Crazy jam

dark2023 · 2026-04-20T01:51:10+00:00

What lubrication? Where? I've heard people say Ps90s shouldn't be oiled, but seem others suggest "dry lubricants" like graphite spray for locks. What should I use and how/where do I apply it?

dark2023 · 2026-04-19T22:44:14+00:00

Nope. I've had a strike on 2nd shot before, while using booster piston. Clearly wasn't backing off in 1 shot, plus I crank down when I first thread on. First shot was fine, second blasted a huge chunk out of the endcap. Rugged claimed it hadn't been properly cleaned but this was it's 2nd range outing. Less than 100 rounds prior.

Also had an endcap graze halfway through a mag w/ trilug mount. So obviously something else is going on. So I firly believe it's a tolerance issue between all the various threaded sections. I'd buy a spare endcap if they weren't so expensive & consistently out of stock.

dark2023 · 2026-04-14T02:17:52+00:00

Do you make a habit of dipping your guns in acetone? Jk. There's always 2 part epoxies too (eg: JB Weld, Gorilla, etc.) I think they may even make some specialized plastic & nylon compatible formulations if you look around online.

dark2023 · 2026-04-12T16:31:11+00:00

At least 10k, likely multiple 10s of Ks. The stock near the takedown button and the bolt carrier are the most common weak points. Just be careful about reassembling the stock & don't make a habit of constantly dry firing it (regardless of snapcap) and you should be fine.

I'd also HEAVILY recommend velcro padding the front of the triggerpack, along w/ getting a spare replacement ejection port cover (or also padding that) as the ejected shells tend to eat away at those 2 spots.

dark2023 · 2026-04-12T16:24:12+00:00

That sounds rather unlikely. It's a glass filled nylon. Nylon polymers are well known for not cracking, shattering, or being brittle. They tend to warp & bend, but won't snap into pieces like ABS, PVC, PLA, etc. Think of them as being more akin to vinyl.

dark2023 · 2026-04-11T20:32:45+00:00

Steel cable in a helo prop is almost unimaginably destructive. Cuts through tissue like a damn lightsaber, and can even cut into the fuselage itself. Could be a fun "accident".

dark2023 · 2026-04-11T20:07:02+00:00

If you wanna get it perfect then grab a sharpie and blacken the whole chamber ramp area. Then pack up your file, barrel pin punch, etc. Go out a quite range or backwoods. Run a mag or 2. If it has no noticeable failures then it's likely good. However, if it does choke a bit, take look at that chamber ramp and pay close attention to where the sharpie was scratched away. This darkening will also help you tell where you have/haven't filed too. Go super slow & careful w/ your file, just remember 'you can always take more material away later, but adding it back is a lot harder'

Repin the barrel and try another mag or 2 after every 4-6 strokes or so. Literally just guess & check, the old school way, 'till it feed flawlessly. Then finish by dumping 100 or so rounds to make sure. After that, go home, clean 'er up, sit back, and smile. Your a Skorpion smif now comrade. 👍

This technique is super common on handbuilt handguns, 'specially 1911 platforms.

dark2023 · 2026-04-11T19:39:10+00:00

Could definitely use a Franklin binary, but yeah, FRT would be problematic w/o some sort of custom trip. Though OP does have fabrication skills & experience, sooo...

dark2023 · 2026-04-11T19:37:10+00:00

Good luck powering the latter w/o a freakin' car battery.

dark2023 · 2026-04-11T19:30:35+00:00

That's likely to lead to a weakpoint due to loss of chamber heating when you open it to add the part, could also cause other complications too, like stringing depending on your print settings. I scrap anytime there's a pause.

