Appreciation

 My blade of Slavic might has gone up in value a bit since 2017.

$39 then, $100 now.  Even the ones with mismatched serials are $80.

Instantly out of stock, as is typical of emailings from Atlantic.

Escape To Kalisz

The Lovely Harvey got me this fun gun case.

While not airline approved, it does lock.

Inside is a weekend fun kit!

I'm very amused!

I Didn't Have To Use My AK

I gotta admit, it was a good Friday.

I'm not Catholic, so it's just another Friday to me.

Easter, likewise.

Though, the film Risen is well worth a watch.

Inflacja Jest Dziwką

My Tantal Kbk wz.88n I made from a kit ran me $950.  Six years ago.

If you want, essentially, the same rifle today, Atlantic will ask you for $1,800.

Dzięki Joe!

Get 'em while they're cheap, I guess.

Annual ATF

Poland is the theme this year!

Źyweic lager, Tantal, P63 P-64 and cigs!

I'm Rich

Way back in 2018 Vickers Guy sent me a gift of East German 5.45x39mm magazines.

For free!

They are now running $80 each.

Unglaublich!

Once again, THANKS!

Night Stand Gun

I had Tonya out to check something yesterday and had not returned her to the safe before bed time.

As I was setting her to one side, I realized that if I was going to have her handy, the tritium sights needed to be deployed before I crawled into the fart sack.

Not that she was handier than Brenda who's got a red-dot and a light...

It's All About Light

A bigger, better, sensor with better glass doesn't hurt either.

My dear departed S5IS in the bedroom and relying on the flash.

My M50 with the afternoon light in the back yard.

I feel like I've come a long way in my photography skills.

I am also a purist who eschews the use of Photoshop.  While the results from 'Shopping may be superior in some ways, I don't think it's a measure of photography.

Hell, I'm old enough to remember when airbrushing was term of scorn.  Perhaps that colors my desires about taking better photos.

PO 3.5x21P

Is Russian ACOG with a 5.45x45mm reticle.

Modeled by the lovely Tonya!

It's got a gigantic body for that wee little 21mm objective:

Very complex reticle, with two different ways to figure out the range from the target.  The left side is for a prone target and the right is for standing (Click to embiggen).  The camera was crooked, not the scope!

There's a teeny switch on the front of the battery compartment which lights up the reticle red:

Marv is selling it, just in case you're interested!  It's worth more than I have at the moment and it's really too far to the rear with the Tantal's mount.

Gratuitous Tantal Pic

I know two things that Ian didn't mention in his video on the wz.88.

The lower handguard came in more colors than the orange he mentions.  You can see the orange on my bayonet and a more wine color on my handguard.

I know my handguard is a proper wz.88 handguard because it's number matched to the other parts in my kit.

Next, he uses a steel magazine.  While this was unique to the Poles, it's not the definitive wz.88 magazine.  Poland went in with Bulgaria and developed the black plastic one shown here.

That got them out of paying either The USSR or East Germany for the "bakelite" magazines and it was a definite upgrade from the steel one.

Bonus third thing!  Any single-hook AK trigger will work in the Tantal if you're making a semi-auto, with a small modification for the trigger return spring.

The scope mount wasn't intended to just be an early item.  Some small percentage were meant to be made continuously for the issue and mounting of night vision.  The ending of The Cold War and the transition to the Beryl nixed that idea.

If you happen to have an old PZO NSP-3 or PCO PCS-5 optic you're sick of owning...  Drop me an email.  They don't even have to be functional, I just want them for pictures!

Ian Does The Tantal

Nice to see that I did a good job with my clone!

I did a lot of research making my wz.88N (N because mine has the scope rail).

Hit the 'Tantal' tag to see the story of my rifle once you watch the video!

Firm Detent

Removed the too-long, too-narrow 3/32" roll pin from the "selector" on Tonya and replaced it with one of the 500 M2.5x10 spring pins I ordered for the purpose.

The lack of diameter in the pin caused the "selector" to be loose on its shaft and that let the safety rotate the "selector" when they're supposed to move independently of each other.

This is a cosmetic deal, not a functional one since all three positions of the "selector" select semi-auto.  On the 'C' setting the disconnector lacks the shelf for the pin to hit and the pin is ground off; so no full auto.  On the 'S' setting the entire gear set is removed; so no 3-round burst.  In both cases, the auto-sear is missing, because my semi-auto receiver doesn't even have a hole for its pivot pin.

Pics of the "selector" in "action"

S for 3-round burst aka semi-auto

P for semi-auto.

C for full-auto aka semi-auto.

With the "selector" firmed up, the ball detent actually engages the little divots in the receiver!  It's satisfying.

