trunnion just before the chamber.
Note, I used to grind the brass nut to match the extractor notch in the barrel but have stopped doing so as the brass simply deformed anyways. The following photo shows how the brass simply bends and conforms to the extractor notch plus you can see that the brass nut extends well forward of the steel bolt.
I just let pressure form the end of the brass nut however it needs to. I just grind the brass nut flat. Very important note – the brass nut must extend past the end of the bolt by about 1/4-3/8″ thick. The longer the better. You do not want the steel bolt to contact the chamber even when compressed – just the brass. I talked to guys who used to put two real copper pennies on the end of the barrel to press it out so I used that as my minimum thickness.
In the next photo, you can see the shallow angle I used to press the Yugo barrel back out. Again, you would not need the same if you could go straight through the receiver:
I actually have a few of these pushers made and ready to use. I have a long 12″ one to be able to reach down at an angle in Yugos (their rear trunnion is solid) plus a much shorter one – maybe about 6″ that I have when I am just working with a barrel in a trunnion.This is actually under load. Only the brass nut is touching the end of the barrel.
Historically I did all my barrel work with my 20 ton press but now I mainly use air tools except for really stubborn parts. When I originally did this post in 2014, I used my press.
With the M72, I was able to very simply move the barrel back out a bit, turn things around and then press the barrel in until the proper headspace was achieved. The tool worked so well that I have it in my tool box still and have used it a few more times plus I did make a dozen or so and sold them to guys who had good luck as well.
As a caution, make sure the trunnion is well supported – you can see I have it resting on the press plates in the photo above. Make sure everything is set up, stable and that you are clearing everything else before you apply pressure with the press.
If you apply pressure and nothing happens, stop and carefully inspect what is going on – the tool may be sitting on something other than the barrel. More force may damage parts and you do not want that.
Lastly, be safe – take your time and play it smart. A press can develop massive pressure. Wear safety glasses and do not dream of having your hands anywhere in, on or around the parts being pressed. All things considered, backing a barrel out should take very little force but you do not want an accident to happen. If you are tired and frustrated, stop and wait until the next day or when you have relaxed and calmed down. Most of my personal accidents have happened when I was in a rush, tired or angry – don’t be me 🙂
In closing, I hope this helps you in your building efforts!
Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.
If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.