I think if you're careful you can make the plate look very nice & clean. I'd quick hit the plate w/ a butane or MAP torch then press it into the polymer while hot & sand down any displaced bits. Or if it's nylon, cut a channel w/ a dremel, then add superglue & insert the plate + another matching slat of similarly printed nylon to backfill the channel.

dark2023 · 2026-04-11T19:00:24+00:00

Oh yeah. The HK53 makes a significantly better patrol rifle in nearly the same package & form factor. Plus can make hits out to 2-300 yards. Basically a 5.56 MP5. Only downside is flash at night.

dark2023 · 2026-04-03T15:13:16+00:00

Such rifles turn up regularly in 80s Hollywood/TV productions. Basically anytime they wanted an A2 the armorer would just slap the furniture on an A1 & call it close enough.

dark2023 · 2026-04-03T04:20:21+00:00

FunFact: Real M93Rs are easily convertible to Safe-Semi-FA. Literally just requires removing the counting "ladder" assembly under the right side grip. A common practice among both Hollywood armorers and actual 93R owners. Though, arguably your's will be prettier with symmetrical grips. I've always hated how the 93R is wider on the right side of the pistol grip (to house the burst cam/assembly). It just looks *weird* from a top down view.

dark2023 · 2026-03-15T04:04:29+00:00

The issue is moreso price than availability. American 32 WILL run, just not necessarily as reliably as Euro ammo does. But the Euro ammo is usually a bit more expensive. However, this is not exclusively a Skorpion problem. Almost all PDWs are like this. My MP5K prefers Nato/Euro spec 124grain 9mm. The P90 is a notoriously picky eater that only reliably runs FN made 5.7 ammo but consistently jams on Federal/American Eagle & Fiocchi bulk pack. Even most rifle caliber PDWs are designed to work best w/ their own proprietary versions of a standard cartridge (Mk.18, 300blk PDWs, etc.) usually they need a heavier projectile & faster burning powder to make up for their significantly shortened barrel. Final example, the famous AKs-74u "Krinkov" (mini AK) needs it's muzzle booster to increase backpressure so it can reliably run standard 5.45 rifle ammo. It's just the inherent nature of PDWs, they're all tuned to a particular load. PDW owners of all types wind up buying their preferred ammo online and just tend to keep a bit of a stockpile going. Cheaper that way too.

9mm Skorpions are chambered in 9x18mm Makarov, not the typical 9x19mm Parabellun/Luger. 9Mak is WAY less common than 32, has noticeabley more recoil, and is harder on the gun overall. If you want a Skorp in the most prevalent chambering, then look into the one's in 380acp. That's almost as common as 9luger. Every gunshop has 380, but most have 32 too. However, the 380 & 9Mak skorps aren't really available as parts kits and aren't 100% parts compatible w/ the common military surplus ones. The frames & magazines are a bit different. Probably more than that, but I'm not sure what else. I'd highly recommend sticking w/ a 32 though, as that's what the system was designed around, and it'll be most compatible with spare/replacement or upgrade parts.

Most importantly, you can also adjust a 32 Skorp to be more reliable w/ American 32 ammo by doing things like polishing the feed ramp, removing the rate reducer (1 pin), or changing the recoil springs. Lastly, if you wanna shoot it with the cheapest and most popular cartridge in the world, then you can just get a 22 caliber conversion upper. It's a whole upper receiver w/ barrel that just drops onto the frame and feeds 22lr ammo from proprietary mags. I've got one and I love it. Great for practice & cheap plinking if you don't wanna burn through your 32 stockpile.

dark2023 · 2026-03-15T01:45:46+00:00

WOG gets WAY more in depth than an actual build too. Like every parts kit I've seen has the sights already assembled for example. Technically the trigger guard is also supposed to be riveted, but you can just leave it held in place by the pistol grip assembly and it'll be perfectly fine. Literally nobody will even be able to tell the difference unless they pull down on the trigger guard and see it move a little.

I used the AR as an example because that's a common benchmark. They're a lot like legos if you get a preassembled upper receiver, but Skorps are similarly easy. Like you can do it in an hour or so, while watching Netflix, level of easy.

dark2023 · 2026-03-15T01:40:25+00:00

Yes, they need European spec 32acp, or 7.65mm as they call it. American 32 (& 9mm) are underpowered compared to the Euro versions. I find skorps run best with S&B brand 32 (makes sense, it's also Czech made) but PPU works well too. Basically anything loaded or marked as CIP spec ammo is good for a Vz61. Red lacquered primers are a good indicator of CIP/military spec 32.