I will say it again, the scope mounting rail on the Tantal is a complete afterthought.  When it's absent, removing the selector requires no tools.  With it present you have to have a long 2.5mm punch and drive out the spring-pin to separate the lever from the shaft.

It Tasks Me

The cosmetic "selector" on Tonya has been wiggly for two years.

That's because there's a 3/32" roll pin through a 2.5mm hole.

I finally ordered an M2.5x10 spring pin to fix the wobble.

Did I say I ordered a pin?

No, I ordered 500 of them.

$6.88 shipped.

I hit this problem a lot.  I end up with vast quantities of something because they're not readily available locally and only in bulk if you want a reasonable price.

Who Knows It Might Even Work

I got this email from a vendor I've bought Tantal bits from:

Thanksgiving DEAL OF THE WEEK !!

ENDS NOON EST 11/29/19

Your choice of NSP-3 OR PPN-3 Soviet style night Vision.

Great Stocking Stuffer! Perfect for hunting season

These fit most all side rail mount weapons, including AK-47, AK-74, SG-43, PKM & RPG-7 etc.

We have no facilities to test, sold STRICTLY AS IS with NO RETURNS. These are relic from the cold war and most appear to be in very good to new condition. Accessories are included but vary from box to box. Included in original wood or metal transit chest.

UPS Shipping

See Gunbroker for more information

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/845982372

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/845984118

We have optional infrared flash light COVER ONLY for $20 each. These are invisible at night to the human eye,but will light up an acre at a time in conjunction to the night vision.

REG $399 DEAL $295.00 PLUS UPS

Office is closed Thursday and Friday but orders received by friday will be honored.Only 20 of each available!

sales@bowmanarms.com your complete name address email & phone number with your order. You will receive and invoice with payment options.

Like us on Facebook! bowman arms - tankride.com, inc.

$300 on sale and it probably doesn't function.

This series of Commie night vision is easy to kill by showing it too much light, and a lot of them have been shown too much.  Like firing it up to see if it works in a well lit room?

Click, zap, dead.

If it does function, it's a decent price.

A bit much for a photo accessory unless Chuck and Dianne suggest banning rudimentary night vision scopes.

Idle Hands And What

I put Tonya back to her "as issued" state.

The fixed stock is objectively better, but it's not right.

Besides, the folder gives Dianne the hives.

Now That It's Dark

Tried out the tritium sights on Tonya.

The rear becomes a blurry blob and the front vial is a brighter vertical line in the blob.

Line them up and you should be vaguely pointed at what you want to shoot.

Which won't be that far away if you can see it in the dark.

Night Sight Restoration Part 2

Have you ever tried to take a picture of a tritium vial to show it glows?

Have you ever tried to show that it's glowing mounted to a rifle?

Do you wonder, once you're done, if there was an easier way?

I say yes to all three.

15 second exposure!  I am glad to have a steady hand.

The vials I can source, from Taiwan and ONLY Taiwan for some reason, are not the right size.  They're ø2mm and not the proper ø2.5mm.  Both are 6mm long.  The front sight should be 5mm long and the rear 7mm.

100% silicone RTV to the rescue!  A teeny glob on each end of the vials centers them and isolates them.  The front pokes out a tiny bit, but there's not enough sight to make it completely flush, so a big glob of RTV goes there.  Since I used white, I also need to paint over it.  Paint over white is even correct!

Night Sight Restoration Part 1

The tritium arrived from China today.

The replacement vials are simply the closest size to what came out that I can get.  Too small diameter, too short for the rear sight, too long for the front.  No problem!

Conical

The muzzle brake on the Tantal has a conical washer to give it some firmness against the threads rather than rattling around.

The one that came with the parts kits was more flat than conical.

You do not need tools to tighten the muzzle brake down, Jakub!

Someone had really cranked down on this one and was flat when the brake was indexed without a wobble.  The new one just goes past the index point three times once the detent starts catching instead of four.  That fourth turn needed a tool, like the cleaning rod, passed through the opening of the brake to get it tight.

Notice that it's not smashed flat?  It's a conical washer, not a CRUSH washer!

Nosir Don't Like It

It's a good thing I didn't spend a ton on it...

It feels super short compared to the wood...

It's not really much shorter than the wood or the East German pattern folder that is OE.

It is a LOT more comfortable than the OE stock, but that's damning it with faint praise, the bar is set to TWO thicknesses of paper low.

The wooden stock is, hands down, the winner for comfort here.

The Beryl stock, though, is very solid.  It locks up firmly and I'm not getting the wobble the previous owner complained about.

That solidity comes at a price, it's 9.1 lb. loaded with the Beryl stock, 9 lb. with the OE stock and 8.8 lb. with the laminated wood.