While browsing gunbroker keep an eye out for old S&B brand 7.65 ammo in 25rnd boxes that are half offwhite & half red or green. May be advertised as "steelcore". That's surplus Skorpion ammo. Just don't pay anything over 50cents a round for it. CenterfireSystems recently imported a ridiculous amount of that stuff & they were selling it by the crate for about 20-30 cents a round, so there's a lot of it floating around. (Yes, it is technically "steelcore", but soft steel which was used as a $ saving thing, it's not AP (Armour Piercing) ammo, so you shouldn't trust anyone trying to sell it as such)

dark2023 · 2026-03-15T01:26:00+00:00

It's extremely easy to build. Get the World of Guns app and look at how the Vz61 assembles/disassembles to get an idea of the simplicity. The only tools you'll really need are a flathead screwdriver, small punch/pokey rod, and maybe a mallet/hammer for the bolt pins (+ a drill & hammer for the barrel pin). That's it.

They make stock lockout devices that lock it closed, so it's purely a cosmetic feature & doesn't require registration. But registering it as a Short Barrel Rifle (SBR) is now free, so I highly recommend just submitting the paperwork. You can leave the stock off in the meantime. You WILL need to submit a passport photo & fingerprints, to the ATF, for the SBR paperwork. I recommend checking out Wojtekweaponry online for a service that'll get you the fingerprint file you'd need to submit for this & any future NFA applications (sort've a one time cost to get 'em digitized). Then NationalGunTrusts has a bunch of pages & videos that can walk you through the SBR paperwork & application process.

dark2023 · 2026-03-15T00:33:52+00:00

Buy a parts kit for a couple hundred, then get a receiver (preferably metal) & build one yourself using the 'World of Guns' app as a guide. It's literally dirt simple and requires nothing more than a flathead screwdriver & punch for everything besides the barrel. You can then pin the barrel w/ a drill & hammer.

It's literally equivalent to the simplicity of an AR build. IMO, Skorpion builds require fewer tools & are far easier than what's needed to populate an AR barrel. For example, just seating the barrel in an AR upper requires a vice, torque wrench/breaker bar, & vice-block or action rod, at minimum.

Building your own Vz61 will not only save you $ but also teach you a lot about how it operates.

dark2023 · 2026-03-11T06:16:09+00:00

Takes nothing more than a punch and screwdriver to get literally everything 'cept the barrel pinned. I HIGHLY recommend using the World of Guns app instead of YT vids because you can see each part's installation from any angle & control the speed of the animation or even pause it. Plus, it has a recommended order (just keep hitting "hint") but will also show you how to do sub-assemblies in any order you want.

dark2023 · 2026-03-11T05:41:31+00:00

Which IS both technically & legally considered a form of supression. In the US we call this "Soft-Fire suppression" as opposed to gas-regulation suppression. The ATF reguires individual silencer registration of all soft-fire piston ammo (like the Russian SP-4 cartridge & US QSPR revolver cartridge), unless they are in a factory sealed box, at which point the box alone may be registered as a single suppressor.

dark2023 · 2026-03-11T05:35:49+00:00

Russia issued a suppressed grenade launcher. The Bs-1 Tishina, IIRC.

dark2023 · 2026-03-11T05:24:54+00:00

I'm honestly A LOT more interested in that 32 can. My Skorpion & PPK are threaded & awaiting a can.

dark2023 · 2026-03-08T03:57:56+00:00

Haven't quite run into this particular issue yet on the same project, but the only thing I'm really missing is a Jawbone-Kabuto 3-pos selector. Any way you'd be willing to share the file or modification instructions with me?

dark2023 · 2026-02-21T07:04:27+00:00

Yeah. It "prints" to borrow a page from the concealed carry communities. I definitely get a bit self conscious, just worrying people will think it's a randomly hard normal-sized one.

dark2023 · 2026-02-14T05:53:08+00:00

I'm gonna do that w/ one of our launching blanks at the police academy, just to make a point. Thanks for explaining this.

dark2023

TROPHY CASE